Grace to you and peace from God our Father, from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and from the Spirit who brings peace. Amen.

Peace has been a subject of much conversation lately. Two weeks ago, at the Men's Fellowship, we discussed how it is that we know peace. Cicadas threaten our peace with their loud buzzing. Storms rage around us, as does war. And this morning, our Lord tells us that the Holy Spirit brings peace.

Please remember that Jesus is with his disciples in the upper room, sharing a meal prior to their departure to the Mount of Olives, to prayer, betrayal, trial, and crucifixion. Jesus has just finished washing the feet of the disciples. He now gives his last instructions, his final sermon to them, yearning that they keep the faith, that they hold firm in the face of the turbulent days ahead. He reassures them, with the promised Holy Spirit who brings an abiding presence, truth, remembrance, comfort, and peace.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid."

We can understand why the disciples would be greatly troubled. They were aware of the mounting peril to Jesus, and that the priests and the rulers of the Jews were out to put him to death. They were also no doubt ashamed of their own behavior at the Last Supper, arguing about who was the greatest till the Lord rebuked them by washing their feet, much to their shame and embarrassment.

Then they were uneasy when he declared that one of them was going to betray him. They were confused and puzzled by the sudden exit of Judas. Most of all, they were afraid of losing Jesus. They were troubled by his words that he was about to depart, that they would look for him but would see him no more. Anxious foreboding filled their minds. The cold clutch of fear gripped their hearts. They, like us and the world, were greatly in need of peace.

Peace. It is, like love, one of those qualities of existence that is striven for with massive energy and searching. It is elusive, unless sought by the right path.

Let me be clear here. Jesus does not speak to his disciples of the cessation of conflict; this is no external peace that we and the world seek through policies that enhance equality of opportunity, treatment, and pay, or through diplomacy and statesmanship. Jesus would, after all, still be crucified. This is not the peace of which Pope John XXIII spoke when he said: "There is no peace without justice."

No. The peace that our Lord desires for the disciples and for us-the peace that is prepared for us as is our place in the kingdom of heaven—concerns that eternal and palpable calm that rests in the deepest parts of us. This peace comes not from this world; the world has no adequate understanding or access to this reign of peace. It comes, rather, by virtue of the Holy Spirit and touches us at the point of our spirits. This peace comes alone by the act of God in Christ coming to us in the person of the Holy Spirit. This peace is a spiritual peace.

The peace that the world offers is no peace at all. Not too long ago, the "Lutheran" magazine noted that there was a new "Word of the month." It was chosen by the publishers of Webster's New World College Dictionary, which declared "affluenza" its word of the month. The word blends "affluence" with "influenza" and means: 1. the ill effects of sudden wealth, or 2. the sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from keeping up with the Joneses. (June 2001, p. 8)

Affluenza. That is the latest name for the disease that comes from striving after the kind of peace that comes from this world. It is a sham, a shadow, empty, false—a matter of smoke and mirrors. People struggle for years, decades, even a lifetime towards this false god. Some never make it. No one finds what they hoped for when they reach the end of their quest. Not one.

Our Lord speaks to us: "I do not give to you as the world gives."

Duke University did a study on "peace of mind." Factors found to contribute greatly to emotional and mental stability are:

1) The absence of suspicion and resentment. Nursing a grudge was a major factor in unhappiness.

2) Not living in the past. An unwholesome preoccupation with old mistakes and failures leads to depression.

3) Not wasting time and energy fighting conditions you cannot change. Cooperate with life, instead of trying to run away from it.

4) Force yourself to stay involved with the living world. Resist the temptation to withdraw and become reclusive during periods of emotional stress.

5) Refuse to indulge in self-pity when life hands you a raw deal. Accept the fact that nobody gets through life without some sorrow and misfortune.

6) Cultivate the old-fashioned virtues—love, humor, compassion and loyalty.

7) Do not expect too much of yourself. When there is too wide a gap between self-expectation and your ability to meet the goals you have set, feelings of inadequacy are inevitable.

8) Find something bigger than yourself to believe in. Self-centered egotistical people score lowest in any test for measuring happiness.

