Hello to all! This month we are so thankful to share a moment with Rev. Matt McCollum, senior pastor on staff at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Fairhope, AL, as he briefly discusses peace as it pertains to our faith. Matt provides the following:
John 20:19 “When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’”
My wife’s favorite uncle died about a year ago. Uncle Sid was what you might call a gentle giant. He was one of the biggest guys I knew. His pinky was as big around as my thumb. He was just physically impressive.
But what was even more remarkable about this man was his gentleness. Uncle Sid was one of the most humble and caring and gracious and loving people you could ever meet. He was the kind of guy who would do anything for you. In fact, anytime you were with him, he would ask, “Do you have everything you need?” And this was not an empty question. He really meant it. He would do anything in his power to help you get whatever you needed to get or to do whatever you needed to have done.
At the visitation and viewing, that phrase was kind of the common theme. Everybody talked about how Sid would ask you anytime you were with him, “Is there anything that you need?” It was really sweet to hear how he had touched so many people with his kindness. When it came time to close the casket, Sid’s son stood at his father’s side and said, “It’s okay Dad. You can go now. We’ve got everything we need.” And it was such a beautiful moment.
When Jesus says, “Peace be with you,” what he is really sayings is, “Now you have everything that you need.” How is Jesus in a position to say that? Well, the effort to stop the Jesus movement didn’t work. The cross didn’t get the last word. Jesus’ plan to sacrifice and suffer and even die for the sake of love, was vindicated in the resurrection.
What that means is that hate is out. Evil and corruption and death is defeated. Sin doesn’t stand. God’s love triumphs over it all. God will take the broken shards of our lives, our communities, our nation, and our world and bring restoration and grant new life. It seems you can’t count on much these days, but you can count on that. That’s the peace that Jesus gives.
Thank you, Matt, for your words of encouragement and inspiration. If you’d like to learn more about Trinity Presbyterian Church and Rev. McCollum, please click https://www.tpcfairhope.org/.
God bless, y’all, and thank you for continuing to support the Lazy Lab Hunting Club ministry!
