We learned from Michael’s blog that peace is a promise from God, and that we are not at peace with God because of sin. Ken’s post discusses the damage done to creation by sin, and how our best efforts to make peace with God have been nothing but filthy rags (Isaiah 64). He points out that peace is a product of heaven, not of this world.
So what is peace?

By the dictionary definition, peace is freedom from disturbance, tranquility, or a state or period where there is no war. It’s often obtained through negotiation and mutual agreement in order to avoid war, or it’s secured through war or violence itself.

In the scriptures, peace is multi-dimensional. In Leviticus 26, “peace” is safety that comes from the Lord through obedience. In Psalm 34:14, “peace” is good (contrasted with evil) and we're told to seek it. In Philippians 4:6-7, Paul tells us that God’s peace surpasses our understanding (Again, it’s heavenly and from God) and that it guards our hearts. Paul tells us that it’s also a fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22, and Isaiah 32:17 says that “the effect of righteousness will be peace, and "the result of righteousness, quietness, and trust forever.” Righteousness is God and comes from God, and His work completed on the cross is the Gospel- the work done by Jesus that through faith brings us to peace with God (Romans 5:1).

God designed the very system that peace would come through: the Gospel of Jesus.

In Numbers 6:14, the Israelites were instructed to present offerings to the Lord. A peace (fellowship) offering was one of the blood sacrifices where the shed blood was the atonement on which reconciliation and peace were based (Leviticus 3; Leviticus 7:11-21). The offering was needed because of the brokenness caused by sin to restore fellowship between God and man, atoned for by the shed blood. The offering was eaten by both God and humans together (like communion in the Last Supper), representing the reconciliation and “peace” that came from the shed blood.

However, these sacrifices were insufficient; peace required more—it required God Himself.

Peace is Someone, Not Something

The Bible reveals peace as more than a concept. In Judges 6:24, Gideon builds an altar named Yahweh-Shalom, “The Lord is Peace.” Paul calls God the “God of Peace” (Philippians 4:9).

God is from Heaven, God provides true safety (2 Timothy 4:18), God is good (Psalm 107), God surpasses our understanding, and His Christ, God incarnate (John 1:14), restores our peace with God, guards our hearts with His spirit, and brings about the fruit of righteousness.

Who is this person called Peace? God is peace. Christ is peace.

This peace is not achieved by conquering or eliminating His enemies through war, but through a violent sacrifice in which God traded Himself for His enemies, where on the cross  “Peace” itself became “sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21) to bring us peace. The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) became the ultimate peace offering, securing eternal peace.

Shalom

God’s peace plan seems embedded in the Hebrew language. The Hebrew word for Peace, “Shalom” is derived from the verb “shalam” which means to be complete. Its letters—Shin (ש), Lamed (ל), Vav (ו), and Mem (ם)—each hold significance:
שָׁלוֹם

• Shin (ש) – represents teeth to break and destroy
• Lamed (ל) – A shepherd's staff, representing authority or leadership that provides guidance and order.
• Vav (ו) – Nails/hooks that exemplify connection and unity to bridge divides.
• Mem (ם) – Waters of chaos but also renewal. Resolving chaos and achieving calmness and stability.

If you look at the pictographic story through the lens of Christ, it could be view as:

• Shin (ש): Christ destroys (crushes) sin and death through His sacrifice.
• Lamed (ל): He leads with divine authority as the Good Shepherd, guiding us toward salvation.
• Vav (ו): Through the nails of the cross, He reconciles (Reconnects) us to God, bridging the gap caused by sin.
• Mem (ם): Christ brings peace by calming the chaos of sin, offering renewal and eternal life through His death and resurrection.

After the resurrection, Jesus greeted doubting Thomas with these very words, “Shalom, Peace be with you” (John 20:26). What he was saying was a prayer of blessing, “Christ be upon you, Christ be with you.” Jesus was affirming that we, like Thomas have been wholly reconciled in God through His Son; the person known as Peace.

