Beyond Sunday S2: Peace in the Now and Not Yet

Catch up: this week’s Sunday morning message.

Peace is a very common word in English, and it means different things to different people. It's also a very important word in the Bible that refers not only to the absence of conflict but also to the presence of something else. "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" longs for peace - shalom - the restoration of all things. In a world full of darkness, conflict, and sorrow, the prayer is that Christ, the Prince of Peace, would come and break through the gloom. Though we still wait for the full realization of peace, we experience glimpses of it now through Christ’s presence, the peace that “passes all understanding.”

Catch up: this week’s Sunday morning message.

• Timeline of Key Points

  00:00:10 - 00:01:17 Introduction and Advent season

  00:01:41 - 00:03:55 Theme of peace in Advent scriptures

  00:03:20 - 00:06:49 John the Baptist and baptism story

  00:06:20 - 00:08:32 Meaning of Shalom and peace

  00:07:47 - 00:11:19 Blanket metaphor for God's peace

  00:10:44 - 00:13:11 Being peacemakers vs peacekeepers

  00:12:37 - 00:16:38 Invitation to experience God's peace

  00:16:08 - 00:21:10 Personal reflections and application

• Transcript

  00:00:10

  Hey guys, welcome to another episode of the Beyond Sunday podcast. Uh this one we uh Saturday we're in the season of Advent. Um and I'm joined with Pastor Sherea as usual, but we also have on we have Matt Clodall uh who spoke at C3. How are you guys doing? >> Good. >> Good. Yeah, doing real good. >> Good. Uh before we dive into the conversation, uh take a look at this video. Heat. Heat. All right, welcome back as we dive into the conversation discussion. Um, Shrea, what

  00:01:41

  was the what was the big idea? Some of the scriptures that we we were in in this second Sunday of Advent. uh which is um was typically peace. It's no different for us the theme of peace. That's what we were we were we were covering. But what was the big idea for this one? >> Yeah. Well, in this uh this year for Advent, all of these typical Advent themes we're looking at through the lens of now and not yet. So, this was like peace in the now and the not yet. Um so, for us scripture- wise, I feel like I

  00:02:09

  say this every week, but we were kind of all over. Um, so we were in Isaiah 11, uh, Psalm 72, some Romans. Uh, I was in Luke chapter 2 a little bit, but mostly because I used, uh, the Lionus's speech from the Charlie Brown Christmas movie. Um, that little portion. Um, it fit. But, uh, yeah, we were we were kind of all over. So, so I uh started with Isaiah 11 um which is just this like uh kind of picture of what will be what what's going to be the not yet picture and it's this uh specifically it speaks

  00:02:46

  for me it speaks of peace because it's talking about uh these these animals that usually would not be peaceful together um being together and being led by a little child and it just gives a picture of um the kind of peace that we all I think desire and are waiting for um even in the not in the now. So >> um yeah, that's where that's where we were. >> Yeah. >> Matt, where where were you mostly? >> So I I just camped out in Mark uh chapter 3 >> and uh the story of John the Baptist and

  00:03:20

  I was really intrigued with the the passage for peace because he's doing anything but making peace. uh and he's calling people out. So, I I was I just kind of was personally intrigued and and really kind of dove into that a little bit and uh and wrestled with how does this passage fit with uh the overall uh passage of peace. And so, it was good. It was really It was >> Well, well, and a cool thing that happened for us is that uh and for C3 is that you're you're camped out there in

  00:03:56

  Matthew 3 and the baptism and Jesus coming down to the Jordan where John the Baptist is at uh doing doing baptisms. And then for us, we got to baptize. We baptized five uh four of them are in your are in your family. Your dad got baptized. Um three of your boys got baptized. Um and then uh and then Quinn was baptized. So, it was a wonderful celebration of baptism. And then we're diving into this story of of Matthew uh 3 and this um this story of of what John the Baptist is doing down there at the

  00:04:28

  river and Jesus coming uh and who's all there and and what takes place. And I think the I I I hadn't put it together till till you were you were teaching and preaching and I'm like, "Wow, this is in no way was any of this pre-planned." your boys came up to me uh two two three weeks ago and we're like we want to get baptized and uh they're like when's the next one? And I said, "Why? I don't Easter." And they're like, "We're not waiting. We're not waiting to Easter."

