{"id":762,"date":"2012-12-16T01:08:39","date_gmt":"2012-12-16T01:08:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/?p=762"},"modified":"2012-12-18T01:25:43","modified_gmt":"2012-12-18T01:25:43","slug":"peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/?p=762","title":{"rendered":"Peace"},"content":{"rendered":"

Message by Chad Kelly<\/span><\/p>\n

rec1216-113255<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/em><\/p>\n

The slaughtered innocent ones from the shooting in Newtown, CT<\/em><\/p>\n

Charlotte Bacon, 6<\/p>\n

Daniel Barden, 7<\/p>\n

Olivia Engel, 6<\/p>\n

Josephine Gay, 7<\/p>\n

Ana M. Marquez-Greene, 6<\/p>\n

Dylan Hockley, 6<\/p>\n

Madeleine F. Hsu, 6<\/p>\n

Catherine V. Hubbard, 6<\/p>\n

Chase Kowalski, 7<\/p>\n

Jesse Lewis, 6<\/p>\n

James Mattioli, 6<\/p>\n

Grace McDonnell, 7<\/p>\n

Emilie Parker, 6<\/p>\n

Jack Pinto, 6<\/p>\n

Noah Pozner, 6<\/p>\n

Caroline Previdi, 6<\/p>\n

Jessica Rekos, 6<\/p>\n

Avielle Richman, 6<\/p>\n

Benjamin Wheeler, 6<\/p>\n

Allison N. Wyatt, 6<\/p>\n

Rachel Davino, 29<\/p>\n

Dawn Hochsprung, 47, principal<\/p>\n

Anne Marie Murphy, 52, special education teacher<\/p>\n

Lauren Rousseau, 30, teacher<\/p>\n

Mary Sherlach, 56, school psychologist<\/p>\n

Victoria Soto, 27, first grade teacher<\/p>\n

Nancy Lanza, 52, the shooter\u201d\u2122s own mother<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Max Lucado\u201d\u2122s Prayer<\/h3>\n

Dear Jesus,<\/h4>\n

It’s a good thing you were born at night. This world sure seems dark. I have a good eye for silver linings. But they seem dimmer lately.<\/p>\n

These killings, Lord. These children\u201d\u00a6 Innocence violated. Raw evil demonstrated.<\/p>\n

The whole world seems on edge. Trigger-happy. Ticked off\u201d\u00a6<\/p>\n

Your world seems a bit darker this Christmas<\/a>. But you were born in the dark, right? You came at night\u201d\u00a6Your first cries were heard in the shadows. To see your face, Mary and Joseph needed a candle flame. It was dark. Dark with Herod’s jealousy. Dark with Roman oppression. Dark with poverty<\/a>. Dark with violence.<\/p>\n

Herod went on a rampage, killing babies. Joseph took you and your mom into Egypt. You were an immigrant before you were a Nazarene.<\/p>\n

Oh, Lord Jesus, you entered the dark world of your day. Won’t you enter ours? We are weary of bloodshed. We, like the wise men, are looking for a star. We, like the shepherds, are kneeling at a manger.<\/p>\n

This Christmas, we ask you, heal us, help us, be born anew in us.<\/p>\n

Hopefully,
\nYour Children<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

There\u201d\u2122s a shortage of peace in our world\u201d\u00a6and in many of our hearts today!<\/p>\n

Do YOU need PEACE this morning?<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

H.G. Wells<\/strong><\/p>\n

The time has come for me to reorganize my life, my peace\u201d\u201dI cry out.\u00a0 I cannot adjust my life to secure any fruitful peace.\u00a0 Here I am at 64, still seeking peace.\u00a0 It is a hopeless dream.<\/p>\n

Sadly, that is exactly<\/em> how many think and feel\u201d\u201dand truly believe.<\/p>\n

But Jesus\u201d\u2122 Advent means there is a different reality!<\/p>\n

Advent is Jesus bringing real peace to our troubled lives.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

PEACE<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Luke 2:13-14 (NLT)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others\u201d\u201dthe armies of heaven\u201d\u201dpraising God:\u00a0 \u201cGlory to God in the highest heaven and peace<\/span><\/strong> on earth to all whom God favors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Advent is Jesus bringing real peace to our troubled lives.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Isaiah 9:6-7<\/strong> (NLT)<\/p>\n

6<\/sup> For a child is born to us,
\na son is given to us.
\nThe government will rest on his shoulders.
\nAnd he will be called:
\nWonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
\nEverlasting Father, Prince of Peace<\/span><\/strong>.
\n7<\/sup> His government and its peace
\nwill never end<\/strong>.
\nHe will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
\nfor all eternity.
\nThe passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven\u201d\u2122s Armies
\nwill make this happen!<\/p>\n

Advent is Jesus bringing real peace to our troubled lives.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For many\u201d\u201dmaybe for some of us here today\u201d\u201dthe only peace we can find comes from<\/p>\n

