Skakes' sermon

Skakes has a much better sermon than mine, so I post hers instead:

“Peace be with you”. These are the first words the frightened disciples hear Jesus speak that night in the locked room. The first words they hear after witnessing his brutal death on the cross. The first words after they have witnessed the empty tomb and feared the worst. These are the words Jesus chooses to use the first time he sees his disciples after he has been raised. Out of all the greetings He could have given to the disciples upon their reunion He chose one of peace. What did these words of peace mean for those disciples and what do they mean for us today?

By the standards of the English dictionary peace is defined simply as: quiet; tranquility; mental calm; serenity; or freedom from disturbance. While these are all valid representations of peace, within the Christian faith peace is much more then this literal translation. Within churches we often use peace as a form of greeting but how often do we stop to examine what this word mean. To really think about what it mean for us and for the person we are saying it to. The peace we are offering to one another is the same peace Christ first shared with us and with those disciples on that night in the locked room. A peace that is far greater then any dictionary could ever attempt to define. It is only within the human heart that we can truly know this gift of peace....(the whole thing here)