  00:04:59

  >> And uh I was like, "Okay, well, you know, we like to share some of the testimony and and for our church family to join in this in and partake in this celebration." And and so I was like, "Well, I guess the soonest we could do is this is the 7th. Your dad's preaching. Do you want your dad to baptize you? We don't care. We don't care. We just bring it back. So, >> they're ready. >> No big deal. >> Yeah. >> Whatever. >> Yeah. It's like whatever. We'll just get

  00:05:25

  it done. >> So, good. >> Well, and this is a cool example then, Matt, because um when we talk about this on the podcast a lot, since we're using the RCL, the revised common lectionary as a rail, there's a number of scriptures to choose from every week and you know, kind of like whatever sticks out. And a lot of times um you know we we land in kind of the same places but sometimes we don't. And I didn't touch Matthew 3 um at all the the baptism I was stuck in the other ones. And so it's

  00:05:52

  cool that that you know we've we've prepped and planned and we're both talking about peace but God led you in a different way. Um so what were some of the things I'd love to hear because I read Matthew you know I read through all these as I'm preparing for peace and I was like yeah not that one that one's not landing for me but clearly it was for you. So, what were some of the um yeah, what were some of the callouts for you around peace and that? >> Well, I for for me it was really the the

  00:06:20

  kind of the introductory write up piece talking about shalom and what is what does shalom mean? The Hebrew word uh really has a deeper meaning than peace that we are used to which is kind of the absence of conflict. And so shalom has that idea of of yeah of just completeness, wholeness, kind of the way things God intended things to be. And and so I really saw in the midst of the John the Baptist, he was um calling people to the kingdom. And and so when you know thinking about all the connecting the dots between, you

  00:07:04

  know, how Jesus taught his disciples to pray and the desires and the hopes for um the kingdom come on earth as as it is in heaven and what God intended. Uh so for me it was shalom and I just really saw this call to this rightness, this completeness, um a restoration of of relationship between the Jewish nation and God. >> Yeah. >> So that's where it kind of just all started to unfold a little bit um for the message. >> So good. >> Yeah, that's good. Uh, Sheree, I saw in

  00:07:47

  your notes your your uh always love your um tangible object lessons and so you you had a you had a blanket. >> I brought a lot of blankets actually. I needed like more than one to get the point across. Um, >> how did how did blankets and peace go together? >> I love a good object lesson. Well, so early on in the week as I was preparing, I just kept like I kept getting this like image or this sense of blankets which I was like, okay, what is this God? Because there's nothing it doesn't

  00:08:20

  talk about blankets in any of the scriptures or whatever. But um actually kind of with what you're saying, Matt, this it was that shalom piece for me too because we so often like when we say we desire peace, what we're actually saying is we desire no conflict. Like I'd really like to live in a world with no conflict and no chaos. But we also know that's not true. like that's not that's not our existence and and in this this um lens of like the now and the not yet. We live in the now and so that's

  00:08:45

  actually not going to be our reality. Um but what God offers is a wholeness or a completeness and I think with that the image of like being wrapped in a blanket and I don't know that I'm always cold anyways and this time of year. Um and so this idea of like um what what I said well okay so I found out that there's like blanket science like people actually have done studies there's a science around blankets so like what actually uh so I talked about like why blankets work the way they do you would

  00:09:14

  have been really proud of me I used science words but um also like uh they've done all of these like uh psychology kind of studies as well about like what what uh is released in our brains when we're under a blanket, especially if it's a weighted blanket and all of this. Um, but ultimately I was asking the question like if you had to go to bed tonight, um, and you could sleep on your bed, but you couldn't have any blankets, no sheets, no comforter, no whatever, like that'd be not really

