Today we begin a series of three Advent messages titled What the World Needs Now. Some of you, when you hear the phrase What the World Needs Now, will think of
the Burt Bacharach and Hal David song (am I dating myself?). I had been thinking for a couple of
weeks about what theme to use for my messages during Advent, when one morning I
had that song stuck in my head. It
popped into my head, that’s a good theme
for Advent – what the world needs now. I’m not using the song in any way; just the title, and I
will have three messages built around that theme – peace, joy, and love. These are all themes I have used before but, considering the
state of our world, they are themes always worth repeating and they have, in
many ways, been themes I have focused upon throughout the 37 years of my
ministry.
We begin this
morning with the theme of peace. To be honest, Advent is a very
stressful time when you are a minister.
I love Advent, but it is a time of many places to be, much to do, and
not enough time to do it all, all of which is a recipe for losing any sense of
peace. But you don’t have to be a
minister to be stressed out; I think we all are feeling a bit stressed these
days. Are you?
Our Scripture text for today comes from
three passages that speak of peace –
Romans 12:9-21 –
9 Love must be
sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
10 Be devoted to one
another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
11 Never be lacking
in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
12 Be joyful in
hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the
Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who
persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who
rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
16 Live in harmony
with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of
low position. Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay
anyone evil for evil. Be careful
to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.
18 If it is
possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
19 Do not take
revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written:
“It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
20 On the
contrary: “If your enemy is
hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning
coals on his head.”
21 Do not be
overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Isaiah 2:4 –
4 He will judge
between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into
plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword
against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
Luke 2:13-14 –
13 Suddenly
a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and
saying,
14 “Glory
to God in the highest heaven, and
on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
I want to consider peace from three
different perspectives this morning –
1. Peace with humanity.
As I worked on this message the
other evening I was listening to Christmas music, which always helps to bring
to me a sense of peace, especially as I listened to one of my favorite
Christmas song, All Is Well, by
Michael W. Smith (the song will be part of the choir’s presentation today at Café Noel. You can listen to the original here – https://youtu.be/yAyplzXmjVE). Among the lyrics in the song are these
lines – All is well, all is well, let
there be peace on earth. What
a hopeful phrase that is! Indeed,
let there be peace on earth! What
I find fascinating about the phrase is the word let. When I read that
phrase, with the word let, I take it
to mean that we need to stop resisting peace. Let is a
permission-giving word. When we
think about the state of the world, I believe it is clear that some of humanity
has decided not to let peace take hold on the earth. As violence continues to plague us, as
terrorism targets with absolutely no discrimination and becomes a growing
plague around the world, as nations wage war, as sabers rattle and threaten
more war, I think it is safe to say that humanity has, in large measure,
decided not to let peace reign on the earth.
Genesis
4:2-10, which is the story of Cain and Abel, set the template for humanity, (2 Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time
Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also brought an
offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked
with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering
he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. 6 Then the Lord said to
Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be
accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it
desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” 8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go
out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel
and killed him. 9 Then
the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 The Lord said, “What
have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground)
and that violence seems to be an incurable part of the human condition. We seem to find it inevitable that we
are at war with one another. There is much in
the news these days that would point to the possibility of even more violence
in our world. Is war with North
Korea on the horizon? North Korea
says that nuclear war with the United States is inevitable. Is
it? Will all the saber rattling
lead to the inevitability of war? Will
the violence of terrorism deepen?
Will the Middle East explode into war?
The
world is armed to the teeth and pursues more arms, and as individuals we arm
ourselves. The church now has a
security task force and has met with a security consultant to help us determine
what we need to do, in terms of security.
It’s all madness, isn’t it?
I’m not denying the sad, tragic realities of our world and the fact that
we have to take certain steps, but it’s still madness, isn’t it? How hopeful do you feel about peace?
My first memories of war, and the struggle to attain peace, date to
my youngest years. Two of my
uncles were wounded during World War II, one at Normandy and the other at the
Battle of the Bulge. One had
difficulty with his leg the rest of his life because of his wound and I
remember my curiosity about it led me to ask my mom what had happened. She told me about the battle and went
on to tell me about when families in her neighborhood received casualty notices,
and how difficult those days were.
I remember as an older child, in the early years of the Vietnam War,
when we made prayer books in Vacation Bible School. Each one of us wrote a prayer that was copied so the prayer
books contained a copy of each child’s prayer. Though it was a long time ago I remember that every one of
our prayers included the plea that God would bring an end to the war and bring
home our friends and loved ones.
Paul echoes the words of Jesus in the Sermon On the Mount about
loving our enemies. They are very
tough words to live, because the fragile peace of our world instills in us a
great sense of fear, and when we are fearful we do not respond from the better
portion of ourselves. To read
those words it is easy to think they are unrealistic, but really they are the
only real hope we have for peace.
The famous words from Isaiah 2:4 – He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for
many peoples. They will
beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword
against nation, nor will they train for war anymore – are inscribed
on a wall in a park across the road from the United Nations. It is often reported that the words are
on the foundation of the United Nations, but that is not correct. I wonder sometimes, are the words
across the road because it keeps them at a safe distance, where they can exist
as a great motto but not close enough to require the very, very difficult work
of working for, maintaining, and keeping peace?
2. Peace with ourselves.
I’m going to go way, way out on a
limb and make a statement this morning.
