Finding peace this Advent season
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“Contentment is not escape from the battle, but rather an abiding peace and confidence in the midst of the battle.”
Warren Wiersbe
Quieting the storm
It’s the end of the craziest year in my memory. We’re coming out of an Advent week focusing on hope in the midst of the storm. We’ve had the most active hurricane season on record. Winter storms are just around the corner. The hustle and bustle of the holiday season continues to beat its drum.
Storms are a-brewin’.
So it only makes sense as we come to the second stop on our Advent journey – Peace – to remember the story of how Jesus calmed the storm.
After a long day of preaching, Jesus and his followers boarded a boat and began to cross the Sea of Galilee, From what I can tell from the account in the Synoptic Gospels, it looks like Jesus found a cushion and quickly settled down for some shuteye*. While he was sleeping, a violent storm came upon the boat. And it scared them to death.
Seriously.
The waves crashed. The wind blew. Water was filling the boat. Chaos ensued. “We’re all gonna die!” they shouted. “We’re all gonna die! Jesus, can’t you see? We’re all gonna die!”
Hyperbole? Maybe. But it wasn’t uncommon for these nasty, violent storms to sneak up and destroy anything that was on the water. So Jesus’ followers saw the impossible circumstances surrounding them. And they were shaking in their fishing waders.^
Bringing order to chaos
When I was in seminary, I once heard a lecture that mentioned that the creation story in the first verses of the first chapter of Genesis describe how God stepped into primordial chaos and brought order to it.
“Light!”
“Sea! Land!”
“Plants!”
“Animals in the sea, land, and air!”
“Humans – in our image!”
God shaped the swirling chaos before creation and turned it into a beautiful, majestic, wonderful, intricate, orderly creation. There was rest on the seventh day. And there was peace.
Jesus, the Word of God who was fully present and actively creating in the beginning (see John 1), was right there with them on the boat. In the midst of the chaos, Jesus was there. When their world was literally falling apart around them, Jesus was there. Jesus told the impending doom to shut up and take a seat. It only took two words (in Greek).
Let me say this again: Jesus brought peace to the storm.
Jesus is in the business of bringing peace in the midst of chaos.
Finding peace today
I give you peace.
Jesus in John 14:27 (CEV)
The same Jesus who turned chaos into order; the same Jesus who turned the storm into peace; that very same Jesus has offered that very same peace for us. When the Apostle Paul listed the hallmarks of a follower of Jesus who is full of the Spirit, he put peace near the top of the list. He also says that this peace goes beyond any comprehension or understanding. Because Jesus is near.
Jesus is near.
God is with us.
While talking about the use of the word “peace” in the New Testament, Gerald Cowen says this:
The greatest use of the word is to represent the rest and contentment one has as a result of a harmonious relationship with God, which is a result of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Sermon Starters from the Greek New Testament
And he also says this:
In its basic meaning, peace describes a state in which people are joined together rather than being alienated from each other; they are on friendly, speaking terms with each other.
Sermon Starters from the Greek New Testament
No alienation? Friendly? Speaking terms with each other?
I don’t know about you, but I need that peace in my life. The storms of this political season in addition to the uncertain chaos caused by this pandemic has certainly put a strain on many relationships. Unfortunately, I’ve seen many in the church encourage division instead of “a state in which people are joined together.” Far too many are charging into the fray in order to cause more chaos instead of peace.
I know I’m guilty of this. In my efforts to prove I’m right and someone else is wrong, I’ve sown discord instead of peace. I confess: I’ve added to the storms that engulf us.
And now we’re reaping what we’ve sown.
Can’t fake peace
We make half-hearted apologies. We celebrate surface-level treaties. And we say that everything’s OK when storms are raging inside. We like to pretend we have peace. But we don’t.
Peace – the real, deep, and living kind – can only be found in Jesus. He is, after all, peace incarnate. When the world falls apart, we can still have peace. Because Jesus is peace. I’ve found that when I try to pretend that I have peace, contentment, and rest, I can put on a good show for a little while.
But it’s nothing like what I’ve found when sticking with Jesus. So you want peace? Hold onto that anchor of hope and get close to Jesus.
Because I can’t fake having peace. And neither can you.
Like last week, I’ve created a playlist of songs about peace. I hope they help remind you to look to Jesus for peace.
Endnotes
* Yes. Jesus rested. Can we please stop normalizing being perpetually overworked and exhausted? It’s not healthy. It’s not a spiritual discipline. And it’s not biblical. Especially when it comes to ministry.
^ I know. Many of them were fisherman. But they weren’t fishing this time. And they didn’t have waders. Work with me here.
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