Posts tagged peace

May the Holy Spirit wash over you and calm the storm of your heart.

May he give you the courage and conviction to face with righteousness and strength that which you must face, knowing that your redeemer lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, whatever you may face; and whatever you may be facing; whatever secret battles unknown; LISTEN! I tell you, you are not alone.

Listen and take hope. I tell you, in the name of Jesus Christ:

Peace be with you. Peace be with you. Peace be with you.

So it will be. Amen.

Peace is knowing that things will be all right. Peace is HAVING hope; and knowing that nothing can take it away from you. Peace is having your purpose be sure and clear and knowing that no manner of violence will take it away from you.

The heart of the Holy Scriptures is the resurrection, victory over death, the destruction of sin. Amen. Do we always see the heart as the heart? Or have we replaced the heart with a foot or a hand or, even worse, with a stone?

Let’s say that I went up to my two year old daughter Audrey and offered her one of two things. The first thing she could have is to live forever in a world where there was no suffering or pain or death, but instead only joy and love and peace. And that world would never end.

The second thing is she could have a Dora the Explorer sippy cup filled with chocolate milk.

Do you know which one she would pick? She would yell “Dora!” at me before I could even finish the question!

And the reason is simple. She doesn’t understand eternal life. She can’t imagine that place of unending joy. It’s hard for her to grasp; goodness, it’s hard for her to understand the WORDS, when we speak of things like RESURRECTION, and a world where evil and sin and pain don’t exist.

Instead, she focuses on and has a grasp of what is right in front of her. She focuses on Dora and the chocolate milk. And besides her lack of understanding, children aren’t great at delayed gratification. They always just chase after what is right in front of them.

In all these things, brothers and sisters in Christ, I now ask you a question:

How different from a two year old are we?

To be continued…

Let Your peace descend from above, O Savior, and fill my thoughts, my whole being. May I lie down in peace and safety with Your promise of divine protection. Awaken me on the morrow to a new day of Your love. Amen.

May the Holy Spirit wash over you and calm the storm of your heart.

May he give you the courage and conviction to face with righteousness and strength that which you must face, knowing that your redeemer lives.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, whatever you may face; and whatever you may be facing; whatever secret battles unknown; LISTEN! I tell you, you are not alone.

Listen and take hope. I tell you, in the name of Jesus Christ:

Peace be with you. Peace be with you. Peace be with you.

So it will be. Amen.

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor

You see, having peace for the Christian doesn’t always mean having your problems taken away. It means being able to face them with the comfort and courage that comes from knowing that Christ has Risen!

So, too, with you: with whatever you face. The Lord may take it away; pray that he takes your troubles away. But more than that: pray for peace! For with peace comes the hope and the strength and the courage to encounter whatever assails you or worries you, knowing that whatever may come, the story ends with the triumph of Christ and the life everlasting!

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor

And what is peace? Peace is knowing that things will be all right. Peace is HAVING hope; and knowing that nothing can take it away from you. Peace is having your purpose be sure and clear and knowing that no manner of violence will take it away from you.

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor

Christ takes away the pain of sin by not only taking it from us
but obliterating it so that it is no more. He takes our shame
by healing those whom we have hurt and making us not full
of guilt, but instead by giving us his righteousness.
He takes the scars and pains of loved ones lost and
sooths with an unending peace that passes all
understanding by, simply, raising them from the dead and
making a place where there is no life unlived;
there is no goodbye; there is no separation from those
whom God has given us to love.

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor

This is how we are supposed to live. Not harbouring secret grudges. THAT is not life in Christ. But speaking of evil, in order that EVIL MAY BE DESTROYED by the giving of forgiveness; and then, peace and love may reign among us; just as the PRINCE of peace and the GOD of love will reign over for us forever in the Kingdom to Come.

-Aj Neugebauer LCMS pastor