The first words Jesus spoke to his disciples after the resurrection were “Peace be with you.” He spoke them to a group of folk hiding behind locked doors. They were struggling to make sense of their grief, and cope with bewilderment and anxiety about what happens now.
“Peace be with you.” They were the right words to hear when the heart is a mess and the mind can’t function clearly. We’ve all been there; feeling shut in, wondering how to move forward, and losing confidence in ourselves.
In John’s Gospel tells us the disciples were together, “and the doors were locked, but Jesus came and stood amongst them.” Grief does that – closes doors, puts us on the defensive against further hurt, and often drains our confidence in life.
“The doors were locked but Jesus came to them.” That’s a description of what God is like, the one who can’t be shut out even when we are shut in. “Peace be with you.” These are words worth considering, at those times when life comes apart in our hands. And just to be clear, these are words of benediction; Jesus conveys the blessing he speaks.
“Peace be with you”, is the prayer of the risen Jesus who has come through death to new life. He now comes looking for those hiding behind closed doors, alone and struggling with the messiness of their lives.
That can be any of us. Peace is a rich word filled with such meanings as trust, purpose, healing of heart, confidence in life, a sense of being held by a strength more than our own. This coming week, hear these words: “Peace be with you.”
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This piece was first published in the Aberdeen Press and Journal, as The Saturday Sermon, on April 20th 2024. I've done this every 6 weeks or so since 1992! It is an exercise, or at least an attempt, at what John Calvin called 'lucid brevity'. In other words, the word limit is 275 words in which to say something that is meaningful, helpful and worth a readers time to read.
There's an important discipline in word limits. In the 1980's, when technology was much more basic, I was minister in a church in Paisley which had a telephone ministry. The machine recorded exactly two minutes which included time for it to kick in and sign off, to introduce myself, and then say something meaningful in 1 minute and 40 seconds. There was no edit facility, the first take was what callers heard when they dialled the number.
All kinds of people used this ministry. We often had letters and cards of appreciation from folk struggling at home, calling from hospital, or who regularly listened for encouragement. The two minute sermon was renewed several times a week, so ideas and ways of saying them briefly and effectively slowly developed an instinct for what was essential to include and what was waffle!
Who knows the impact of words, spoken or written. With the Saturday Sermon there is a place where what is written can make a difference to how people think of themselves, see the world, and think about the life they are living. It's a privileged place in which to share with fellow travellers whatever wisdom and humane experience God has given. Not many newspapers have such a long tradition of including spiritual encouragement for their readers.
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