A deep breath, a yoga class, time on the couch with the dog, a walk beside water, writing in my journal- these are my first thoughts on when I feel deep peace. My heart slows down, I can catch my breath, fear is quieted.
This weekend we hear the resurrected Jesus come through doors closed for fear & He speaks “peace”. “Peace be with you ”- three times -Jesus speaks these words & He breathes on them so that they would in that breath receive the Holy Spirit.
So when do you experience peace?
The deep compassion of Christ is connected to the peace given in John 20. The disciples who denied, deserted & doubted Jesus are met with words of peace. This is compassion. This is a heart to heart connection. There is this feeling that Jesus doesn’t just come through the locked doors of the house where the disciples were afraid but Jesus comes through the locked doors of their hearts and gives them peace.
He offers up his hands & side for them to see. They have their own experience of being in the presence of the risen Christ. They rejoice.
As we travel through this fifty day season of Easter one of my prayers for you is that you will have your own experience of peace and the compassion of Christ. Not just the peace that is an absence of conflict or distress but the peace that surpasses human hearts & minds & understanding.
And when you do experience that peace will you share what that is like for you with someone else? We get to share the joy of the deep breath, the relief of knowing we can never die alone, the gift of God’s grace experienced in wine & bread with each other.
May you look with hearts open wide for Christ’s peace calling to you to
come & see, to rest & relax, to find joy in a moment that surprises you. And may the peace of Christ which surpasses our human hearts & human understanding keep you in His grace.