Peace Be With You
Peace Be With You
Following God through the valley of shadows.
“Let him show you his wounds and remind you that he died for you and was resurrected.”
Welcome to the Light of Christ weekly podcast. Light of Christ Anglican Church is located in Georgetown, Texas at MLK and University Avenue. We are a modern expression of the ancient faith. You can learn more about us at lightofchristgeorgetown.org.
Hello everyone. The Lord is risen! Our sermon soundbite today comes from John chapter 20, "Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace be with you. Then he said to Thomas, Put your fingers here and see my hands, and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe. Thomas answered him, My Lord and my God. Jesus said to him, Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Last Sunday we had the privilege of Jamie Tanner, the founder and president of Simple Sparrow, a care farm ministry. Come and deliver us the message of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen. God is using her powerfully to bring healing to those who have significant trauma. You can find out more at simplesparrow.farm.
Jamie Tanner:
Indeed, the entirety of scripture is story after story of the juxtapositions of trusting and following God versus trusting and following not God. Following not God lends itself to darkness, to death, to fear, to unbelief. Whereas following God leads to light, life, peace, belief. We cannot serve God and not Gods at the same time. Just like fear cannot dwell where there is peace. In this moment, do you have peace? Who or what are you following? What are you believing?
As we move forward as a church into the unknown, while it is still dark, we must lean into our good shepherd. He may not give us the eyes to see the distance or the severity of the Valley of the Shadow of Death, but we choose to trust that he is with us. We choose to follow where he leads our next step. We choose to lean into him instead of ourselves. His leading is into peace. Peace, despite our circumstances. That doesn't mean we instantly transform, but rather he is transforming us more and more into the image of the sun.
We are a work in progress. We will still feel fearful, anxious, depressed, and panicked these days and beyond these days, and it's in these moments that we can learn to pause and take every thought captive. We can measure it against who Christ is and what he said. We ask the Holy Spirit for help and guidance. Is our thought peace? Is our thought belief? If it's not, I would encourage you to let Jesus work on you. Let him show you his wounds and remind you that he died for you and was resurrected because he indeed is the Christ, our good shepherd, a light of the world, prince of peace. Peace be with you.
Thank you for listening to the Light of Christ weekly podcast. Let us end our time together with a prayer from the book of common prayer. You can find this prayer for a person in trouble or bereavement, on page 663.
O merciful Father, you have taught us in your holy Word that you do not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men: Look with pity on the sorrows of your servant. Remember them, O Lord, in mercy; nourish their soul with patience; comfort them with a sense of your goodness; lift up your countenance upon them; and give them peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