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” - John 16:33

Merry Christmas and Peace be with you

"…And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”  - Luke 2:13,14

Grace and Peace to you Church!  During this Advent, we are looking at the peace that Jesus and the Gospel bring.  I like this passage in Luke for the glimpse at heaven’s elation for the birth of Jesus.  This moment marks the culmination of the great plan of God’s redemption.

A little more than 100 years ago, the sound of Christmas carols coming from the trenches opposite their own positions led weary soldiers to join in the praise for an impromptu truce known since as the Christmas peace of 1914.  2000 years before that, weary shepherds in the fields outside Bethlehem were the first to hear such carols and be invited into peace and celebration at the first Christmas.  The angel’s proclamation and praise roused these shepherds from their spiritual trenches and blessed them with the word of encouragement and the sign to look for their Savior who would bring peace to God and man that lost so long ago with Adam’s sin.

The shepherds, like all of us, can relate to the conflict sin has ravaged through creation.  They were busy that night in the field keeping watch over their flock from the violence of predatory animals or even stalking bandits.  Additionally, they themselves were in great fear at the appearance of the angel of the Lord, a reaction understandable enough for anyone confronted thus, as the apostle Paul points out in Romans 3, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. “…Therefore,” – Paul continues in Romans 5, “just as through one man sin entered the world and death through sin and thus death spread to all men because all sinned—”  
 
“Do not be afraid” the angel encouraged the shepherds.  “for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people, for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be a sign to you: You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger.' And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”  - Luke 2:10-14
Before this moment, creation was not at peace, and men stood condemned.  4000 years and the best effort of this world all our righteousness were so much filthy rags as Isaiah 64 has it.  2000 years later still and not much has changed.  There are those moments like the Christmas peace of 1914.  WWI was supposed to be the war that ended all wars.  However, despite the most well-intentioned maneuverings of the world’s brightest diplomats, the greatest peace the world’s nations came up with instead set the stage for an even larger war to follow just 20 years later.  
 
I wanted to focus on peace as a product of heaven.  There is a growing movement to build a kingdom fit for the Lord.  Jesus directed us to go and make disciples of all nations.  Paul reminds us in Philippians 3 that our citizenship is in heaven, and exhorts us in 2 Corinthians 5, to be those ambassadors for Christ as though God were pleading through us.  
Pastor Taylor taught through Haggai a couple weeks ago asking, how could the Israelites returning from exile be at peace with the Lord if they didn’t have a place to meet with the Him?  The temple they finally did build wasn’t much to speak of, but it was the best they could do.  The Lord spoke through Haggai of a little while later, He would shake the nations, the glory of the latter temple shall be greater than the former and in this place the Lord will give peace.  Jesus is that temple, and Paul exhorts us,

“Now therefore, no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone in whom the whole building, being fitted together grows into a holy temple in the Lord in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” – Ephesians 2:19-22
   

Hello, Church! We’re fast approaching our favorite holiday, when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. The Prophet Isaiah gives us the famous Nativity theme: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (9:6). 

Jesus is indeed our greatest help. In the context of Micah, Israel is given a prophecy of judgment, destruction by the nation Assyria. But he also gives them a promise of peace. The first thing I noticed about peace is that it’s always prefaced by war or struggle. Similarly, it's easy to be hopeful in times of peace and plenty, but exceedingly difficult when facing affliction.
I think about the Israelites Micah was speaking to. Hearing the judgment, facing their guilt, how they must have felt. Very much not at peace, I imagine. They were probably thinking about all the ways they let God down, all of their sins and shortcomings. Maybe they were thinking about their ancestors, how Israel let God down in the past. But I bet Micah’s next words held bigger weight. “And he will be our peace.” (Micah 5:5)

Since the moment God gave his law, man knew he was condemned already. “All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Rom 3:12). No person, regardless of their power, position or prestige can earn God’s favor,  impress him or be at peace with him by their own doing. Peace comes from God and peace is promise he has realized for us in Christ Jesus.

