Peace be With You

My name is Ellen Adams.  I taught elementary school children in the Norwich School System for 35 years.  I was ordained as an Episcopal deacon in December of 1998.  I have known Jodi and Eric for over 20 years.  We were active members of the St. Franci House extended community.  St. Francis House was an intentional Christian community – a place of prayer, a house of hospitality and a center for peace and justice.  We now minister together as part of the  CT/RI Franciscan Action Network’s Justice Circle.  I am sorry I cannot be with you in person but my grandson is graduating from college today and I want to be there.  I tell you who I am because I think it matters how those of us who call ourselves Christians live our lives.  I also believe that everyone born on this earth is a child of God. I always begin my sermons with these words.  Open our hearts, souls and minds to your life-giving Word.  I believe the Bible to be as life-giving to us as it was for the people who first heard it.

The Episcopal Church catechism asks the question, “What does it mean to be created in the image of God? And the answer is, “It means that we are free to make choices: to love, to create, to reason and to live in harmony with creation and with God.”  We have free will.  It is God’s hope that we will choose to do God’s will.  Over and over throughout the bible, God says, I will be your God if you will be my people.  The trouble is humans are more apt to choose power and greed over loving their neighbor as themselves.  They want to be God’s favorite ones and they come up with all kinds of reasons why they are.  This allows them to treat others badly instead of as equals.  We want our will to be done, not God’s will.  We want our kingdom to come, not God’s.

And so, we end up making a mess of things in every generation.  There is so much violence and hatred in the world today.  So many wars!  The focus is on how we are different and who is right and who is wrong, both here and abroad.  Instead of having win-win situations, the world is full of lose-lose messes.  It is scary and heartbreaking.  We are as frightened as the apostles after the crucifixion.  When we are frightened, we either flee or fight.  Half of us turn off the news because we do not want to know any more.  We feel hopeless and see no way forward.  The other half fight.  The trouble is that instead of acting as people of faith, we call people stupid who think differently than us, and we post just as many untrue facts on-line as our political enemies, and use the excuse that people know we are being sarcastic.  The bible says that the truth will set us free, but the truth is hard to unpack.  We do not listen to each other enough, and so no common ground is found.  We need to stop reacting and start acting as the people God we are called to be.

Jesus steps into the room and says, “Peace be with you.”  Why? Because we are no good to ourselves or others if we cannot function.  We have to find a way to breath and center ourselves in God’s love and presence in our lives.  I do this by practicing centering prayer each day.  Some of you may take a walk or run each day.  Some garden.  Some journal or paint.  Some just sit and look at Long Island Sound.  It does not matter what you do to find peace.  It is just necessary that you take the time to let yourself be every day, without judgment, without the need to accomplish anything other than to be still and be with God.

It is also important that we take the time to reflect on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ before we act.  If we don’t, we are letting our emotions control our actions instead of living an intentional Christian life.  Our choices are apt to do harm and not be respectful of other people’s opinions.  Jesus said love your neighbor, not be disrespectful.  Not everyone has the same world view as we do.  Other people’s opinions are based on what they have learned and experienced.  Different does not necessarily mean wrong or stupid.  Babies are not born to be racist or to have a higher opinion of themselves than another baby they meet.  “Hate needs to be specifically taught, as the musical South Pacific says in one of its songs.  I shared a post on Facebook where the father asks his daughter accusingly, “Are there Muslims, Jews and Christians in your school?”  She answers, “No, there are only children in our school.”  We are all children of the same God.  Having different views and outlooks can enrich our lives, but if we have an “us” against “them” attitude, we all lose.  We are all so much more than we appear to be.  We should stop judging each other on one characteristic.  We have more things to offer each other when we take the time to see and hear and appreciate.  We do not have to be superior, we can be equal.  We need to actively listen to each other’s truth instead of being dismissive of a different idea or opinion.  At least take the time to find out why the person thinks as they do.  You do not have to agree with everyone, but you do have to respect them as a fellow human being.  It is easier to do this if you do not give in to fear or give in to the need to be right.  Jesus sends us out to care for others, not dehumanize them.

Take some time to be still and know God’s will.  None of us are going to change the world, but we can find a way to bring God’s kingdom to earth.  God has placed us in this time and space with certain skills and gifts. He sends us out to do his work. Let us go forth in the name of Christ.

Amen.