S11: E4: Peace - Is It Really Sustainable?
S11: The Waiting Room
E4: Peace - Is It Really Sustainable?
Self-help books are an oxymoron…because they are written by someone else!
I’m not opposed to self-help books, but considering the industry is currently valued at $44 billion[1] it does give pause for thought that people are searching for something clarifying about themselves. Choices on the bookshelf are as varied as Baskin Robbins selection of 1,400 ice-cream flavors (originally 31); and the methods of self-help are just as numerous.
According to Google as the most used search engine, and Amazon as the world's largest online retailer, the vast range of self-help books have the same endgame: personal and inner peace. Categories about relationships, money, sex, physical fitness, mental health, organizing your closet, getting a good night’s sleep, or the color schemes of your kitchen, all serve to create a sense of inner peace.
A compelling desire for peace is heard in language.
How we embed expressions of peace into conversation is fascinating. My interest is in the etymology of these expressions framed in a religious or spiritual context. So, if you intentionally listen, people articulate sentiments of peace more frequently than you think. Ironically, the person speaking does not have to be religious or spiritual to employ such peaceful assertions.
From a variety of global languages, peaceful expressions range from “Namaste”, “Shalom,” “As-salaam alaikum”, “Amitabha”, “Dao an”, “Sat Sri Akal”, and “Ching Li” just to name a few. Arguably, some are more prevalent than others pending on where you live in the world. In a large urban city in the West where multiple cultures are represented, all these expressions are common to some degree. But again, the one speaking or the one listening does not have to subscribe to Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, Taoism, Hinduism, Sikhism, or Confucianism to engage in bestowing peace.
Peaceful sentiment is not just verbal.
Consider tattoos, genuflections, symbols, and other cultural forms of communication that convey the same expressions of peace. I can have a tattoo written in the language of Taoism and know nothing about the rich cultural heritage in the 4th century BC. Ironically, all one needs is a sense of inclusion and sincerity to convey peace, or more specifically, inner personal peace. Considering verbal and non-verbal communication, the evidence shows us there is a compelling desire in communities across the world for inner personal peace.
Is Christianity any different?
The narrative of Christianity tells the story of creation, sin corrupting all creation, and Christ reconciling all mankind (and all creation) to God through His own body and blood; or as St. Paul puts it, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace…”[2]
So, Christ Himself is our peace.
C. S. Lewis said, “God cannot give us peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing”[3] If Lewis is correct – and I think he is – all other forms of peace whether verbal, symbolic, or genuflect are temporary and unsustainable. They are temporal because the one bestowing peace is no more or less than the one receiving it. They are unsustainable for the same reasons.
However, when Christ appeared to the disciples after His resurrection saying, “Peace be with you”[4], He conveyed something far more than the rhetoric of a Judaist salutation – shalom. He gave it new and profound meaning as the One who had conquered death and the grave. He had been where all the dead go, but he had defeated the power of death declaring Himself as the victor. The ultimate and cosmic battle was won. Consequently, when Christ said, “Peace be with you” it was eternal and sustainable because He is superior to the one receiving His peace.
“Peace be with you” was the message of ultimate accomplishment, declaring that personal and inner peace can flow from the depth of a human soul. It’s possible because sin has been pardoned so reconciliation with God can take place. Such assurance in the words of Christ creates the type of confidence we need in the Christian life, or as Scripture tells us, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”[5]
Notice the condition that warranted the words of Christ conveying sustainable, personal, and inner peace. The disciples were behind locked doors gripped in fear.[6] Their world had been torn apart. Everything they had sacrificed to follow Christ apparently had come to nothing.
Our world is filled with scenes like the disciples behind closed doors. Fearful and unsure of the future, feeling hopeless and helpless. In those moments we need the message of Christ.
Isaiah foretold it saying, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”[7] The angels announced the fulfillment of Isaiah saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”[8] And Christ delivered it saying, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”[9]
You see, the promise of peace was not an afterthought or a crowning thought. People heard about it, looked for it, and found it in Christ. He is the one that can sustain His promise of peace.
Charles Wesley wrote the famous Christmas Carol Hark! The Herald Angels Sing in 1739. Over 283 years later, we still proclaim that Christ is the Prince of Peace.
Hark! The herald angels sing
Glory to the new-born king
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled
Joyful all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With angelic host proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem
Hark! The herald angels sing
Glory to the new-born king.
May the peace of God rule and reign in our hearts through Advent!
[1] Grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/personal-development-market, 2022.
[2] Ephesians 2:13-14.
[3] C.S. Lewis. The Quotable Lewis. Editors Wayne Martindale and Jerry Root. Tyndale House Publishers. 1990, p. 279.
[4] John 20:19/21.
[5] Hebrews. 4:16.
[6] John 20:19.
[7] Isaiah 9:6.
[8] Luke 2:14.
[9] Luke 14:27.