This is why Jesus is such a wonderful gift. Peace with God is what we lack apart from Christ. When Jesus came on the scene, the world lacked peace, the nation of Israel was under occupation and God had been silent for centuries. A prophet had not been sent since Malachi, 400 years earlier. As a consequence, God’s people were very much lost. Instead of seeking God, they sought friendship with the world, with kings and kingdoms.

Jesus came at a time when the church needed him most. His birth reminds us that God will not stay silent forever. It reminds us that God indeed has a plan for his people, the church, “plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer 29:11). In Jesus we find truth, peace, and gladness. Because he is our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. In Jesus we can find our everything! You only need to look to him.

Look to Jesus this Christmas season and remember the eternal promise of peace we have in him.

What does the book of Revelation have to do with me? How does this book of symbols and numbers apply to my life?

Many people I know purposely avoided reading Revelation because it was either too scary or too strange. It is definitely an outlier among the other books of Scripture and easy to dismiss. But like every other word of God, this too is full of wisdom: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3‬:‭16‬-‭17). I think a good summary of the book of Revelation is that it blesses us with hope for the future, specifically the future of God’s kingdom.

"Revelation...blesses us with hope for the future, specifically the future of God’s kingdom."

Revelation shapes the way we ought to understand God. He is powerful, he is gracious, and ultimately, in him is victory! We learned from Revelation that in all the chaos of the world and the times to come, God is sovereign over it all. The Slain Lamb (Rev 5:6) is portrayed in conjunction with the Lion of Judah (Rev 5:5) as a means of conveying Jesus’ victory in sacrifice. By laying down his life as a substitute for our sins, he defeated death and broke the power of sin and damnation. We have our hope simply in this, that in him we have life and life eternal, that nothing can separate us from the love of God (Rom 8:38), and the incredible truth that there is now no condemnation for  those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1).

Likewise, Revelation gives us a greater calling. Chapter seven reveals a great multitude of people from every nation in white robes praising God. John then explains who these people are: “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (7:14). There is no greater calling in life than to worship God. There is likewise no greater reward than to be counted among this multitude who worship God forever in Heaven. I love the apostle Paul because in much of his writing, he expresses his thoughts simply and bluntly. He affirms this calling in his own life when he says, “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead” (Phil 3:10). I think many of us see eternal life as the great gift, escaping death and living forever. But that is secondary in Paul’s mind. His foremost goal is to know Christ, to abide in him and praise him forever.

"There is no greater calling in life than to worship God. There is likewise no greater reward than to be counted among this multitude who worship God forever in Heaven."

Thirdly, Revelation gives us peace in endurance. Life is long and many times I am tempted to tell God what his timing should be. I am not patient for this reality, but this book helps me keep everything in mind. The author of Revelation introduces himself in chapter one as “your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus” (vs 9). Before things get better, they often get worse. But this is not because God is mean. Life is hard and his commandments are hard, and I think that is the purpose. John says we have this patient endurance in Jesus. We learn to obey God and lean on him for strength the best when things are hard. But take courage! Our endurance through life is our testimony to the world about the goodness of God and the truth of his son Jesus!

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”  Job 1:21.

April 8th 2024, a day after my 31st birthday, I was driving to work when I received a call from my father- my mother had passed. The tears started flowing. They followed with the emotions of shock, confusion, vulnerability and incredible sadness. My mother, Penny was just 58, beautiful, fun and kind. Her loss was sudden and hit my family like a tidal wave. Why would God take her? How was He possibly going to help us through this?
But He did, He carried us gently into the service where we said our goodbyes. He held me as I got to wash my moms clothes and clean her kitchen as a final act of service for her. He wrapped His arms around us as a family as we shared stories and memories of her.
Weeks later, still mourning the loss of my mother, still healing, my wife and I’s first dog, Hazel got sick. Over a short two-week period, she rapidly declined. We watched as a seemingly healthy 8-year old dog could no longer walk, stand up, eat or drink water. We watched as she had seizures and could do nothing but comfort her. We prayed God would allow her to pass in her sleep, “please Lord, don’t make us do it.” But the time came, and we had to make the decision to let her go on June 22nd. I remember thinking, “God, why now? Why like this? Why all of this?"
Then two days later, my dad had a stroke. Fear, anxiety and the unknown. “Please don’t take my father too Lord! Please!” We sat anxiously as the doctors waited for the swelling to go down. We went to God- it was all we could do to pray. Who else to call out to, but the God that supplies life? And this time, he worked a miracle: The swelling eventually went down. My dad was conscious. His words, his memories, even his ability to write had returned! What the doctors projected to take 6-12 months, God brought back in just weeks.
As Christians,  we can minimize suffering- convincing ourselves that our suffering isn’t that great compared to others. We often take pride in our ability to suppress our emotions, like stoicism was a badge of honor. The thing is, Jesus didn’t live that way. Jesus wept! One of the Bible's shortest verses comes from John 11:35 and consists of just two words: “Jesus wept.” 
These two words have found new meaning in my heart this year. They remind me of the nearness I have with Christ- my Lord weeps with me. My God is not a stranger to me. He is a God that wept with me as my mother passed. Comforted us as we laid our dog to rest. Gave me strength as I helped my father learn to write again.  

