When the Risen Jesus appeared to the disciples,
they were undoubtedly surprised.
Even though he had often told them that he would rise from the dead,
they had not yet believed him.
When he appeared to them, alive, in the locked room where they hid,
he said to them three times, “Peace be with you.”
On this second Sunday of Easter,
I want to focus on the peace that the risen Jesus brings to us.
That peace, the peace that passes understanding,
is the peace we share, the peace we are given, and the peace we work for.
Today I have three stories of peace for you:
one global, one local, one personal.
With each of these stories comes a challenge for us:
the challenge to share the peace of Christ in every place, in every way.
Our first story is from the Democratic Republic of Congo, or the DRC.
A little history of Presbyterians in the Congo is in order.
Back in the 1890s, as Protestant missionaries began work in Africa,
the Presbyterians sent William Sheppard to the Congo.
Sheppard was one of the first African American missionaries.
He was instrumental in uncovering and confronting
the atrocities committed by King Leopold of Belgium,
who enslaved, terrorized and brutalized thousands of Congolese,
men, women, and children, in an insatiable hunger for ivory and rubber.
William Sheppard’s eyewitness accounts helped start the outcry
that eventually ended this horror.
But the trauma to the DRC has continued,
across decades of war and violence, in competition for natural resources.
The civil war in Congo officially ended in 2003,
but armed conflict continued to rage in the eastern part of the country.
While violence and unrest have continued,
so has a Presbyterian witness for peace and nonviolence.
I want to focus on the peace that the risen Jesus brings to us.
That peace, the peace that passes understanding,
is the peace we share, the peace we are given, and the peace we work for.
Today I have three stories of peace for you:
one global, one local, one personal.
With each of these stories comes a challenge for us:
the challenge to share the peace of Christ in every place, in every way.
Our first story is from the Democratic Republic of Congo, or the DRC.
A little history of Presbyterians in the Congo is in order.
Back in the 1890s, as Protestant missionaries began work in Africa,
the Presbyterians sent William Sheppard to the Congo.
Sheppard was one of the first African American missionaries.
He was instrumental in uncovering and confronting
the atrocities committed by King Leopold of Belgium,
who enslaved, terrorized and brutalized thousands of Congolese,
men, women, and children, in an insatiable hunger for ivory and rubber.
William Sheppard’s eyewitness accounts helped start the outcry
that eventually ended this horror.
But the trauma to the DRC has continued,
across decades of war and violence, in competition for natural resources.
The civil war in Congo officially ended in 2003,
but armed conflict continued to rage in the eastern part of the country.
While violence and unrest have continued,
so has a Presbyterian witness for peace and nonviolence.
In 2013, a delegation of women, led by Neema Androsi
bravely walked to the hiding place of Cobra Matata, a notorious war lord.
Weary of their country’s civil war and its atrocities,
church women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo faced Matata.
“To come before weapons, you always have to be fearful,” Androsi said.
bravely walked to the hiding place of Cobra Matata, a notorious war lord.
Weary of their country’s civil war and its atrocities,
church women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo faced Matata.
“To come before weapons, you always have to be fearful,” Androsi said.
“It wasn’t easy, but I prayed in my heart saying:
‘Lord, give me courage so I am able to take this on.’”
They were willing to confront Matata, a militia leader,
because they were “fed up with the war” said delegation leader Androsi.
Although Matata listened to their appeal,
he did not agree to lay down his arms.
Nevertheless, the women vowed to persist in their work for peace.
They paid three more visits to Matata and his officers,
and in November 2014 Matata turned himself over the Congolese army.
The women, having heard when Matata planned to surrender,
gathered that day for prayer and worship not far from his hiding place.[1]
Neema Androsi and the courageous women
in the Baptist, Pentecostal, Methodist, and Anglican churches
continue in their work of peacemaking.
Androsi and other women of faith have organized “listening houses”
in areas that have been wracked by violence.
Traumatized women come to the houses and talk with trained counselors.
In a country where there are few professional mental health workers,
the women are training people in their own communities
to do trauma healing, and it is having a significant impact.[2]
Our second story of sharing the peace of Christ
is from Old Bergen Church, in Jersey City, New Jersey.
In August of 2017, our nation was rocked by the horrifying events
that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia.
White supremacists staged an angry, hateful, and violent rally
in protest of the removal of the statue of Confederate traitor, Robert E. Lee.