  00:09:40

  super comfortable. Most of us are going to like get under a blanket. And, um, this idea of the the vulnerability or like the exposure that exists when you don't have a blanket. And so that for me um there was something about what God's offering in this like shalom kind of peace that was like hey without my peace you're exposed and you're vulnerable to the chaos and the conflict in the world. Um but what I'm actually offering is this like like wrap this blanket of peace around you and the chaos doesn't

  00:10:09

  go away but you'll feel this this warmth and this wholeness and this completeness um in the midst of it. And so that was the that was the tie-in for me. Um was like uh yeah a a a covering or a wrapped sense in this place of like we live in the not in the now and it's not great sometimes but God's uh wrapping a blanket of peace. >> Yeah. And I think Matt some of that was the in in where you landed or or ended of the moving into Matthew 5 of being peacemakers. Um, and that there's a an

  00:10:44

  opportunity uh for us to to to be peacemakers in the places that that that God is sending us uh calling us into, which looks and is different than peace uh keepers. >> Yeah, it the, you know, jumping into that, it just seemed to be a real natural thing. Um be for for me it it really transformed the sermon on the mount and the passage of you know blessed are those that will be peacemakers and they will be son known as sons and daughters of god. It was like this challenge to me then to say oh

  00:11:21

  okay it's not just about >> resolving conflict it's about >> um really being proactive in establishing God's kingdom here. And so the the two-fold part of of receiving the peace of Christ is the first and foremost. >> And then the second part of it is is that's not just for us, >> but that we then are called to be >> uh participants in the restoration of what's been broken. And um and so that call to be peacemakers took on a whole new idea for me. And I haven't really

  00:12:01

  even had a chance to unpack that fully yet. But um but yeah, it was it was really good. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> That that piece um also for me was like, okay, so if that if this is true, what's the application? Like not only so so there's this invitation like God's like come in to this uh accept this blanket of peace that whatever, but then yeah, what does it look like? And that uh Psalm 72, which is like Solomon writing like, "God, please give me uh the the wisdom, but also like help me be a good

  00:12:37

  judge. Help me take care of the poor. Help me whatever." And that idea um talked about this before on the podcast, too, but like uh if Jesus is who he says he was, uh says he is, and if that's what we believe, and if if we're supposed to model our lives and and then we should be ushering in the kingdom, we should see peace. Um and and kind of what you're talking about. But for me, the other piece of that in this week was this this sense of like uh inviting people into this blanket of peace. Um

  00:13:07

  and and that being what it looks like because so often uh or often times I think we can have a tendency to like we okay here's how you fix the problems in your life, right? So like, oh, you don't have peace in your life and and as a Christian, let me tell you all the things that you're doing wrong that are uh if you'll just do these things and follow this way. Um, and rather than this idea of like here, I recognize there's brokenness in the world around you and in your life, uh, let me tell

  00:13:36

  you about this God who gives a blanket of peace and and this invitation to like step into this place, um, of peace with us. um which I don't know it stands in contrast a little bit to the like super polarized world that we live in right now that's like let me just tell you how to fix things or you know this political party will fix the the brokenness in the world or whatever. Um and and it was just this like uh idea of like let me just tell you about a god who offers peace right now regardless of the

  00:14:06

  brokenness. Um >> yeah, which which looks different than peacekeeping or yes uh coming in with a fix and solving problems. It actually is in the presence of God. And Matt, what you're talking about is like this is a a God uh through his through his son and the work uh of of his holy spirit through his people of a reconciling kind of work which is uh putting the pieces back together as a whole which calls me back to this shalom that this is more than the word peace. It is wholly complete uh without uh you know without

  00:14:41

  the blemish or the brokenness that that we find ourselves in here in this world world. But the shalom that God offers like here this is what I want to cover you with. This is what I um uh plan to restore the world and and my shalom would come into these places that there that there is chaos and my shalom would would bring about a wholeness there a completeness. >> Yeah. Yeah. And then it's it's actually what that actually is. So I'm I don't know. We're using like all this language, but