Numbing all our hurts with drugs\/alcohol,<\/p>\n

Going from one relationship to the next, hoping that some person can give you all you need<\/p>\n

Staying so busy that you never have time to feel anything and you hope to just collapse at the end of the day before the inner fear, pain, loneliness can come<\/p>\n

Working and achieving position or status or more money, pretending that you\u201d\u2122re not empty inside.<\/p>\n

Jesus came to heal us more deeply\u201d\u00a6<\/p>\n

Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)<\/h3>\n

5<\/sup> But he was pierced for our transgressions,
\nhe was crushed for our iniquities;
\nthe punishment that brought us peace was on him,
\nand by his wounds we are healed<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Isaiah 53:5 (NLT)<\/h3>\n

5<\/sup> But he was pierced for our rebellion,
\ncrushed for our sins.
\nHe was beaten so we could be whole<\/span><\/strong><\/em>.
\nHe was whipped so we could be healed.<\/p>\n

The word for \u201cpeace\u201d here is shalom\u201d\u201dit means a thorough-going wholeness that reaches to the deepest places of who we are and includes being at peace with God.<\/p>\n

Advent is Jesus bringing real peace to our troubled lives.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Romans 5:1-2 (NLT)<\/h3>\n

1<\/sup> Therefore, since we have been made right in God\u201d\u2122s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2<\/sup> Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God\u201d\u2122s glory.<\/p>\n

Rick Warren<\/strong><\/p>\n

Real peace of mind is having a relationship with Jesus Christ, God\u201d\u2122s Son, and becoming friends with God.\u00a0 Real peace is knowing that no matter what I do, God will never stop loving me.\u00a0 Real peace is knowing that no matter what happens, God will never leave me alone.\u00a0 Real peace means that no matter what comes in the New Year, or in the years to come, I know that God is going to give me the strength I need to handle it.\u00a0 Real peace is living by God\u201d\u2122s Word, the Bible, so I can avoid a lot of the needless hang-ups and hurts and habits that mess up my life.<\/p>\n

Advent is Jesus bringing real peace to our troubled lives.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Further\u201d\u00a6real peace is knowing that one day God will set ALL things right in ALL of creation because of Jesus!<\/p>\n

Colossians 1:19-20 (NLT)<\/h3>\n

19<\/sup> For God in all his fullness
\nwas pleased to live in Christ,
\n20<\/sup> and through him God reconciled
\neverything to himself.
\nHe made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
\nby means of Christ\u201d\u2122s blood on the cross.<\/p>\n

The Message<\/strong><\/p>\n

20<\/sup>\u201d\u00a6all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe\u201d\u201dpeople and things, animals and atoms\u201d\u201dget properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.<\/p>\n

Advent is Jesus bringing real peace to our troubled lives.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Because Jesus was born of a woman, lived the perfect life to give us righteousness in God\u201d\u2122s sight and then went to the Cross and paid the price for our sin by giving His very life and then rose from the dead victorious over all on the third day\u201d\u00a6because of HIM\u201d\u00a6we can have real peace in our lives NOW!<\/p>\n

And, we have the certainty of the new heavens and the new earth as our home for ETERNITY!<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

2 Peter 3:13 (NLT)<\/h3>\n

13<\/sup> But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God\u201d\u2122s righteousness.<\/p>\n

I long for that more and more as the days go by.<\/p>\n

Advent is Jesus bringing real peace to our troubled lives.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

But\u201d\u00a6<\/p>\n

HOW does all that we KNOW about peace make its way into our hearts when the unexplainable happens?<\/p>\n

I don\u201d\u2122t have an answer to the question of WHY things like this week\u201d\u2122s slaughter happens.\u00a0 And frankly, it seems extremely arrogant and presumptuous when I hear folks talk and act like they DO have an answer to the WHY question.<\/p>\n

I think our focus must be not on the question of WHY\u201d\u201dthat\u201d\u2122s one God never promises to answer\u201d\u201dbut on the question of HOW we live in the middle of pain and tragedy and disappointment and hurt and injustice.<\/p>\n

HOW do I get all of this about peace from God, that, frankly, in certain moments rings hollow and sounds only like empty words, as the reality of my heart?\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

Like in the moment I hear a news report of the slaughter of 26 innocent people, or the death of a friend\u201d\u2122s 10 year old daughter from some random blood poisoning\u201d\u00a6how do I get this peace in my heart?<\/p>\n

2 Corinthians 1:3-10 (NLT)<\/strong><\/p>\n

3\u00a0<\/sup>All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.<\/em> 4\u00a0<\/sup>He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.<\/em> When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5\u00a0<\/sup>For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 6\u00a0<\/sup>Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. 7\u00a0<\/sup>We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.<\/p>\n

8\u00a0<\/sup>We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. 9\u00a0<\/sup>In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead<\/em>. 10\u00a0<\/sup>And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.<\/p>\n

