A World in Need of Peace

A World in Need of Peace
by
June 24, 2025

On Sunday, the congregation officially approved our 2025-2026 operating budget and the proposed leadership slate. Our new leaders (Board, Elder, Deacon) will be installed this Sunday, June 29, at the 11:00 service, and our new church year begins on July 1. I am grateful for those who are stepping up to serve the church in these important roles! Please keep them in your prayers. I am also grateful to those who are rolling off at the end of this month. Also, a big THANK YOU to everybody who is putting on Woodmont’s Vacation Bible School this week. The church is full of children and volunteers learning about God, Jesus, and scripture.

I said on Sunday that our world certainly feels chaotic at this moment in history. Israel is at war with Iran. Intelligence has shown that Iran is working to develop a nuclear weapon and, for years, has vowed to wipe Israel off the map. Iran has responded to the attacks. Negotiations and diplomacy seem to have failed. The Russia-Ukraine War also continues, now entering its fourth year. Gaza is still a mess. This past weekend, the U.S. entered the conflict by bombing three of Iran’s nuclear facilities to prevent a weapon from being developed. We don’t know what will happen next. I also said on Sunday that throughout history, decisions that are made regarding world peace and geo-politics are complicated and never easy. This is a lot to process and can feel overwhelming. Peace is lacking.

Most people sincerely want peace in life – inner peace, local peace, global peace. I believe that all of these are interconnected, but the starting point will always be inner peace. There will never be local peace and there will never be global peace until there is first inner peace, and for some reason, we live in a world where too many people lack inner peace. Why? Why are so many people unhappy and unsatisfied? There are obvious answers to this question – constant news, growing anxiety, fear, regret, jealousy, envy, dissatisfaction, addiction, disease, mental illness, despair, grief, loneliness, insecurity, financial struggles – the list is very long and very familiar. Many people feel unheard, ignored, and voiceless. It can seem like more is out of our control than in our control.

One of the great passages of scripture is found in John’s gospel, the 14th chapter. Jesus says, “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” It’s easy to read this and then wonder how we can keep from being afraid with everything that is going on. One truth remains – we are each in charge of finding our own inner peace. The world will NOT bring it to us.

In Hebrew scripture, the ancient word for peace is “shalom.” And shalom never means the absence of trouble. It means that which makes for our highest good. The peace that the world offers to us is very different from the peace that Christ offers us. The peace that the world offers to us is an escape, a ceasefire, an avoidance of trouble and difficult times. It’s a day at the spa, a walk in the park, or a nice vacation. But the peace that Christ offers to us is the peace of conquest, the peace that allows us to deal with anything that may come our way in life. Nothing can take this peace away from us once we have it. It is a deep inner peace that is completely independent of outward circumstances and situations. It is a peace that comes directly from God and it allows us to deal with all our worries and fears, all our trials and tribulations, all our uncertainty and insecurity, all of our doubt and uneasiness.

This world will continue to throw many things at us – things that will test us, things that will hurt us, things that will knock us down, things that will set us back. But if we have the peace of Christ in our hearts, this world does not have control over us, because it is a peace that we find deep within, and it cannot be taken away. The violence, war, hostility, and frantic pace of our world keeps us constantly on the go, always interrupted, never satisfied, afraid, and never fulfilled. Christ fills a void that nothing else can, as long as we intentionally seek that peace in our hearts. But if we sit back and wait for the world to bring it, it probably will not come.

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