Word to the Wise
Tuesday, May 16, 2017 - 5th Week of Easter - Tues
[Acts 14:19-28 and John 14:27-31a]"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid." [John]
We may recognize these words from the communion rite at the Eucharist. They come just before the Sign of Peace. What kind of "peace" do we offer to one another? Is it just a ritual gesture or "How do you do?" In the "Farewell Discourse," which continues to form our gospel scripture this week, Jesus is trying to prepare his disciples for not only what will happen to him later that evening and in the immediate days ahead, but all future disciples as well. The whole discourse seems a kind of stream of consciousness, rambling reflection. We do not know why the evangelist composed it this way, and many preachers find it difficult to proclaim, but the intention seems clear enough. This is a kind of "moment of peace" that, through faith in him, can become a lasting peace.
If we recall the first part of this gospel, we can notice that there is none of the confrontative, crisis of faith, type of talk. Jesus is not dealing here with his adversaries, but with those whom the Father has given to him as disciples. This is the kind of "peace" that he can give to us. Over my many years of campus ministry and now here at Texas Tech I have seen students come to the chapel during good and bad times to find that sense of peace that their faith can give them in the many challenges that confront them in this special time of life. Right now, students whom I have met (when I'm not traveling) are taking final exams or preparing for graduation and life after undergraduate school, or else preparing for their first "real job." In the midst of this are all the relationship challenges that are part of their lives, as well as the constant challenge of secular pleasures that are incompatible with discipleship. They, and all of us, can reach out and receive that peace that Jesus gives us that enables us to have courage. As we continue to wind our way through the Farewell Discourse, "peace" can be a point of understanding. AMEN