“Like many other Americans, Presbyterian pastor Jon Brown
was distraught to the point of numbness,
but on the following Monday morning his hope was renewed.
His spirits were lifted by dozens of elementary-aged children
who had gathered for Peace Camp at the congregation he serves.
‘Lord, give me courage so I am able to take this on.’”
They were willing to confront Matata, a militia leader,
because they were “fed up with the war” said delegation leader Androsi.
Although Matata listened to their appeal,
he did not agree to lay down his arms.
Nevertheless, the women vowed to persist in their work for peace.
They paid three more visits to Matata and his officers,
and in November 2014 Matata turned himself over the Congolese army.
The women, having heard when Matata planned to surrender,
gathered that day for prayer and worship not far from his hiding place.[1]
Neema Androsi and the courageous women
in the Baptist, Pentecostal, Methodist, and Anglican churches
continue in their work of peacemaking.
Androsi and other women of faith have organized “listening houses”
in areas that have been wracked by violence.
Traumatized women come to the houses and talk with trained counselors.
In a country where there are few professional mental health workers,
the women are training people in their own communities
to do trauma healing, and it is having a significant impact.[2]
Our second story of sharing the peace of Christ
is from Old Bergen Church, in Jersey City, New Jersey.
In August of 2017, our nation was rocked by the horrifying events
that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia.
White supremacists staged an angry, hateful, and violent rally
in protest of the removal of the statue of Confederate traitor, Robert E. Lee.
“Like many other Americans, Presbyterian pastor Jon Brown
was distraught to the point of numbness,
but on the following Monday morning his hope was renewed.
His spirits were lifted by dozens of elementary-aged children
who had gathered for Peace Camp at the congregation he serves.
He said:
’To see children of different races, ethnicities and faith traditions singing,
laughing and creating together was a powerful medicine for all of us…,’
’To see children of different races, ethnicities and faith traditions singing,
laughing and creating together was a powerful medicine for all of us…,’
The four-day event, which had been planned for months,
drew nearly 100 children.
It was sponsored by Christian congregations, a synagogue and a mosque…
The idea for Peace Camp originated in an interfaith clergy group.
Members had developed friendships and stood in solidarity
against threats of violence against mosques and synagogues.
‘So, it only made sense that we instill that same sense
of being good neighbors in this generation of children,’ Brown said. [3]
May we too, be good neighbors to all people in our community.
Our third reflection on the peace of Christ is personal.
It is adapted from an article by Norman Vincent Peale
called “God’s Peace Can Be Yours.” Peale wrote,
“There is peace in watching the sea come rolling in, then drawing back,
the surge of great enormous power against the rocks roaring in,
then sucking out again with tremendous force.
Peace is felt on a soft summer day in hearing water
lapping softly on shores of sand,
or the light whisper of the wind in the tall and ancient pine trees
or the buzzing of bees in a meadow in deep summer.
All of these bring peace to the soul.
But how do you get the kind of peace
that is deep, inexhaustible and lasting?
Merely wishing for it or thinking about it will not bring it.
drew nearly 100 children.
It was sponsored by Christian congregations, a synagogue and a mosque…
The idea for Peace Camp originated in an interfaith clergy group.
Members had developed friendships and stood in solidarity
against threats of violence against mosques and synagogues.
‘So, it only made sense that we instill that same sense
of being good neighbors in this generation of children,’ Brown said. [3]
May we too, be good neighbors to all people in our community.
Our third reflection on the peace of Christ is personal.
It is adapted from an article by Norman Vincent Peale
called “God’s Peace Can Be Yours.” Peale wrote,
“There is peace in watching the sea come rolling in, then drawing back,
the surge of great enormous power against the rocks roaring in,
then sucking out again with tremendous force.
Peace is felt on a soft summer day in hearing water
lapping softly on shores of sand,
or the light whisper of the wind in the tall and ancient pine trees
or the buzzing of bees in a meadow in deep summer.
All of these bring peace to the soul.
But how do you get the kind of peace
that is deep, inexhaustible and lasting?
Merely wishing for it or thinking about it will not bring it.
God’s peace. God’s peace can be yours,
but to attain it you have to start practicing it.
Perhaps one reason why you are high-strung or lacking in control
is because for a long time you have been practicing
nervousness and tension—not consciously or willfully, of course.
In spiritual values as well as in other skills,
you only get proficiency by practice.
You cannot play the piano without practice;
you cannot play golf without practice;
neither can you become skillful in the spiritual life without practice.
but to attain it you have to start practicing it.