Waaay out on a limb. I’m
going to go out on that limb and say this – most everyone here would like to
have a greater measure of peace in their life.
Actually that’s hardly going out on
a limb, is it? That’s just a given
in our world, especially at this time of year. We are all stressed out, trying to keep up with what we have
to do, trying to get to everywhere we need to be, and feeling as though
Christmas is a train that is bearing down the tracks closer and closer to us as
we run harder and harder to try and stay out in front of that train. I told Tanya the other day that was how
I felt, and maybe I should just sit down on the tracks and stop trying to
outrun that train, except I don’t want to get run over.
At Christmas, every worry is
magnified, every family struggle more intense, and every personal
struggle is felt more sharply. On top of all the other stressors, there is the sense of loss that rests
heavy upon us this time of year.
On the 1st day of this month my family marked 27 years since
we lost my father. When my phone
rings early in the morning – between 7:30 and 8:00 o’clock – I think of my dad,
because that was the time he most often called. During Advent I cannot hear O Holy Night without thinking of him, as that was a song he sang in
church during Advent, in his booming, beautiful tenor voice. This morning, we all feel the loss of
Tom McAllister, don’t we? Tom
called, almost without fail, every Sunday morning about 8:15 to check on
whether or not the bus had left the church to come and pick him up. I used to remind him that the bus
drivers always knew to pick him up and that he would not be forgotten. I sure missed his call this morning.
Peace is certainly about peace
between nations and peace between people, but peace is about ourselves as well,
and the need we have for internal peace.
Do not let your hearts be troubled
begins the 14th chapter of John, words that we all need to hear and
take to heart. In verse 27 of that
chapter Jesus goes on to say Peace I
leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
3. Peace with God.
The fear of the shepherds must have
been very profound as they trembled before the angels. Luke reminds us on that night here was suddenly a great company of the heavenly host
appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor
rests” (Luke 2:13-14).
Peace
on earth. Christmas is a great
reminder of the peace we have with God.
I grow very weary of those who want to paint God with a brush of great
anger and vengeance, when clearly the gospel reminds us in unequivocal terms
that God is love. God is
love. We do not have to cower
before God, we do not have to fear that God is anxious to condemn us; no, God’s
desire is not to bring condemnation but salvation.
In
our Scripture texts for this morning there is a universal declaration of God’s
love – Luke says the angels proclaimed on
earth peace. The angels didn’t
say peace on this country but not that
country. The angels didn’t say
peace on this group but not that group. The angels didn’t say peace on the people who believe this way but
not that way. It is disheartening,
isn’t it, how tribal we have become.
It’s always been that way, no doubt, but it seems to be growing ever
more that way, and so many of those tribes want to claim God is with them but
no one else. God’s desire is for
peace to rest upon all people and he declares peace exists between divine and
human because of his entering into the world as the Christ child in the manger.
(The
following story is adapted from a story I first read on the internet, but I do
not have the link to share, unfortunately. While much of the original language of this story remains,
it is a slightly edited version of the original).
In the far west of England, almost
to Wales, the medieval spire of St. Alkmund’s parish church reaches high above
the old city of Shrewsbury. More
than 600 years ago, a vicar of St. Alkmund’s named John Mirk wrote what became
one of the most popular books in late medieval England as well as the most
printed book in England before the Reformation. It was Festial, a collection of ready-made-sermons to
be preached throughout the year.
One of the favorite sermons from
that book was the Christmas sermon. In that sermon Mirk tells the familiar
and comforting story of angels singing for joy, Glory in excelsis Deo, shepherds watching their flocks by night,
and a baby lying in a manager while the city of Bethlehem sleeps nearby. The focus of Mirk’s sermon was Jesus as
the Prince of Peace. Jesus came,
he wrote, to bring peace to the whole world: peace between God and man, between
man and angels, and among people.
When John Mirk penned this sermon,
however, his world was far from peaceful. During Mirk’s lifetime (1348-1350), the Black Death wiped out
approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of the medieval population. Plague became endemic to England, striking every few years
until the seventeenth-century.
Along with the plague came the many wars in late medieval England. Peace certainly seemed to elude medieval
Shrewsbury. Peace was disrupted by plague and famine, it was disrupted by war,
and was disrupted by many of the other problems of the day.
Yet, in the midst of it all Mirk
wrote a sermon of peace. His words
ring clear: At midnight Christ was
born, for then all things are at rest, thus showing that Christ is the Prince
of Peace, and came to make peace between God and man, and between angels and
man, and between man and man (end of story).
Peace is one of the great themes of
Scripture, and one to which we must continually look in order to find ways to
make that great promise come true, because it is a promise. Peace is not just a hope, it is not
just a command; it is a promise.
One day – yes, one day – peace will come. Peace will reign in our world and in every human heart. It might seem a rather foolish idea to
hold to that belief, but I believe it with all of my heart. I believe it because God has proclaimed
it. I believe it because we
worship Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
I believe it because it is God’s will. I believe it because the angels proclaimed to the
shepherds. I believe it because
the prophets foretold it. And I
believe it because, frankly, I need to believe it. I cannot give in to the pessimism that so easily threatens
to overtake me when I look at our world.
And so, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, I will believe in
peace, and will believe that peace will, some day, somehow, come to the earth.
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