In Jesus, peace is a state of being resulting from accepting and abiding in God’s presence bringing spiritual restoration, mental release, and physical relief.
When I think of the word 'peace' a few things immediately come to mind. Like, when asked what one wants for the world, the answer is usually, 'World Peace!' Or when someone, embattled by life-states, 'I just need some peace and quiet!' Then, especially during this time of year I recall the lyrics to a song, 'Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me...' I believe we would all agree of the need for peace in our life and our world.
Hope defined: Faithful trust in God’s promises for the future in the midst of life’s trials even into eternity!
Rocky; Lord of the Rings; Rudy; Remember The Titans; Gladiator; Cinderella; Beauty and the Beast - stories of apparent and certain despair turned into hope at the last moment. We all love story lines of this nature.
Through all of life’s trials, may the joy of the LORD be our strength–so be still and choose joy!
Our hospitality is rooted and grounded in God’s hospitality to us in Christ. As we learn to receive this, we will become more hospitable to God and to one another. This will make us a different kind of community.
Will we stop the noise, be still…with scripture; in prayer, silence and solitude–listen to God speak to us?
Noise. It's all around. Louder than life. Drowning out God's small still voice speaking to us. Let's be honest, many...okay, most of us are uncomfortable with silence. And solitude, are you kidding me...say what? Noise. We fill most every moment with it...
This sermon provides ideas on different ways to pray, and we will practice prayer together. Our hope is that this will catapult us all into further lives of prayer.
