The Meaning of Peace

Preached at Christ Church, Billericay on 27 July 2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0AuG3T7boA from 35:57 to 57:47 

Prayer

Gracious God, We gather in Your presence, with hearts open and hopeful.  In a world often marked by noise and unrest, we come seeking Your peace.  As we reflect today, shape our thoughts, stir our compassion, and guide us in the way of peace.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Introduction Video

I will start by showing a video that explains the biblical meaning of peace.  Then we will go on to look at the meanings that come from our two readings.  Let’s watch the video.

The Longing for Peace

Even if you almost never see or hear a news program, even if you almost never see a newspaper, it should be obvious to you that there are conflicts everywhere.  There are over 40 armed conflicts in the world today.  That does not include all the places and situations where one people are oppressing another.  In our own, relatively harmonious country there are fights between neighbours, protests in the streets, disagreements in the workplace and I haven’t even mentioned the church.  
What peace we have feels fragile, easily broken by grief, disappointment and fear.  The Bible, and especially our readings today, present peace not as a fleeting emotion, but as a profound promise from God.
Shalom, as we heard in the video, brings healing, reconciliation and completeness.  Let’s have a look at Isaiah’s vision of peace.

Isaiah - A Vision of Peace

Isaiah paints a stunning picture of a shoot growing from the stump of Jesse.  Jesse was David’s father, his lineage had not held power for over 600 years when Christ was born.  David’s descendant, the new and true king, is described as:
    • Full of wisdom and understanding,
    • Empowered by God’s Spirit,
    • Delighting in the fear of the Lord,
    • Righteous in judgment of the poor and needy,
    • Doing everything with faithfulness to God
And under His rule there is a new reality that defies nature’s violence:
    • The wolf will live with the lamb,
    • The calf and the lion will feed together,
    • A little child shall lead them.
It’s an image of creation restored—not just ceasefire, but cosmic reconciliation.  Peace isn’t merely the absence of conflict.  It’s the presence of divine order, of justice, and of unshakeable harmony.  Isaiah promises that this peace will come through the Messiah—a ruler who transforms fear into trust, and division into unity.

John - Peace in the Storm

Fast-forward a few centuries, and we find Jesus speaking to His disciples on the eve of His crucifixion.  His words are mysterious—“In a little while you won’t see me… then you will see me again.” The disciples are confused.  But Jesus knows exactly where He’s going: to the cross, the tomb, and the resurrection.
He tells them:
“You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.” “I have told you these things, so that in Me, you may have peace.” “In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Here is peace—not promised as an escape from trouble, but as strength in the midst of trouble.
The Prince of Peace doesn’t erase storms—He walks through them, and walks with us.  His victory isn’t just some future ideal; it’s current and personal.  He has overcome so, with Him, we too can live as overcomers—with peace that endures betrayal, loss, and confusion.

Activity

Let’s take a minute now to think of some of the things that disturb our peace.  On your tables there are sheets of paper, pencils and envelopes.  Take a sheet and write down anything that occurs to you.  It may be a long, or a short list.  In a couple of minutes, we will fold the paper and put it in an envelope and seal it up.  It will be symbolically hidden in God.

Living in Christ’s Peace

As we launch this series, let’s ask ourselves:
What kind of peace are we searching for?
    • Is it circumstantial or spiritual?
    • Temporary or eternal?
Isaiah gives us a glimpse of peace fulfilled, and Jesus gives us the path to peace today.
Peace isn’t passive.  It’s powerful.  It begins by abiding in Christ, receiving His Spirit, and living not in fear, but in faith.  As the series unfolds, we’ll explore how to cultivate peace in our relationships, our decisions, and our witness to the world. 

Final Challenge

Let this be our prayer this week:
“Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is despair, let me shine hope.”
Because in Christ, peace isn’t just something we receive—it’s something we carry into every room we enter.
Amen.

References

 Written with the help of copilot, images created by copilot

https://www.thenivbible.com/blog/meaning-shalom-bible/

 

Peace be with you

15 April 2012 at Christ Church Billericay

John 20:19-22

Introduction

The theme this morning is “Peace be with you”. I suppose you can see that the disciples needed God's peace, they had locked themselves away because they were frightened that the Jewish authorities were coming to get them.

Lets remind ourselves of how they got here.

They were all young men. They'd given up their careers to follow a man called Jesus. He was a charismatic leader and had a view of the world that was new and different. While they had been with him they had seen and done some extraordinary things – healings, even bring people back from the dead. They had become convinced that Jesus was the Messiah – the person God had promised who would make the Jews right with their God. Some of the teaching they had received had been difficult for them to understand – so they hadn't really taken it in. Then just a couple of weeks ago they had been preparing to go into Jerusalem for the Passover festival. There were always huge crowds at the festival. Jesus had chosen to ride into the city on a Donkey. The crowd realised that He was fulfilling a prophecy. Here comes the Messiah! They all knew it – every one of them! There was cheering and praising God, the crowd were in great spirits. The next day Jesus had gone into the temple and thrown out all the traders who were ripping off the people. It was the first time the disciples had seen him really angry.

