With summer comes thinking about summer vacation, whether you’re taking one voluntarily or not. For some it’s thoughts about relaxing on a beach; for others it’s relaxing in the mountains. Regardless of what you’re thinking about for a vacation, it’s very likely that peace and quiet are at the top of your list of criteria for a good vacation.
Our lives are not peaceful. We are busy in our jobs and busy in our families; we’re even busy in the church. There is unrest in the financial world, in the political world, in the home, and, again, even in the church. Our bodies are racing here and there doing this and that. Our minds are racing as we try to manage daily tasks, finances, and relationships. Our hearts are racing as we struggle to maintain relationships with our bosses, our coworkers, our friends and family, our neighbors, and our brothers and sisters in Christ.
But there’s Good News! Peter said, in Acts 10:36, “You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.” The message of peace began with the announcement of Jesus’ birth in Luke 2:14. As Peter told the first church in Jerusalem, he tells us now: peace comes through Jesus.
The peace that we have comes through our reconciliation with God through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Paul wrote in Romans 5:10, 11: “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”
Life will continue to race around us. As we take time away to find some peace or even a few minutes to sit back and enjoy the peace and quiet of a break in the middle of a beautiful summer day, let us rejoice that Jesus has given us peace with God.