SPEAKER_00: Hello, my friend, and welcome to the Spray United Methodist Church Podcast.
SPEAKER_00: My name is Hoyt, and I am so glad you are here with me today.
SPEAKER_00: Today we are talking about peace.
SPEAKER_00: Not the kind of peace that comes when everything is going well, but the kind of peace that comes when life is uncertain, when hearts are afraid, and when doors are locked tight.
SPEAKER_00: After the resurrection of Jesus, the disciples were not celebrating, they were hiding.
SPEAKER_00: In the Gospel of John chapter twenty, Scripture tells us that the doors were shut because they were afraid, afraid of the authorities, afraid of the future, afraid of what might happen next.
SPEAKER_00: And into that fear Jesus came and stood in the middle of them, not knocking, not forcing, just present.
SPEAKER_00: And the very first words he spoke were not correction, not instruction, not even explanation.
SPEAKER_00: He simply said, Peace be with you.
SPEAKER_00: Think about that for a moment.
SPEAKER_00: The disciples had failed him.
SPEAKER_00: They had run away.
SPEAKER_00: Peter had denied him.
SPEAKER_00: Everything felt broken.
SPEAKER_00: Yet Jesus did not come with anger.
SPEAKER_00: He came with peace.
SPEAKER_00: There are moments in our lives when we feel like we are sitting in that locked room.
SPEAKER_00: The future is unclear.
SPEAKER_00: Our bodies are tired.
SPEAKER_00: Relationships feel strained, and fear tries to settle into the corners of our hearts.
SPEAKER_00: We may look calm on the outside, but inside the doors are shut tight.
SPEAKER_00: And yet, this is exactly where Jesus comes.
SPEAKER_00: Not when everything is fixed, not when we are strong, not when we have it all together.
SPEAKER_00: He comes into the middle of our fear and gently says, Peace be with you.
SPEAKER_00: This peace is different from anything the world gives.
SPEAKER_00: The world says peace comes when problems disappear.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus says peace comes when he is present.
SPEAKER_00: The storm may still rage.
SPEAKER_00: The questions may still remain.
SPEAKER_00: Nothing on the outside may change at all.
SPEAKER_00: But when Christ stands in the room, everything inside becomes still.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe today you feel like one of those disciples, hiding a little, hurting a little, waiting for something to change.
SPEAKER_00: If that is you, hear these words as if Jesus Himself is standing beside you right now.
SPEAKER_00: Peace be with you.
SPEAKER_00: Not tomorrow, not someday, right now.
SPEAKER_00: His peace is not earned, it is given freely, lovingly, completely, and it is for you.
SPEAKER_00: Let us pray.
SPEAKER_00: Lord Jesus, in the middle of our fear, in the places where we feel closed in and uncertain, remind us that you are present.
SPEAKER_00: Speak your peace into our hearts, even when nothing around us has changed.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for being with us right now.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: My friends, thank you for spending this quiet moment with me today.
SPEAKER_00: And remember this: even behind locked doors, even in the fearful places, even when nothing makes sense, Jesus still comes and he still says, Peace be with you.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for joining me on the Spray United Methodist Church podcast.
SPEAKER_00: If you do not have a church home, we invite you to worship with us at Spray United Methodist Church, located at 803 Morgan Road in Eden, North Carolina.
SPEAKER_00: We are a loving family who loves God and loves people, all people.
SPEAKER_00: Now may the peace of God go with you.
SPEAKER_00: Goodbye.