"My God is not a stranger to me. He is a God that wept with me as my mother passed. Comforted us as we laid our dog to rest. Gave me strength as I helped my father learn to write again."

This past year has been the hardest year of my life. Yet, God has used the suffering of this year as a tool to strengthen my faith in Him. He has softened my heart in a way I didn’t think possible prior to these events. He has taught me that he alone is in absolute control, his love is sufficient and that he gave us a community to come together and support and pray for each other. I’ve learned through these trials that we are never alone in our suffering- God is always with us and has given us to one another saying, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” Romans 12:15 

In a year of pain and loss, joy has come sparingly. Then, just weeks ago I found out that my wife and I are expecting our first child in April! A year after my moms death. What a sweet reminder that in the midst of trials and tears, God is good!

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job 1:21.

We may not always understand how God is working in our life through suffering and trials. But we know God is always good and always faithful! We know he holds us in every moment and every season. We know he is strengthening and perfecting us. And we know he has won the victory over sin and suffering by the blood of his son on the cross. We know that one day he will wipe away every tear, there will be no more mourning, nor crying or pain (Rev. 21).

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Ro 8:18.

Different not Perfect

I did not grow up in the church, I did not grow up with any idea as to who God was. I grew up rooting for the bad guys, the rebels, the tough guys. I thought God was fluffy, soft and weak and I declared that I would rather give my life to Satan. At 18 years old I asked Jesus to be my Lord to save me from demons. I "played church" for a little bit and then went my own way and finally 11 years later I came back to God in order to find a reason to live. God rebuilt my life for me after I had burnt it down with a lifestyle of drugs, booze, violence and immorality. I have called God my enemy and He forgave me and protected me, I treated God like a party pooper and pursued the pleasures of the world after He showed me love. When I came back he welcomed me with open arms and put His spirit in me, He gave me a family.

I have died to my old life and been raised to new life in Jesus. God set me apart as His and publicly claimed me as His. God gave me the strength to hang out with all my friends still and not partake in substance abuse, God changed my heart to not be so angry and violent and let me display His love. In 2005 I was 86'd for life from the Nugget for drunk and disorderly conduct along with picking a fight with 4 security guards during my company Christmas party. In 2006 I went back to the Christmas party and was a designated driver for 4 electricians. In 2005 on New Year's Eve I was blackout drunk and bloody in 2006 on New Year's Eve I was a designated driver for my friends. People I worked with were puzzled as to why I wanted to hug instead of fight and I got to tell them Jesus did it. 
     
Holiness for me does not mean I am better than anyone, I am actually worse than most - God is the only thing good about me. Being holy means God set me apart and freed me to fight against sin, I don't make plans for my day that include missing the mark and grieving His spirit. I am wrecked by behavior that I used to embrace with great pride and as a result I have to humble myself and apologize all the time to God and others for my short comings. Holiness is like a goal that I will never achieve in this world of my own strength and at the same time the desire to strive toward it is an indicator that I am holy. I confess my sin daily multiple times and I try to wake up every morning and ask for His strength in order to reflect His Glory.  One of the most important things for me when it comes to pursuing the heart of my Father is proximity, the closer I can stand to Him the easier it is to follow Him so I try to spend time in the word every day.