That last one begins to get at the truth, but Jesus tells us this morning that all such studies, such counsel, such lists of things to do in order to achieve peace of mind, are refuse, garbage, useless. They are, moreover, counter-productive, misleading, and deceptive. They lead us away from the peace of mind that we seek.

I suppose this is why I have never been a fan of self-help books. Self-help, like the peace offered by this world, can only go so far. Yes, techniques might assist us in feeling better about ourselves for a while. They might help us cope for a time with the stresses of daily life. They might get us over some emotional trauma. But they will not, they cannot, bring us the peace that we seek so fervently and need so deeply. They will always lead us to a dead end.

Jesus tells us the truth this morning. True peace comes from an entirely different source than anything in this world! It comes alone from God. Not from anything that we do, not from striving, not from seeking, not from working some program or other. It is a gift:

"But 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."

Peace is a gift that Jesus gives through the Holy Spirit. That's the truth.

But it's not enough. Before I close, let me say a few things about the nature of this peace.

Since we are also disciples of Jesus, and can rightly include ourselves in words like this, we must ask ourselves, "Is it wrong for Christians to be troubled like this? Are we expected never to succumb to moments of pressure, or to feel anxious and worried? Are we supposed to be cheerful and confident all the time?"

Many Christians think this is what this verse means. But they forget that Jesus himself was not immune to this kind of reaction to pressure. Three times in the chapters before this John, using the same word on those occasions as he has here, records that Jesus was "deeply troubled in spirit." So, it's very clear that we may expect to feel troubled at times. Christians are exposed to pressure and danger. We have the record of the epistles to confirm this. The apostles went through times of great peril; they often lived in fear and trembling.

It is clearly not wrong, or some kind of sign that they lack some spiritual grace, for Christians to feel pressured and fearful. The peace that comes to us as a gift resides far more deeply within us than mere pressures and fears. The peace that the world cannot give makes it possible for us to engage the waves fears, pressures, and troubles of living without being shaken loose one bit from the spiritual anchor that holds us safe and secure.

Long ago a man sought the perfect picture of peace. Not finding one that satisfied, he announced a contest to produce this masterpiece. The challenge stirred the imagination of artists everywhere, and paintings arrived from far and wide. Finally the great day of revelation arrived. The judges uncovered one peaceful scene after another, while the viewers clapped and cheered.

The tensions grew. Only two pictures remained veiled. As a judge pulled the cover from one, a hush fell over the crowd. A mirror-smooth lake reflected lacy, green birches under the soft blush of the evening sky. Along the grassy shore, a flock of sheep grazed undisturbed. Surely this was the winner.

The man with the vision uncovered the second painting himself, and the crowd gasped in surprise. Could this be peace? A tumultuous waterfall cascaded down a rocky precipice; the crowd could almost feel its cold, penetrating spray. Stormy-gray clouds threatened to explode with lightning, wind and rain. In the midst of the thundering noises and bitter chill, a spindly tree clung to the rocks at the edge of the falls. One of its branches reached out in front of the torrential waters as if foolishly seeking to experience its full power. A little bird had built a nest in the elbow of that branch. Content and undisturbed in her stormy surroundings, she rested on her eggs. With her eyes closed and her wings ready to cover her little ones, she manifested peace that transcends all earthly turmoil. (Berit Kjos, A Wardrobe from the King, pp. 45-46.)

The peace that comes from the Spirit of God in Christ is the comfort of knowing to whom we belong and in whose house we rest both now and at the end of life in this world, regardless of what that life brings us. Consider, finally, these words to an old hymn that speak of this deep peace:

No matter where on earth we dwell.
On mountain top or in the dell.
In cottage or in mansion fair.
Where Jesus is 'tis heaven there.
Oh, hallelujah! Yes 'tis heaven.
'Tis heaven to know my sins forgiven.
On land or sea, no matter where.
Where Jesus is 'tis heaven there.

As one commentator has said, "You don't go to heaven to find Christ. You go to Christ to find heaven."

This is what Jesus declares to reassure his disciples and us today. A deep, abiding, and unshakable peace is yours. Peace is ours. Alleluia!  —   Amen.