They shared a Passover meal together, and what Jesus had done there had seemed very odd. After the meal Jesus was in a strange mood, and kept insisting they stayed awake. Then soldiers had arrived with the chief priests and Judas. Jesus was arrested.

The disciples had followed him at a distance, but kept quiet about who they were because they thought they would be next.

Then Jesus had been crucified like some common thief and the disciples had fled.

But Jesus never was predictable and after the Sabbath – the day of rest when no work is permitted – they had reports that He was alive. His body was certainly missing from the tomb.

They had quickly got together all those they could find. They carefully locked the door. No doubt they were already under suspicion of stealing His body. They were expecting to be arrested and face the same fate as their former leader.

“What are we going to do now?”

[How would you answer that question?]

Then a voice said “Peace be with you”. Not just and voice – Jesus' voice.

Peace was the one thing they most certainly didn't have. You can't have peace when you think that someone is about to arrest you and crucify you!

[Pause]

Or could you?

What does peace look like?

[Candle demo]

Candle is you – lit is being alive.

Fan outside events that you have no control over) puts you out (kills you inside)

shield is like peace of God and protects you from the effects – not the events themselves]

What does peace look like?

[Peace picture sequence]

Well they are certainly peaceful, but do they really represent God's peace?

Philippians 4:4 – 4:9

^{Phil 4:4} Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

^{Phil 4:5} Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

^{Phil 4:6} Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

^{Phil 4:7} And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

^{Phil 4:8} Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

^{Phil 4:9} Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

What peace is not?

According to Paul the peace of God is deeper than we are capable of understanding, but that does not mean we cannot get closer to understanding it.

Sometimes it is easier for us to understand what something is by looking at the opposites.

Here are some things that the peace of God is not:

Fear

Anxiety

Worry

In-action

Resting

Sleeping

Why did the disciples need peace (2)?

Let's have another look at why the disciples need God's peace.

What can't you do?

A man attended an interview for the job of Financial Director. It was a long and difficult interview, the panel asked some difficult questions. At the end of the interview the main interviewer said “I'm sorry, we are not going to offer you the job, but we would like to offer you the Managing Directors job, which is also vacant”. The man considered for a minute or two and replied. “It's very kind of you, but I really don't have the right skills and experience for that job”. The chairman replied “we think you have the right attitude and approach, and will provide you with the expert support you need”.

[Is there something you have been asked to do that you thought you could not do?]

Lets go back to the passage and look to see if there are other reasons that the disciples needed God's peace.

In verse 21 Jesus said “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

So their immediate problems of being caught by the Jews are not so important. They are to take over Jesus' job. Then he breathed on them and said “Receive the Holy Spirit”. Now lets read verse 23, because Jesus has not finished what He is saying. “If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

That's the job Jesus expects his disciples to do – they are to pronounce the forgiveness of sins. They are to decide who to forgive and who not to forgive. It is about the hardest thing that you could possible be asked to do.

If you forgive them, they too can have eternal life. If you don't forgive them they are condemned.

Jesus said on the Cross “Father forgive them they don't know what they're doing”. It is no easy thing to forgive when you have been wronged.

That's the reason we have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us the powers of discernment so that we can see things from God's point of view, and have the power to forgive.

These are excerpt from a report on Forgiveness in the Independent:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/vicar-struggles-to-forgive-the-terrorists-who-killed-her-daughter-468960.html

Acts of forgiveness are tremendously costly. One of the most celebrated of the last century was that of Gordon Wilson, who was standing at the war memorial in Enniskillen for the annual Remembrance Day service in 1987 when an IRA bomb exploded. Eleven people were killed, including Mr Wilson's daughter, Marie. The world was touched when, in a voice cracking with grief, he told of how he clutched her hand as they lay beneath the rubble and then said: "I have lost my daughter and we shall miss her, but I bear no ill will. I bear no grudge. Dirty sort of talk is not going to bring her back to life. She was a great wee lassie. She loved her profession. She was a pet. She's dead."

Rev Julie Nicholson said

"It's very difficult to stand behind an altar and lead people in words of peace, reconciliation and forgiveness when I feel very far from that myself.". She was announcing her intention to resign as vicar of St Aidan's church in Bristol. What has estranged her from one of the most fundamental tenets of her Christian faith is the killing of her daughter, Jenny. The 24-year-old, a gifted musician, died in one of the four terrorist bomb explosions in London on 7 July 2005.

Poor Julie clearly did not have any peace. To have and to hold on to the peace of God there can be nothing causing anger and resentment. Anything that gets through the protection that God's peace provides and blows out the flame must be immediately forgiven for God's peace and active life to return.

Let's share a sign of peace together.