Peace

In the silly Christmas movie Spirited, starring Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell, we get a modern riff on the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. It’s a ridiculous and funny adaptation set to music and dancing. It’s PG-13, so I am by no means suggesting you sit down with the whole family to watch it, but there are some really clever and lovely moments.

In one particular scene, they go back to Victorian England in the 1840s. In a bizarre exchange, someone says “Good afternoon,” and the person who receives it treats it like a curse word…as if they were just cussed out by the phrase “Good afternoon.” There’s a whole song and dance about it. Again, I’m NOT telling you to go watch it.

But it’s silly and random…maybe a joke about misunderstanding, or how meanings shift over time, or just a goofy gag.

I didn’t totally get it…

This time of year, we are pushed to the edge in a lot of ways.
Expectations to fulfill.
Social gatherings to attend.
Presents to buy.
Things to do.
Budgets to exceed.
Sicknesses to avoid.

Sometimes it feels like we’re playing a real-life game of Frogger, but instead of trying to cross the road, we’re just trying to make it to New Year’s Day.

If you were with us on Sunday, we reflected on how this season, and really all of life, comes with expectations placed on us, dreams set before us, and goals charted out. And when those things aren’t met, it’s not uncommon to feel disappointment, embarrassment, shame, or a dozen other complicated emotions.

The truth is, we can find peace in the midst of whatever we face, if we understand where peace is actually found.
If we look for peace in meeting those expectations placed on us, fulfilling that dream set before us, achieving that goal we charted out…we run into two problems:
If we don’t accomplish them, we’ll never find peace.
And if we do accomplish them, then the finish line to find peace will just move further down the road.

Peace is found and experienced when we live with open hands.
Hands ready to give.
Hands ready to receive.
Hands ready to be guided.
Hands ready to guide others.

This is what it looks like to follow Jesus. Not trudging through life hoping to dodge pain and misery like some cosmic obstacle course. It’s discovering peace while we follow him. Peace in the midst of pain and misery. Peace because he is where peace is ultimately found.

There are plenty of things in the world offering opportunities to engage in the opposite of peace:
24-hour digital news designed for us to feel unsettled.
Social media algorithms that amplify our insecurities and dis-ease.
Certain podcasts or commentators that fuel frustration.
Spending time fixating on what we hate.
Allowing ourselves to get worked up about what we fear.

But peace, true peace, is found when we rest in Jesus. And the good news is that once we receive peace from him, it isn’t just for us. It’s meant to flow through us into the world.

Open hands.

I recently read a quote from an author reflecting on Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, about how we live in the world as people proclaiming the Kingdom of God by our words and actions. Here’s what he wrote:

“’Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.’  The followers of Jesus have been called to peace. When he called them they found their peace, for he is their peace. But now they are told that they must not only have peace but make it. And to that end they renounce all violence and tumult. In the cause of Christ nothing is to be gained by such methods. His kingdom is one of peace, and the mutual greeting of his flock is a greeting of peace. His disciples keep the peace by choosing to endure suffering themselves rather than inflict it on others. They maintain fellowship where others would break it off. They renounce all self-assertion, and quietly suffer in the face of hatred and wrong. In so doing they overcome evil with good, and establish the peace of God in the midst of a world of war and hate. But nowhere will that peace be more manifest than where they meet the wicked in peace and are ready to suffer at their hands. The peacemakers will carry the cross with their Lord, for it was on the cross that peace was made. Now that they are partners in Christ’s work of reconciliation, they are called the sons of God as he is the Son of God.”

This author seems to be saying that if Jesus is calling us not only to experience peace in him but we are also to bring peace to others.  When we do this, we will be pushing against the ways of the world, a world obsessed with division, violence, and tumult. Followers of Jesus are called to reject those ways…which means we won’t always fit in.

The author, of course, is Dietrich Bonhoeffer in The Cost of Discipleship. Bonhoeffer was a German pastor and theologian who resisted the evils of his day, opposed the Nazi regime, and was ultimately killed for his faithfulness to Jesus. He embodied what it looks like to find peace and become a peacemaker, a discipleship that literally cost him everything.

Every few years I read A Christmas Carol this time of year. It’s fun to revisit a story that has seeped so deeply into our Christmas traditions, often more than we realize. But something hit me differently this time. At the beginning, Scrooge’s joyful nephew Fred comes in beaming about Christmas. Scrooge wants none of it. And how does he shut down the conversation? How does he end Fred’s blabbering about “the most wonderful time of the year”?

He says, “Good afternoon.”
Over and over.
To Fred, and to anyone else who dares bring Christmas near him.

Now I get the joke.

This week, I hope we will not be people who dismiss others, stir up trouble, fixate on problems, or create discord. I hope we reject the destructive ways of Scrooge and become more like Fred. I hope we first and foremost find peace in Jesus, no matter our circumstances. And then I hope we embody that peace for the glory of God and good of others. The peace that passes all understanding. The peace we carry into the world, even into difficult places. The peace that makes us partners in the work of Jesus, children of God, bearers of his image.

Get to know the Prince of Peace and see what that does, not only in your inner life, but in the world around you.

I hope you’ll join us for everything happening at The Chapel this Advent and Christmas season, as well as some exciting things coming in the New Year.

Advent Guides are available. We still have a few hard copies at The Chapel, or you can access it online here. Or download the PDF version here.

Tuesday Noon Prayer Hour is today at The Chapel: live worship, quiet prayer, space to pause in the midst of the season. Come and go as you need. We’ll meet again next Tuesday, December 16th, and then pause until the New Year. In January we’ll be launching something a little different to center our hearts with prayer, Scripture, fasting, and worship, similar to last year’s 21 Days of Prayer. Then our plan is to be back our normal Tuesday Noon Prayer Hour in February.  More details to come.

In the New Year, we’re excited to share we will be doing something to accommodate more people on Sunday mornings with our growing congregation.  Don’t worry, we will still have our 10am service, but we’ll be adding something to help on those busy Sunday mornings at The Chapel.  This won’t happen until the end of February, but we’ll share more information soon.

And of course, I hope you’ll join us for our Christmas Eve service on December 24th. One service. Outside. 4:30 PM.
If you’ve ever shown up on Christmas Eve (or Easter…or really any Sunday) desperately hoping to sit inside only to end up in overflow—you’re not alone. With only 175 seats indoors, that’s become the norm. So this year we’re going big with one outdoor service designed for everyone. Come early around 4 PM for pre-service music and cocoa. Bundle up and bring the whole crew.
If you prefer to stay warm, overflow seating will be inside the building.
No Kids Church on Christmas Eve, but children are welcome.
And if weather becomes a factor, we’ll adjust and keep you informed.

All Christmas and Advent details: thechapelatseaside.com/christmas

Finally, on Christmas Eve we will give away 50% of our offering to proclaim the Good News of Jesus through both word and action.

As you consider your Year End Giving, please consider supporting the ministry of The Chapel and the work we do.  If you would like to give digitally, you can go to thechapelatseaside.com/give.  That will take you to our giving portal, Church Center.

You can go to thechapelatseaside.com/donate/ to see a list of some of the organizations we partner with as well as some frequently asked questions about giving to The Chapel.

Or you can mail a check to
The Chapel at Seaside
P.O. Box 4936
Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459
I hope to see you today, Sunday, and throughout the season of Advent.
Let me know if you need anything or have questions.

And I hope no matter where you are or what you are going through, you have a good afternoon…oh wait…not what I meant…Peace be with you.

Blessings,
Andrew