Sharing Peace

During a recent Staff Team meeting, my colleague Lindsay led us in devotions, drawing our attention to John 20:19–23. I’ve read this passage many times and often think of it as the “so I send you” moment. But this time, I was struck more deeply by the connection between Jesus’ greeting—“Peace be with you”—and his commissioning—“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

Jesus, ever attentive to the needs of his followers, meets his disciples in their confusion and fear. He offers peace, then sends them out—presumably to go in the same peace-sharing, peace-making spirit with which he came.

Looking at our world today, there is much to celebrate: signs of renewed church engagement highlighted in the Quiet Revival report, churches and groups running Food Banks, international relief efforts, and countless acts of compassion toward the homeless and vulnerable.

Yet alongside these hopeful signs, our newspapers and TV news remind us that there is also rising tension and fear. Political polarisation is intensifying, as seen in recent demonstrations. Sociologists speak of a deepening individualism and yet there’s also a growing hunger for community and belonging. Technology, which on the one hand has benefitted us in a variety of ways is also contributing to social detachment and anxiety—especially around artificial intelligence. These can seem like unsettling times, marked by uncertainty and on occasion an emerging sense of animosity that we haven’t felt in years.

Recently, I’ve found myself asking – ‘how would Jesus respond in these circumstances?’

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus talking to his followers with the crowd listening in says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Eugene Peterson paraphrases it beautifully in The Message: “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.’  I’d like to suggest that it’s time for us to discover or maybe re-discover, ‘who we really are.’  Years ago, the apostle Paul encouraged the Ephesian followers of Jesus to prepare for action in their context by putting on the ‘armour’ of God.

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”

There it is again, that word —‘peace’, and according to the apostle Paul it’s an identifiable characteristic of the gospel.  It’s not just a passive state, but something we are to be ready to share, to carry into the world, characterised by truth and righteousness. 

So, what might this look like for you and me – if we were to intentionally seek to live as peace-makers and show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight?  And for those of us who are called to be pastoral leaders, called to model this ourselves and to prepare God’s people for works of service – how might we best communicate this peace-full commission to our congregations helping them to live in the places and spaces of everyday life?

Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’

Yours, because of Jesus,

Alisdair Longwill

Regional Minister