Perhaps one reason why you are high-strung or lacking in control
is because for a long time you have been practicing
nervousness and tension—not consciously or willfully, of course.
In spiritual values as well as in other skills,
you only get proficiency by practice.
You cannot play the piano without practice;
you cannot play golf without practice;
neither can you become skillful in the spiritual life without practice.
We are told to practice the presence of God.
We must also practice the peace of God.
Begin today to diligently practice the peace of God,
and after a while the peace of God
will become an automatic process in you.
We must also practice the peace of God.
Begin today to diligently practice the peace of God,
and after a while the peace of God
will become an automatic process in you.
How do you practice the peace of God?
Condition your mind to live in high areas of peace.
Set out in the morning saying,
“I am going to attempt for as many minutes as possible during this day
to keep God in my thoughts.”
Also, to calm nerves we must practice God’s peace in the body.
The relationship of the body to mental states and even to spiritual states
is a widely accepted fact.
Get the body into a quiet state,
and presently the mind and the soul tend to become quiet and calm, too.
Practice breathing in the peace of God
and breathing out all tension and worry.
Try that six times a minute, deeply and prayerfully,
while at the same time conceiving of yourself as taking in God’s peace.
Then there is this final thing.
What is it that causes people’s nerves to become so severely agitated
that life seems all bustle and burden?
It is not the confusion of this life; it is not the noise and tumult in the world.
It is, rather, the evil things that men do.
It is the guilt they have in their natures,
the wrong that they continually commit.
Condition your mind to live in high areas of peace.
Set out in the morning saying,
“I am going to attempt for as many minutes as possible during this day
to keep God in my thoughts.”
Also, to calm nerves we must practice God’s peace in the body.
The relationship of the body to mental states and even to spiritual states
is a widely accepted fact.
Get the body into a quiet state,
and presently the mind and the soul tend to become quiet and calm, too.
Practice breathing in the peace of God
and breathing out all tension and worry.
Try that six times a minute, deeply and prayerfully,
while at the same time conceiving of yourself as taking in God’s peace.
Then there is this final thing.
What is it that causes people’s nerves to become so severely agitated
that life seems all bustle and burden?
It is not the confusion of this life; it is not the noise and tumult in the world.
It is, rather, the evil things that men do.
It is the guilt they have in their natures,
the wrong that they continually commit.
Therefore, in order to have God’s peace, you may have to quit something.
Is something jeopardizing your spiritual well-being
and also putting your physical health at risk?
It is a strange thing—guilt in your mind sends out a disturbance
Is something jeopardizing your spiritual well-being
and also putting your physical health at risk?
It is a strange thing—guilt in your mind sends out a disturbance
and manifests itself in the nerves and in the heart and in the blood pressure.
To have calmness, get rid of the impediments in your mind
and ask God to transform you with God’s healing touch.
When Almighty God touches the secret place of the soul and cleanses it,
you will know what Jesus means when he says,
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Your whole being will be soothed by the balm of his perfect peace.”[4]
Peace in the world. Peace in our communities. Peace in our hearts.
It comes from Jesus, and it begins with us.
[1] Cole, Pat “Annual offering supports Presbyterian reconciliation efforts far and near” Presbyterians Today, 2016.
[2] http://justiceunbound.org/carousel/heartbreak-and-hope-in-the-congo/
[3] https://www.presbyterianmission.org/story/peace-global-witness-offering-helps-diverse-children-find-common-ground/
[4] https://www.guideposts.org/faith-and-prayer/bible-resources/god-s-peace-can-be-yours
To have calmness, get rid of the impediments in your mind
and ask God to transform you with God’s healing touch.
When Almighty God touches the secret place of the soul and cleanses it,
you will know what Jesus means when he says,
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Your whole being will be soothed by the balm of his perfect peace.”[4]
Peace in the world. Peace in our communities. Peace in our hearts.
It comes from Jesus, and it begins with us.
[1] Cole, Pat “Annual offering supports Presbyterian reconciliation efforts far and near” Presbyterians Today, 2016.
[2] http://justiceunbound.org/carousel/heartbreak-and-hope-in-the-congo/
[3] https://www.presbyterianmission.org/story/peace-global-witness-offering-helps-diverse-children-find-common-ground/
[4] https://www.guideposts.org/faith-and-prayer/bible-resources/god-s-peace-can-be-yours
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