Peace? Really?

This Sunday’s sermon title is one of those that doesn’t work particularly in print. The phrase (or whatever it should be called when I don’t want to repeat the word “title” again) Peace? Really? could be incredulously hopeful, which is not what I was aiming for. The intonation I was envisaging (en-hearing?) was almost derisive unbelief.

I try to not preach from phrases of Scripture. It is tempting but it is very easy to bring only what I think to a little phrase in a way that’s impossible in a paragraph or two. But I was drawn to a four-word sentence Jesus says in Luke, “Peace be with you” (Luke 24:36b NRSV). My first thought was, “Don’t do it!” but it kept coming back so either it was the Holy Spirit, working as she does, or it was my cussedness. If it was coming from the Spirit I’d be fine, if it came from me I’d know it by the end of the first five minutes and I could abandon ship then. The sermon is more than five minutes long.

Let me know what you think. Did I do the right thing by continuing or did I miss a few good opportunities to sit down?

“Peace? Really?” St. Mark’s Presbyterian (to download, right-click and select “Save Link As . . .”)

Blessings,