In Peace, Not In Pieces

[0:00] Good afternoon and welcome to my dining room table and my Advent candles. We have lit the candles of hope and love and joy and this afternoon I light the candle of peace.

[0:27] In church the other day, Pastor Sherry talked about how the peace that we have in Christ, the peace in knowing, the care and the comfort, the peace that can come from being centered in Christ and recognizing what inside of us is of God and what isn't.

[0:55] One of the things that she said was that with ourselves in a place where we're centered, where we know that we are praying, we are exalting God, we are acknowledging and we can come to that place where maybe we can be at peace and not in pieces.

[1:25] Oftentimes when I have done the benediction at a memorial service, one of the things that I have said is, now may you go in peace and not in pieces because the light and love of Christ will shine forever no matter how dark the day gets and no matter how dark the night is.

[1:50] And so they're all lit. Hope, love, joy, peace. And what a gift. What a gift to walk this journey together with a faith family.

[2:02] And I'm aware that not everyone has one. And I give thanks for you who are a part of this faith family in some way, whether that be in our online ministry, whether it's in one of our groups, in person or most of them are online, virtual, in some way.

[2:25] whether you are attending worship and a part of our regular worshiping community in one way or another. It's been a year and I think about my own journey into this faith community and I'm just going to go through these candles just quickly. The candle of hope. When I knew I was coming here to be here this year with you, I had hope. I had hope that we would go together, grow together, that we would live in hope, that we would know that even in grieving the loss of the past, that we would find ways to be hopeful together, that hope is everlasting. I had joy, excitement. I was excited about coming back to this area, to being closer to my family, to being in this beautiful parsonage that is your house and is our home. Joy and the recognition that I would get the chance to serve again in a church community where we could grow together, where we could laugh together and experience together, where there would be baptisms and weddings and joyous moments of friendship and fellowship.

[4:02] Some of that we have been able to have and some we haven't. I look forward to when there's more gatherings and maybe more joyful interaction, but I am grateful for the ones that I've had, the babies baptized, the people who come to us and are now married, even with just a few people gathered.

[4:30] Such joy in those moments. Joy. And love. I have always loved the congregations that I have served. Not just loved it as in, isn't that nice?

[4:50] But grown in love and partnership and relationship with the people, with you, that we may grow together in our love for Jesus Christ, that we might come to love one another in friendship and fellowship.

[5:10] Yes, as pastor and parishioner, but mostly just as people. I look forward to when I can grow to love your children and you when we are able to be together, when we can sit and hold hands to pray or laugh together over a shared meal.

[5:33] That is love. And hope and joy, they keep that alive, that love that I have for you and for us together.

[5:45] And peace. Peace. Peace that we don't always understand. The peace of knowing that God has brought us together.

[5:57] That God has a plan for us, a good plan. And that we will continue to acknowledge you to me and me to you.

[6:08] That the peace of Christ passes all understanding, passes all pandemic and prejudice and all that is wrong with the world. And that even in the midst of a cyclone kind of a year, we can still hold the peace.

[6:26] The peace that binds us in our shared love for God made known in Jesus Christ. The purple candle we probably won't get to share together.

[6:40] This is the Christ candle and I will light it when I get home from the 11 o'clock service tomorrow night. Before I say good night and good morning all at the same time.

[6:56] I do wish you a very blessed and love-filled Christmas. If the love isn't at your house and you can't go to the ones you love, then find a way to connect.

[7:10] Be together in whatever way is possible and know it's just a season. It's just for now. I offer you this blessing.

[7:25] Go this day in peace. And even if you feel like you are in pieces like Pastor Sherry's garden stone. Or a broken piece of pottery that I talked about a little while ago.

[7:42] God holds all that is broken. God holds all that is shattered. That is beautiful and perfect.

[7:54] God holds all that is us in our humanity and our sinfulness and our sometimes feeling discouraged or lost in this crazy year.

[8:09] God still hold us. God still calls us by name. And God still created us in his image.

[8:21] So be blessed. God still has a great story. And God still has a great story. Join us in some way for Christmas Eve tomorrow evening. Join in the power and the light and the candle lighting.

[8:33] And I invite you, if you watch one of our services, to have a candle ready at your house. So that when we light our candles and we sing Silent Night at the end, You can hold your candle and sing at the top of your lungs, no mask required, as we join in that wonderful and beautiful ritual and tradition that is a part of our gathering.

[9:09] It still can happen. You light your candles, we will light ours, and we will be joined together over all the airwaves and all the miles in the name of Jesus Christ, who is born again. Amen and go in peace.