EASTER 6C - Acts 14:8-18; Psalm 67; Revelation 21:22-22:5; John 14:23-29 - 13 May 2007 -

A sermon preached by The Rev. Peter A. Munson for St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, Boulder, Colorado

Peace - Our Deepest Desire?

INTRODUCTION - What do you want?

What do you want? What is your deepest desire?

Our culture will try to help you answer that question. Is it happiness? Buy this car. It will make you happy. Is it wealth? Go into a career where you’ll make a lot of money. Is it power or fame? Have you thought about being an actor or a sports superstar? Have you thought about a career in politics?

I think there are other things that you and I want and pursue, that come not from the culture, but from the deep desires of our hearts. We want our lives to have meaning. We want to be creative and productive. We want to love and to be loved. We want to enjoy life, and also feel like we’ve made a difference. All these are good and worthy of our energy and pursuit.

THE DESIRE FOR INNER PEACE

But I think there is one desire that trumps all the others. There is one thing that represents our deepest desire. We want peace. I am not talking about peace in the world, although I think we’d very much like that, too. We want inner peace.

Isn’t that why we take trips to the mountains or to the forest or to the beach, or even take a walk around the neighborhood? Maybe I’ll find some moments of peace.

Isn’t that why we turn off the phone and sit down with a good book?

Isn’t that why we put some beautiful music on the CD player, or go out into our backyards at night and look at the stars?

Isn’t it why we sit down with a close friend, and don’t even care if there are gaps of silence in the conversation?

Isn’t that why we pray? Maybe I’ll experience peace, if even for a moment.

AN ADULT SERMON?

As I was thinking about this sermon, I was thinking that it reflected my age - the fact that I’m getting older. The youth of the church aren’t going to want to hear a sermon about peace. They’re just getting started, they’re revving their engines, thinking about what concerts they can go to and how many different people they can hook up with on Friday night - not what route they might take for a nice peaceful bike ride, to get away from it all for an hour or two.

And yet... I remember what it was like to be 15. Can I be at peace within my own skin with this group of people? Can I just be myself? For that matter, I remember what it was like to be 25, and to be 35. Can I be at peace within my own skin? And now, on the verge of turning 50, the question really is still there, still not that much different. So maybe this isn’t an adult sermon. Maybe it is a sermon for all ages.

Do you have a deep, deep desire for peace? Is it perhaps your deepest desire? Do you find yourself thinking to yourself, “Just a little peace this day... where will I find it? Will I be at peace with myself, with my decisions? Can I be at peace with others, because I am peace with myself?”

WHAT I’VE LEARNED ABOUT PEACE

Here’s what I think I’ve learned about inner peace.

First, the world, despite all its promises and advertising pitches, can’t give it to you.

I can’t give you inner peace.

No one here today can give you inner peace.

Your parents can’t give it to you; neither can your boyfriend or girlfriend, your spouse, your children, or your best friend.

But I do know the One who can give you inner peace... the only One who can.

Jesus said to his disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” (John 14:27)

This is the peace we seek. The peace of God - the peace of God that passes all understanding, the peace of God that is very different from anything the world can give you, the peace of God that is the very peace that Jesus knew.

This peace is inextricably linked to your connection with the Holy Spirit. Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. And before that happened, he promised his followers that the Holy Spirit would come, would descend upon them, would be in them, would teach them everything. (John 14:26) But it would do more than teach them. It would give them the peace they desired. They would know the very peace of God, through the presence of the Holy Spirit with them and in them.

The peace we seek cannot be bought with money. It cannot be given to you by another person, even though we meet some folks who seem to have a deeper peace within them.

The peace we seek, and the peace that every mother - on this Mother’s Day - desires for herself, and also for her own children, is tied to the grace of God, for it is a gift - an undeserved, unmerited gift. A gift that God chooses to bestow upon his people.

Not as the world gives, does God give. The world gives to people who earn it, to people who are deserving, to people who have first given, and expect to get something back in return.

Not so with God. God gives because it is of his very nature to give. God gives, even if the ones He gives to don’t say “thank you”, even if they don’t recognize the gift at all.

CONCLUSION

Do you want that inner peace that passes all understanding? About all you can do is open your heart and open your mouth and say, “Lord, I want your peace. I have enough anxieties and worries and fears already. I need your peace, Lord - that peace that I know the world cannot give me. I know I don’t deserve it. But I know that you are a loving God. I know you have already given me your Holy Spirit. May I know your peace, O Lord. Thank you!”

Or, as Paul wrote to the Philippians, you can meditate on this:

“Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)