Peace Be With You

While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see, for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. Yet for all their joy they were still disbelieving and wondering, and he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.

                                                                                                                                   —LUKE 24:36-43 (NRSV)

The story of Jesus begins and ends in peace. The angels proclaim peace to Mary, mother of Jesus (Luke 1:28), and to the Shepherds (Luke 2:8-14). And upon his resurrection, Jesus himself proclaims peace to his disciples after he endured great pain and death (Luke 24:36). The peace of Christ is very different from any worldly peace. It is not something we can create or obtain by mastering our own lives. The peace of Christ comes from an otherworldly love and grace—a love that sends God’s son to earth as a vulnerable baby to show the world what love feels like.

In many Christian traditions, there is a part of the service that includes a time for the congregation to pass the peace. We leave the comfort of our regular pew (don’t you dare sit in my seat) to turn to our neighbors and speak the words, “peace be with you,” and receive the words, “and also with you.” This tradition is more than a simple exchange or greeting. It is a covenant, a promise, shared between believers that they are living towards the ever-expanding peace of Christ. The act of passing the peace is one of extending unfathomable grace and unconditional love to our neighbors, to the stranger, to the one standing next to us. And often that person is not one we would necessarily choose (they might not prefer us either). No matter how broken or smelly or don’thave-it-all-together we might be, we are invited to join in the chorus of those who come in peace, just as Christ taught us. Together.

READ THIS BLESSING
FROM THE LIVES WE ACTUALLY HAVE
for when you want more (p. 186)

To be fully known, and fully loved, in all our humanity.
That is a God-sized project.

Blessed are we, thankful that we can live our human-sized lives
in the glad company of the vulnerable and the broken, the imperfect
made whole in the love of God, through Jesus Christ

 REFLECT

1. What are some ways you can offer the gift of peace to yourself, showing yourself love and grace?

2. How can you offer others the promise and hope of peace by “passing the peace” this Advent season?