"One of the most important things for me when it comes to pursuing the heart of my father is proximity, the closer I can stand to Him the easier it is to follow Him so I try to spend time in the word every day."

God has separated me but He has not segregated me from the world He has called me to be a banner or a statue displaying His glory to the world. As Paul said "to live is Christ, and to die is gain" I asked repeatedly to be freed from this world but as long as I am still here I will struggle to display God's grace. It is encouraging that God can use my miserable existence to reflect His glory to know now that God always had a plan for me that fit into His kingdom. I have had the pleasure to share the gospel with so many people who would never step into a church but were able to connect with me. God has not set me apart to be safe and comfortable, He has made me holy so others can see a glimpse of His presence in the world and experience His redeeming love.

"God has not set me apart to be safe and comfortable, He has made me holy so others can see a glimpse of His presence in the world and experience His redeeming love."

If you managed to make it this far know that God chose you because He loves you, He set you apart to stand like a statue or banner in this world declaring His power and authority to this world. God made you just the way you are so you can be a representation of His grace, mercy and authority.  Father God, I thank you for my brothers and sisters and the grace you have shown us all, I ask you to meet us where we are, heal our shame, strengthen us in our weakness and forgive us our sins. Please fill us with your spirit so it can overflow to the world around us and we can be a light of your glory sharing your healing power with the world. Thank you for taking time away from holding everything together to hear my prayers, Amen.

Love is a hard topic. It wouldn’t seem like it, but it can go one of many ways. Love can be difficult at times and many things in life can disguise themselves as love. What you think is love can be loneliness. Or lust. Or a distraction from stress, fear and emotions. But the feeling of truly being loved by someone is unmatched.
 
In my early 20’s I was constantly searching for what I thought was love. I was lonely and depressed jumping from mistake to mistake and constantly asking God for something real. Something that was more that just a few months of excitement then heartache. I wanted to feel loved. At the time I didn’t really understand what God was asking of me. I prayed and prayed and prayed, but I was never really listening. After constantly disappointing myself, a failed engagement and yet again another heartbreak I finally kneeled down and cried out “ God, I’m giving this up to you. I’m done trying to fill my heart Lord. So, will you fill it for me?” That night, I had never felt more loved. I felt the Holy Spirit move over me And fill my heart with love like I had never felt before.

And I understood what God wanted for me- more than the love of a wife, he wanted me to know his love. know his love and seek his love first, because we only know what love is and how to love when we know God’s love. There is no love more pure, satisfying or constant than his.

“in this is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins” - 1 John 4:10

A love that would willingly put itself on a cross and die to sustain it. A love that would suffer on your behalf in order to have freedom from sin and everlasting life. A love that says you are made perfect in the image of God and I will die and rise again in order for you to Have eternity with a perfect father.

A few months later I agreed to go out on a date and of course…got ghosted. I was expecting that. But what I wasn’t expecting was that it didn't hurt like before, and I certainly wasn't expecting the call from another woman that same night asking me out for coffee. The moment she walked through the door of the coffee shop I heard God tell me “this is why I wanted you to wait. This is her. This is the one.” A year later I married that wonderful woman and am so thankful for her love.

But remember church, in all that you do, love God first. Put Jesus in the center of your life. Let the love of Jesus be enough and love those around you. God wants to fill all of our hearts with him and leave no empty spaces then he will take care of the rest. No relationship, no job, no amount of money will ever compare to love of Jesus Christ.
 
Mark 12 30-31 says “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” 
Jesus mentions love 71 times in the New Testament alone!

We are losing sight in this world today of what love looks like. Divided by race, gender, politics and pride so many people have lost sight of what love looks like. Church, be the light of love and let Jesus shine through you. Be an example of Christ and love others the way he did. Let us show the world how loved they really are and show them that there is a great and mighty king and father who is waiting to welcome them into his house.