  00:15:10

  even baptism is such it's funny. It's funny to me that when I read that I was like, "Yeah, that doesn't track." But as you're talking, Matt, I'm like, "Oh, duh." Because the other the other thing of that is like really it's the presence of God that is the peace. That's what offers the wholeness and the shalom and the spirit like the spirit resting on us um is what we're talking about. And so even in in baptism and um you know the the spirit coming down to rest on Jesus

  00:15:37

  and all of that. And so um that idea of of showing up in the world so clearly blanketed by the presence of God that it's like something's different there. There's still brokenness, but there's something different there. >> Yeah. >> Um >> yeah. we as we uh bring this episode to a close, what would you say is your chyros uh from Sunday or or otherwise? And uh so what is God saying to you? What's he inviting you into? What is he reminding you of? Uh and how is he

  00:16:08

  calling you to respond? >> For me, um it is that it's that uh am I inviting others into this kind of peace? And what's it look like um to to show up for people or to in the places that I recognize brokenness, my desire is to show up in a way that says, "Let me show you a God who who can um cover you and wrap you in his peace." Um and that's goes beyond like a fix. So, uh in the places where I might think like, "Hey, I know how you could solve these problems or whatever." um my the

  00:16:46

  the reminder of like I actually just need to show up and say like let me tell you about a god who's who's covered and uh offers wholeness. >> Yeah. I I would say my Cyros uh Matt, your example of just picking up things along the road is seeing them now that everything's dead and seeing that there's, you know, bottles and whatnot on the side of the road as you and Kelsey have walked and um that that doesn't look like God's kingdom, that looks like brokenness because there's

  00:17:14

  not just the trash, it's where it's coming from and and and whatnot. And um that sparked in me of am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am am I being or bringing shalom into these places even if they're um things that I I maybe not wouldn't want to be at or uh like I got selected for jury duty for the month of December." And so I I went to my jury orientation and I'm I was on Sunday reminded of sitting there at jury

  00:17:42

  orientation like I don't know if I was really bringing shalom in that place. I was really hoping that I I had other things that I had to move and and was going to have to get back to. And um it just it stirred me of like even at a place that I may not want to to be in that moment, I'm going back again. So I'm I' been convicted of when I go back and I'm serving uh and doing my my civic duty and jury duty that I can bring shalom in that place. And it and then it it looks and it sounds different. I

  00:18:12

  mean, I'm reminded sitting in there even in jury orientation that there are people's lives who are at stake, freedom, uh, money, whatnot. Uh, different different things that when things trial, uh, cases go to trial, uh, that a jury of their peers is is who is um, hearing the evidence and whatnot. And that I can because of the Holy Spirit, his presence upon me, and that the shalom that I I feel and sense, I that can go with me into a place like that. Yeah. >> Yeah. Yeah. I think for myself um I

  00:18:47

  think the kyros is just that we are all going to see brokenness differently. >> Um and it really is um an opportunity to just to address the brokenness. I think a little bit like you're talking about Shay of just um seeing what is what is wrong and then being able to step in. And it doesn't mean that we get to fix it, but we get to um to work towards >> wholeness and and making things right. >> And it's a continual process. But um you know I threw out the story about the um

  00:19:36

  just the picking up the trash because I just sometimes I I think we get this idea that being a peacemaker or or just being a part of God's kingdom has to be this really big thing. Um but the reality is is that there's a lot of brokenness in the world and um and that each of us can as we see it we can engage at that level of making difference in the world around us and so >> yeah it's good. All right well thanks for um joining in and listening uh to this episode of the Beyond Sunday podcast. Um, Shrea, Matt,

  00:20:15

  thanks for joining in this episode. And we hope and pray uh as you guys are having conversations that go beyond Sunday that you're you're hearing and sensing from God. He's stirring in you um more than just uh a word from Sunday and a scripture read, but but really God's inviting you into closer to um walking with him and in his presence. Um and so we hope and pray that for you. Have a blessed week.