Fruit of the Spirit: Peace

John 14:27; Galatians 5:22-26
Rev. Terry Minchow-Proffitt

The Fruit of the Spirit are kinda weird. They all grow from the same tree. We don’t expect to pick an orange from an apple tree, or, say, a peach from a plum tree. But that’s botany. And this is spirituality. Christ, as the Gardener of our Spirit, is a rather eccentric gardener. The Fruit of the Spirit are varied and abundant, but they all come to fruition from the same tree. And what is this tree but your one precious life that’s rooted in the Spirt of God in Christ?

To be rooted in Christ means to be about what Jesus was about. It’s obvious that peace was a big part of what Jesus was about. It was one of the last things on his mind before he was arrested, tortured and crucified. He said to his disciples at their last meal, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I give to you not as the world gives. Don’t be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27). Then, when all is said and done, peace is one of the first things on the risen Jesus’ lips when he reappears to these same friends and says, “Peace be with you!” Finally, after Jesus ascends, his disciples begin bringing and bearing peace to one another. In fact, Paul went so far as to say that “Christ himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14).

So, we know all of this. Why, then, are we so rarely relaxed? Why, if Christ is our peace, the One who has made peace between us and God and calls us to be a peacemaker with others, why is peace such a rare fruit in our lives and our world? Why are we often so anxious and uptight?

Peter writes to persecuted Christians in his first letter, “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you” (I Peter 5:7). Paul, in Philippians 4:6-7, offers this encouraging word:

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Let’s face it, all of us could relax more and worry less. To do this in a way that is fruitful, instead of as a grin-and-bear-it “work of the flesh,” we must draw near to the Christ who is already nearer to us than we are to ourselves. We can all self-medicate our anxiety with alcohol or drugs. That’s easy enough.  Or even more easily, we can distract ourselves from our worries with Facebook, or Netflix, or “retail therapy,” or losing ourselves in one more project. But all of these are “barking up the wrong tree.” They only distance us from the Spirit. Remember, there is only one tree, right? So, the peace we seek, the kind of peace that “surpasses all understanding,” comes as the fruit of a life well lived in Christ. Drawing close to Christ and doing the things Christ did will displace worry at the center of our life.

Now, No one is worry-free. Remember freckle-faced Alfred E. Neuman, the cover boy for Mad magazine? His motto was “What, me worry?  This was changed only once in the 67 years the magazine was published. In 1979, after the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, it read: “Yes, me worry!” So, it seems that not even the King of No Worries is worry-free.

Today I’d like to suggest a modest approach for uprooting worry from the center of our lives. Let’s call it the ABCs of Peace. Here goes.

A.    A is for attention. We’re all distracted in two basic ways: from the world around us and from within our own heads. What they both have in common is that they pull us out of the present moment. We can end up miles away, ruminating about the past or fretting about the future. This saps our attention. Our lives are always best lived right now, in this moment. So, the first step to peace is to catch ourselves when we’re not paying attention to the present moment of our life. It’s vital that we bring ourselves back to the here and now, where Christ is best experienced. Pray: “In returning and rest shall I be saved.” (Isaiah 30:15).

B.     B is for being. Whether you’re young or old, retired or building your resume, we all get caught up in doing. And we tend to define ourselves by how well we perform, by our latest accomplishment or failure. Jesus, who is our peace, will never love you any more or any less than right now. Trust this. Trust this by regularly stepping back from what you’re doing and say, “All I truly need, I have in Christ. I am enough in Christ, whether I am ever recognized or affirmed, whether I fail or succeed.” Then return to whatever task is at hand. Remember, you are the one in whom God is well-pleased. It’s possible to relax even while being busy. Christ can be our eye of the hurricane. Pray: “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

C.    C is for compassion. This is the most vital aspect of peace. We have a tendency to over evaluate and over think things into good or bad, right or wrong, sweet or sour, should or shouldn’t, red or blue. We spend more time wanting to give someone a piece of our mind than we do experiencing the peace of Christ. Now, positive judgments can be just as bad, filling us with thoughts of “I need . . . ,” “I want . . . ,” or “I deserve. . . .” When we hold onto these judgments, whether because we don’t want something or because we desire something else, we are pulled out of our peace who is Christ, the One who taught us not to judge and not to possess. Seek to see the world with the mind of Christ. Soften your eyes and loosen your grip. When these thoughts surface, either positive or negative, simply be gentle. Treat them with warmth and give them space. Then what is harsh and hard will lose its edge and loosen up. Gradually, by God’s Spirit, the energy will turn gentler and kinder, and you’ll find greater peace. You may then be called to challenge what is unjust or struggle alongside someone who is suffering, but you will do so with compassionate peace instead of contempt or anxiety. Pray: “I did not come to condemn the world” (John 3:17).

Attention, being, and compassion. These are three ways we might open ourselves up to the fruit of Peace. Be very gentle with yourself as you seek to uproot worry from your life. How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice! The same is true here. We’re all beginners, practicing the Presence of Christ.

Jesus lived in the moment. Jesus saw himself as “beloved,” God-made not self-made. And Jesus knew how being judgmental and hateful can make our lives a living hell. Pray that the Spirit displace worry from the center of our lives, that Christ might be our Center, our true peace. Amen.