Listen

“I have spoken these things to you while I am with you. The Companion, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I told you.

“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 14:25-27

Think

Jesus ends this passage with a gift of peace and a promise. What does Jesus mean? He’s not talking about world peace or even the end of conflicts. What Jesus is giving the disciples, and us, is a peace that transcends the storms of life.

A few years ago, I found myself in the hospital following an emergency surgery. I woke up hooked up to all sorts of machines. While it was scary, I also felt this peace. I had this sense that all would be well. I didn’t will the peace, it just sort of settled in me. I don’t think it was just from the anesthesia. I chalked it up as a gift from the Holy Spirit. A fourteenth century mystic named Julian of Norwich captures this peace when she writes: “All shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” This is the sort of peace that Jesus promised to give his disciples and that the Holy Spirit continues to give us.

Susan Sytsma Bratt

Question to Ponder:

When have you experienced the peace or calm that Jesus describes?

Pray

God, as I face the uncertainties and challenges of life, I cling to the hope that “All shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” I acknowledge the pain and suffering, and I trust in your love and power. Today, guide me. Grant me patience and strength. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

Go

God, give us eyes to see the wideness of your world, shimmering with beauty and holiness.

Stimulate our imaginations, infusing us with courage and hope.

Surround us with friendship.

Plant us as seeds of resurrection.

Amen.

Peterson Center for Christian Imagination