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I like bookends. I’m not exactly sure why, because
they have let me down several times, but I like bookends. I
bought a pair when Tammy and I had not been married very
long. I think I was in seminary. They are matching onyx
bookends, each depicting a monk holding a Bible. They speak
to me of peace and I have kept them for about 30 years, but I
cannot begin to count the times when a book has shifted and
one of these monks weakens and slides over letting all the
books collapse. One of the monks even suffered injury in an
accident. He fell of the desk, though I’m sure if he could
speak he would have told me that the book pushed him. Still,
if you walk into our home, two of the first items to catch
your eye will be the twin monks who have been relegated to
holding up a few Golden Books for Children. I guess it’s the
symmetry of bookends that I like. They give the sense of
order, of harmony, perhaps even of peace.
In a sense our bedroom, dorm room, or apartment serve as
bookends. It is where we start the day and where we end the
day. In between are the volumes of activity and appointments
of each day.
We are in the middle of a series of sermons entitled, “Fish
Food for Everyone”. The series is devoted to our nearly
10,000 fish, first year students, who have moved into our
community. Of course, we know by now that it doesn’t take
being a freshman to be encountering new experiences or to
sense that someone has switched out our bookends. That’s why
today I want to talk about Peace for a New Day. This sense of
peace may enable you to begin and end each day in the same
way.
Paul wrote to the Philippians about a sense of peace. Both
the recipient and the sender seemed to be having roommate
problems. Paul was a prisoner in Rome and the Philippians were
unwilling hosts of the Roman army. It was a garrison town in
the empire. To that strained environment Paul promised peace
in Philippians 4:7-9. Hear now the Word of the Lord:
7And
the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will
guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8Finally,
beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is
just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is
commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is
anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
9Keep
on doing the things that you have learned and received and
heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.
This is the word of God for the people of God. In this
passage Paul recited the recipe of peace to the Philippians.
Did you notice the bookends in this passage? It begins with
the peace of God guarding our hearts and minds and ends with
the God of peace walking with us. The difference between the
bookends of God’s peace and these monks that I admire is that
God’s peace will never slip off the desk. I want us to look
briefly at this text this morning, but encourage you to look
at it daily this week. In this brief passage we see that
God’s peace is protective, God’s peace is positive,
and God’s peace is present.
God’s Peace is
Protective.
God’s peace is described as a sentry soldier on a tower
guarding the city against invasion. As mentioned earlier,
Philippi was a garrison town of the Roman Empire. There were
soldiers all over the place, stationed on the city wall, in
the watch towers, on the street corners, and by the gates. I
am sure they were a 24/7 operation, not leaving a post
unmanned for a minute. What a powerful image then for the
Philippians to hear regarding God’s peace – this sentry
marching back and forth protecting the heart and mind.
John Bunyan picked up on this image in his 1682 tale, The
Holy War, where he introduced Mr. God’s Peace. He wrote,
“Nothing was to be found but harmony, happiness, joy, and
health so long as Mr. God’s Peace maintained his office in the
town of Mansoul.” Lest you get the wrong idea about this 17th
Century writer, he, like the apostle Paul, spent much of his
adult life in prison because of his preaching. His most
famous story, written in 1679, The Pilgrim’s Progress,
which has never been out of print, was written from within a
prison. How can these two guys who endured so many hardships
speak of a protective peace that marches to and fro guarding
hearts and minds? I think the answer is to be found in the
nature of this peace.
Last week our daughter, Chelsea, moved into her duplex in
Houston. We helped her move-in and there was some confusion
over whether the locks had been changed from the previous
tenant. Just in case, we installed some chain locks like the
ones you might find in hotels. We wanted her to be as safe as
possible. Sometimes people mistake that for peace. The locks
may keep the former tenant out, but it will not provide peace
for the occupants. That is something that comes from within,
or rather that’s something that resides within. It is a peace
that surpasses all understanding. That is, we can never
produce this kind of peace. It goes beyond all our dreams.
Howard Vos wrote, “It is a unique kind of peace, transcending
every human thought…not just greater in degree…but is totally
different in kind.” This is shalom, the peace of God, and it
is protective.
God’s Peace is
Positive.
Peace, as we have mentioned the past few weeks, is often
described in negative terms – the absence of war, worry, and
stress. God’s peace is positive – contentment, harmony,
happiness. Paul seemed to offer a recipe for it. Instead of
focusing on the things that we would like peace from, focus on
the things that characterize that peace: things that are true
(dependable, lasting), honorable (one amplification of this is
“to move throughout the world as if it were the temple of
God”), just (righteous), pure (William Barclay said this is,
“thoughts so clean that they can stand the scrutiny of God”),
pleasing (things that elicit feelings of love), commendable
(the Greek word is “euphemos” where we get the word euphemism,
putting something in the best light), things of excellence
(virtuous), and things worthy of praise (headline material for
good news). Do you want peace in your life from the beginning
of the day until the end of the day? Focus on these things.
I am a recipe cook, especially with unfamiliar dishes. A few
years ago I discovered a maple glaze recipe for grilled
salmon. It is delicious. It calls for some maple syrup, Dijon
mustard, honey, cider vinegar, and soy sauce. I would never
think of looking in the cabinet and focusing on what does not
go in there, “Now let’s see, I don’t want dill or flour or
salt or garlic powder.” If I do that two things are likely to
happen – the salmon will be done before the glaze is prepared
and I am likely to put the wrong ingredient in the glaze. The
same thing happens in our quest for peace. If we spend our
times focusing on those things that don’t make for peace, the
day will be done without us experiencing God’s peace and we
may add the wrong ingredient like vengeance, criticism, or
selfishness.
God’s peace is positive. It is not so much the absence of
stuff as it is having your heart and mind so full of good
stuff that there is simply no room for the other. I challenge
you to start each day and end each day this week thinking
about these eight ingredients to peace and see what a
difference it makes in your week. I am certain that if you do
this for just one week, you will discover that God’s peace is
protective, positive, and that God’s peace is present.
God’s Peace is Present.
Paul had such integrity about his life that he not only
thought about these things, he modeled them. He assured his
readers if they would follow his lead in what they learned,
received, heard, and saw in him, they too would sense the
presence of God’s peace. “The God of peace will be with you,”
he promised. Jac Müller stated in his commentary on
Philippians that the things listed in verse 8, “must not only
be contemplated, but also carried into effect.” The phrase
“keep on doing” could also be translated “keep putting into
practice” or “continue exercising”. This is a lifestyle that
enables us to see the God of peace more clearly in our daily
lives. Keep on doing those things that make for peace and
God’s peace will be with you.
I like these bookends. I just wish they could hold up
everything between them. The bookends of God’s peace can and
do. That’s why we say with confidence that Christ our Lord
invites to this table all who love him, who earnestly repent
of their sin, and who seek to live in peace. We will not read
the prayer of confession today, but I encourage you to confess
to God at this time your sins that have undermined God’s
desire for peace in your life. Let us pray. In the name of
Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.
Max Lucado began one of his stories with a beautiful line. He
wrote, “Ahh. An hour of contentment. A precious moment of
peace. A few minutes of relaxation. Each of us has a setting
in which contentment pays a visit.” I pray that this Table is
such a setting for you and that here you will experience God’s
peace for a new day. Amen.
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