We stop relying on ourselves and learn to rely only on God, who raises the dead!<\/span><\/p>\n

THAT is how peace gets into my heart!\u00a0 THAT is how you can enjoy peace in your heart!<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/em><\/p>\n

Long ago a man sought the perfect picture of peace. Not finding one that satisfied, he announced a contest to produce this masterpiece. The challenge stirred the imagination of artists everywhere, and paintings arrived from far and wide. Finally the great day of revelation arrived. The judges uncovered one peaceful scene after another, while the viewers clapped and cheered.<\/p>\n

The tensions grew. Only two pictures remained veiled.<\/p>\n

As a judge pulled the cover from one, a hush fell over the crowd.<\/p>\n

A mirror-smooth lake reflected lacy, green birches under the soft blush of the evening sky. Along the grassy shore, a flock of sheep grazed undisturbed. Surely this was the winner.<\/p>\n

The man with the vision uncovered the second painting himself, and the crowd gasped in surprise. Could this be peace?<\/p>\n

A tumultuous waterfall cascaded down a rocky precipice; the crowd could almost feel its cold, penetrating spray. Stormy-gray clouds threatened to explode with lightning, wind and rain. In the midst of the thundering noises and bitter chill, a spindly tree clung to the rocks at the edge of the falls. One of its branches reached out in front of the torrential waters as if foolishly seeking to experience its full power.<\/p>\n

A little bird had built a nest in the elbow of that branch. Content and undisturbed in her stormy surroundings, she rested on her eggs. With her eyes closed and her wings ready to cover her little ones, she manifested peace that transcends all earthly turmoil.\u00a0 (Berit Kjos, A Wardrobe from the King<\/span>, pp. 45-46)<\/p>\n

Advent is Jesus bringing real peace to our troubled lives.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

And THIS Advent season can truly come to life for you and me, IF we\u201d\u2122ll stop relying on ourselves and wholeheartedly depend on God, Who raises the dead!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Psalm 23 (NLT)<\/h3>\n

1\u00a0<\/sup>The Lord is my shepherd;
\nI have all that I need.
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>He lets me rest in green meadows;
\nhe leads me beside peaceful streams.
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0He renews my strength.
\nHe guides me along right paths,
\nbringing honor to his name.
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>Even when I walk
\nthrough the darkest valley,
\nI will not be afraid,
\nfor you are close beside me.
\nYour rod and your staff
\nprotect and comfort me.
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>You prepare a feast for me
\nin the presence of my enemies.
\nYou honor me by anointing my head with oil.
\nMy cup overflows with blessings.
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
\nall the days of my life,
\nand I will live in the house of the Lord
\nforever.<\/p>\n

Advent is Jesus bringing real peace to our troubled lives.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Jesus will ULTIMATELY change our world and ALL will be at peace.<\/p>\n

But until then, Jesus brings real peace to our often noisy, cluttered, chaotic, undone and just plain hard\u201d\u201deven tragic\u201d\u201dlives!<\/p>\n

That peace becomes our experience when we rely on Him with all our hearts, because we are His in the midst of it all!<\/p>\n

Our Father holds us in the palm of His hand, even in the middle of the storm\u201d\u00a6and THAT is the ONLY real peace there is!<\/p>\n

John 14:27 (NLT)<\/h3>\n

27<\/sup> \u201cI am leaving you with a gift\u201d\u201dpeace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don\u201d\u2122t be troubled or afraid.<\/p>\n

This prayer is a short portion of one prayed by Rev. Joseph P. Monahan right after the Virginia Tech shooting.\u00a0 The words of this prayer can apply to things more personal in your life, to the hurts you face today, as well as the tragedy of this week.<\/p>\n

There is peace only in honest dependence on Jesus\u201d\u00a6so will you make this prayer your own this morning?\u00a0 Pray it aloud with me as we close:<\/p>\n

Rev. Joseph P. Monahan <\/strong><\/p>\n

Lord, we don’t have words for what we’ve seen. There are no words. There are only tears\u201d\u00a6<\/p>\n

God of love, heal us\u201d\u00a6<\/p>\n

God of love, God of blessing, God of life eternal, God of life all-powerful, God of life beyond all words, beyond all hurts, beyond all pain\u201d\u00a6<\/p>\n

God of love, heal us.<\/p>\n

Jesus, bring us real peace this Christmas\u201d\u00a6<\/em><\/p>\n

Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Message by Chad Kelly rec1216-113255 Introduction The slaughtered innocent ones from the shooting in Newtown, CT Charlotte Bacon, 6 Daniel Barden, 7 Olivia Engel, 6 Josephine Gay, 7 Ana M. Marquez-Greene, 6 Dylan Hockley, 6 Madeleine F. Hsu, 6 Catherine … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-762","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-messages"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/762"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=762"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/762\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":767,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/762\/revisions\/767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.crossroadchristianfellowship.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}