κήρυξον τὸν λόγον

[Jesus said:] Peace I leave to you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be timid (v 27). [Introduction] Peace. ... We are constantly seeking peace, aren’t we? ... Longing for peace ... striving for peace ... fighting for peace. And yet it seems to be so elusive ... fleeting. If only we could be at peace in the midst of all the turmoil in our world, we tell ourselves. If only our nation wasn’t so divided, constantly disturbing the peace. If only our brothers and sisters and husbands and wives would stop fighting, cave-in to our way, and let us rest in peace.  Where are we to find such peace?  How are we to find such peace?  Do we even know what peace is? 1. Our Lord Jesus does.  The Lord and Prince of Peace gives us the true peace ... divine peace, heavenly peace, the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. As Jesus said, Peace I leave to you. My peace I give to you. You might be ...

[Introduction] Have you ever noticed how certain passages of Scripture seem to rise above the rest ... timeless verses that speak to every generation?  Seeing how we have reached the end of Easter, let’s start with John 3:16: For God loved the world in this way: He gave his only son . ... And let’s not forget Psalm 23: The LORD is my shepherd . Or the ending of Romans 8: Nothing ... will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord . Or even my confirmation verse from 1 John, that on account of Jesus: God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness . I’m sure you can think of others that rise to the top of your list. Today’s Gospel reading most certainly offers us one of these timeless passages.  Jesus said: Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you (v 27).  God knows we love the idea of peace.  Peace ... a state of calmness, or unity, or cooperation, or tranquility ... Peace ... a state of harm...

[And Jesus said:] But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and cause you to remember all things that I spoke to you. Peace I release to you. My peace I give to you.  And now you have that peace.  Brothers and sisters in Christ, is there any doubt in your mind about this today? The peace of God which transcends all understanding ... quite literally, the forgiveness of your sins ... is yours in Christ. The Lord of Peace has given you this peace at all times in every way (2 Th 3:16). You who confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you have been saved. He has set you free from sin, death, and the power of the devil; you have eternal life now. So today we celebrate the abundance of that peace, His peace. This is what the Feast of Pentecost is really all about.  I might have surprised some of you last week when I said that this day is one of the three most important days...