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“SEEKING THE PEACE” (12/5/10)

SCRIPTURES: Philippians 4: 4-9 & Luke 1: 76-80
KEY CONCEPTS: The need for peace has never been greater. Followers of Christ are
called to embrace & embody peace – especially during this season of Advent.
OPENING QUOTE: (From Pupils of the Lincoln School) – “Peace”
Peace means the beginning of a new world.
It means that nations are friends; it means joy to the world.
Peace is quiet & calm; it is rest; it is silence after a storm.
It is love & friendship; it is the world’s dream of dreams.
Peace brings comfort & happiness; it brings bread to the hungry; it brings
prosperity to the nations.
It means the strong respect the weak, the great respect the small, and the many
respect the few.
It is like spring after winter; it brings sunshine into the world; it is like sweet
music after harsh sounds.
The need for peace has never been greater. Followers of Christ are called to embrace &
embody peace – especially during this season of Advent.
WILL YOU PRAY WITH ME? PRAYER:
OPENING THOUGHTS:
Today, we continue with our worship theme, “Experiencing the Christ Child”, by looking at
the concept of “peace” – particularly as found in the book of Philippians.
EPISTLE READING – PHILLIPIANS 4: 4-9:
Maybe this passage is familiar to many of us. We most often focus on verse 4 – “Rejoice in
the Lord always; again I say, Rejoice!” And in our 21st century minds, we often think – that in
order to rejoice, everything has to be perfect in our lives….so let’s examine the historical
context for today’s writings.
EXEGESIS OF THE PASSAGE:
The people in the house churches in Philippi were dear to Paul. The genre of this writing is a
“friendship letter”. The Philippians had generously supported Paul & his ministry. However,
this letter was written in the midst of serious challenges & threats to the group. External
pressures (& enemies of Paul) were inflicting suffering on the members; while internally, two
of the key female leaders of the church (Euodia & Syntyche) were arguing bitterly & Paul was
asking for a mature leader to step in & mediate – reminding the women of the greater
purpose of the organization. For whether we like it or not, interpersonal issues often make
their way into the church & becomes a congregational issue. (which is why OHMCC uses the
“Communications Covenant” to guide us in our interpersonal behavior).
Additionally, Paul, himself, was in prison & could do nothing more than write, pray & ask for
cooler heads to prevail – to resist both the external threats & the internal strife – or else
the church might collapse from within. With this in mind – let’s now look at the reading.
PHILLIPIANS 4:4:
Paul called his Philippians friends to rejoice in the face of trials, tribulations & conflict. The 1st
century followers of Christ – as well as 21st century followers – are commanded to rejoice, or
to live joyfully, in the midst of all the seasons of our lives! True joy is not mere happiness
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or frivolity, but rather a deep longing that will change who we are as followers of
Christ in the following 4 ways:
PHILIPPIANS 4:5: “Let your gentleness be known to everyone!”
Gentleness, in this passage, also refers to generosity, being like Christ, being considerate of
others, all while embodying humility & the willingness to learn from & help others. People
flock to those who are gentle because they feel safe. They also know a gentle person is
patience & willing to help them in their time of need.
PHILIPPIANS 4:5: “The Lord is near!”
Is God near to us on this 2nd Sunday of Advent? Was God near to John the Baptizer (from
our Gospel reading) during his 30 years in the wilderness – as he waited to fulfill his role as
the foreteller of Jesus of Nazareth? Do you suppose John eve wondered if he’d
misunderstood & thought he was wasting his life?
Some of us here today mistakenly believe God has forgotten about us? That God is far away
from us – but in this text – God promises that “in the midst of external threats, internal strife &
even imprisonment” God is near to us all! The question is not “Is God near?” rather the
question is, “Do we believe, by faith, in the unseen reality that God is near?” For when
we can truly believe this ONE spiritual reality – ALL of our life will change - & we will be able
to fully rejoice!
PHILIPPIANS 4:6: “Don’t worry, pray, say thank you & tell God everything!”
How long do you pray about something until you give up on praying about it? Sometimes I
wonder how God can keep up with all that we ask for – you know, almost like our Christmas
list to Santa. If we can only remember one verse about “how to pray” this might be that verse
for this verse reminds us that true prayer brings us before God & with humility we not only
ask God to act on our behalf – for our good & the good of those we’re praying for; but true
prayer also involves genuine thanksgiving & gratitude for what God will do! And personally,
I’ve begun to wonder if humility & thanksgiving is lacking in my prayers – if I can still call it a
prayer?
PHILIPPIANS 4:7: “Peace of God – passes all understanding – guards hearts & minds”
Why do we most often hear this verse at funerals & memorial services? Is it because only at
death do most of us really catch a glimpse of just how fragile life is & just how miraculous it is
for any of us to be alive? Why are so many of us – who say we follow Christ – only tender,
gentle & loving during times of death & other equally tough times? Rarely do we find internal
peace & so our external lives are marked by strife, anger, and dissention. We move through
the world – making life harder than it has to be for everyone around us.
The peace of God – internally manifested – affords us a sense of well being & rightness in
the world. And the peace of God will come to us when we most need it – as we yield
ourselves to God. The peace of God that we seek isn’t just one thing among many – it is the
main thing on this the 2nd Sunday of Advent.
ILLUSTRATIONS OF PEACE:
So, what does this “peace of God that we seek look like” in real time? Although it varies from
person to person, I do have a few examples:
• Protecting the Powerless: Advancing the cause of human/equal rights. Last
week, I watched the 2010 CNN Heroes of the Year. Over 10,000 people were
nominated & of the top 10 that were introduced the one that touched my heart the
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most was Anuradha Koirala. She’s the 61 year old woman who founded the group,
Maiti Nepal that has fought for more than 16 years to rescue & rehabilitate thousands
of Nepal’s sex trafficking victims. Since 1993, she has helped over 12,000 women &
girls. One woman has brought back “peace of mind, body & soul” to over 12,000
people! Just one example of what the “peace of God” is in Nepal!

• The peace of God: When life is beyond our control!

When life is the most out of control, God’s peace is most readily available to us. I’ve
literally experienced the peace of God in dozens of challenging moments in my life.
During & following the deaths of my grandmother & dad, when I went to Korea, joining
MCC, etc. And what I’m learning is that peace comes out of the overflow of our
relationship with God & God’s people.

• The peace of God: While we wait on God!

Waiting is one of the hardest things we do as human beings. Many times, we’re
waiting for God to do something & it takes forever (or so it seems). As I’ve gotten
older (& sometimes wiser), I have discovered that easy things don’t take very long;
however, bigger issues & requests take lots of time – especially if other people are
involved in the prayer requests. So, if you’re praying for some huge something –
chances are it’ll take some time. AND “how we wait” on God is often just as
important as what we’re waiting for!
CLOSING:
In closing, May the God of all journeys, visit me with peace in this time of waiting & reflecting.
Help me to remember all the examples of “peace on earth” as I continue my journey of faith
this Advent season. Amen.

General Resources:
Opening Quote:
Pupils of the Lincoln School. “Peace” (#468).” in Singing the Living Tradition. Boston:
Unitarian Universalist Association, 1993.
2010 CNN Heroes Link: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/archive10/index.html
The New Oxford Annotated Bible. 3rd edition, (NRSV). (Oxford University Press: Oxford,
2007). 332. (New Testament).
Bartlett, David L. & Barbara Brown Taylor, eds. Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary:
Feasting on the Word. Year C, Vol. 1.Westminster John Knox Press: Louisville, 2009, 62-67.