Internal Peace In today’s reading we have the subject of peace throughout the three the three readings. In Jeremiah 23:1-6 we hear that God will place over his sheep shepherds who will care for them and they will no longer be afraid or dread harm. That is an example of external peace. It comes from somewhere else. In Colossians 1:10-20 we are told that peace comes through the blood of the cross. In the Gospel reading, Luke 23:33-43 the thief has peace that Jesus gives. External peace comes from somewhere else. In ancient times there was Pax Romani, which means the peace of Rome. There was peace that was enforced by the Roman army. Today we call police officers peacekeepers. One of our members works as a bouncer in a local tavern. Patrons have peace of mind knowing they won’t be harmed by another patron because Tony will intervene to protect them. Some of us have peace of mind because of our health, or our job or our bank accounts. Those are all externals. Internal peace comes from knowing who we are, whose we are, what our purpose is and being about that purpose. We get that from knowing that we belong to God, our purpose is to love God and our neighbors and with the strength that God has given us we are about that purpose. I was reading about the top five regrets people have on their deathbed. These should not be ours if we have the peace that passes all understanding, but let’s test them out. First regret is, “I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself, not what others expected of me”. That’s a tough one for me. I hope everyone here is being true to their inner purpose. If you are not, let’s talk about it. Second regret is, “I wish I didn’t work so hard”. Gosh, I think we are supposed to work hard. But it is true we shouldn’t make the people in our lives suffer because we are worried about making the next buck. Some people do that and it is a shame. Third regret is, “I wish I had the courage to express my feelings”. That’s right, not saying what you really feel to keep the peace means that there is no real peace and everyone’s life is worse off for it. Fourth regret is, “I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends”. Often people with little time left turn their focus from things to people. It is a good idea to start that process before you hear the clock ticking. Fifth regret is, “I wish I let myself be happier”. Wow, unfortunately it is true that a lot of people think they don’t deserve happiness. What a bunch of baloney. God wants us better than happy, He wants us joyful. Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, be thankful that you have internal peace because of what Jesus has done for you. Take time and resources to show that people mean more than things in your life which proves that you are living out that purpose of loving your neighbor as yourself, which in itself is an outgrowth of the internal peace you have, the peace that passes all understanding, the peace of Christ. Amen.
Posted on: Sun, 24 Nov 2013 22:03:08 +0000