Dear Prime Time member,
After the flurry of emails yesterday, things have been a little more peaceful today and I’m back on track, doing what I normally do on a Friday afternoon which is writing to you!
‘Peace’ happens to be the topic of this week’s email – the fourth and final instalment of my email challenge, prompted by the conductor’s speech at this year’s New Year’s Day Concert in Vienna. We hear the word ‘peace’ used a lot. Leaders call for ‘World Peace’, parents trying to work from home during lock down whilst trying to home-school their children may dream of ‘a bit of peace and quiet’ and how many Christmas cards did you receive last month that had the words ‘Peace on Earth’ printed on the front?
According to one definition I found on Google, peace is defined as ‘a stress-free state of security and calmness that comes when there's no fighting or war, everything coexisting in perfect harmony and freedom’. So when there are calls for ‘World Peace’ that’s only part of it; peace is more than just the absence of conflict between nations or factions, although the Bible does refer to peace in this context. Hebrews 12:14 states that we should ‘Strive for peace with everyone’ which is a theme continued into the New Testament in Matthew Chapter 5, Verse 9: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’. We can take from this that people who strive for peace will be blessed by God. Our Rector Simon has talked about 2021 when we as a church need to be ‘Reconcilers’, bringing healing to the damaged situation we find ourselves in. Interestingly, if you look up ‘reconciler’ in a dictionary, you will find it defined as ‘someone who tries to bring peace’; ‘peace’ you just can’t get away from the word. It’s almost as if we’re being shown how important the concept is.
In the Bible, we read about ‘the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding’ (Philippians 4:7). This refers to a more Biblical meaning of peace in that peace is more than just the absence of conflict or state of rest. It means completeness or wholeness, and it points to the presence of something else. I acknowledge that this is a huge concept, and for someone who tries to be quite methodical and logical it makes no sense at all to say that I’m prepared to put my trust in something that I can’t see and can’t touch. It really does ‘surpass all understanding’ and I know it sounds rather crazy.
Jesus is referred to in the book of Isiah (Chapter 9, Verse 6) as ‘The Prince of Peace’. When we receive a Christmas card with an image of a dove clutching on it accompanied by the words ‘Peace on Earth’, perhaps then the dove is announcing the birth of The Prince of Peace and therefore that peace is now on earth, this ‘something else’ that makes us complete or whole, rather than a declaration that all conflict is at an end. Although, I admit, that I think world peace would make a very agreeable gift at Christmas too. Probably my favourite verse in scripture concerning peace (and actually one of my favourites verses full stop) is from the book of John, (Chapter 14, verse 27) which records Jesus as saying ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you’ which is a far better summary of this concept of the duality of peace than I think I’ve managed in the last few paragraphs!
And what of those dreaming of a little ‘peace and quiet?’ The dictionary defines this kind of peace as ‘the state of not being interrupted or annoyed by worry, problems, noise, or unwanted actions’ echoing the earlier Google definition that peace is ‘everything coexisting in perfect harmony and freedom’. We all need those moments, let’s be honest. Times when we just need to escape, either out of the house and away from other people or just the ability to lose ourselves in a thought, view or piece of music. A little like those ‘little rays of sunshine’ I talked about in a previous email.
I’ve always been a fan of BBC’s ‘the Watches’; Springwatch, Autumnwatch, Winterwatch I have them all set for ‘series record’. Like many other things in life, this programme has had to evolve and adapt due to the restrictions imposed because of Coronavirus. However, I’m really enjoying the new format and I think it’s given the programme a new lease of life. I’m particularly enjoying the new feature ‘Mindfulness Moments’ where there is a short clip of a landscape with no voiceovers, no music, just the natural sounds of that environment accompanying some fantastic views. If you are looking for a ‘little peace and quiet’, I can highly recommend them. Many of the ‘Mindfulness Moments’ have been added to the BBC website. The current series of Winterwatch concludes this evening, although you can catch up with the whole series on the BBC iPlayer. If you just want a quick peak though at what I’m talking about, click on the following link and you’ll see a ‘Mindfulness Moment’ from the current series. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0956656 And if you’re a supporter of British wildlife, you may wish to know that this weekend the annual Big Garden Birdwatch takes place. It’s not too late to register to take part. Go to www.rspb.org.uk for further details. You don’t need to be an expert ‘Twitcher’ to participate and all they are asking is for an hour of your time over the coming weekend. Maybe this could be where you’ll find your own bit of ‘peace and quiet’ in the next few days…?
In our world, it can seems as though there's not nearly enough peace. However peace can be big and small, seen in entire countries or brief moments. Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work – it means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart. To quote Vincent van Gogh, ‘There is peace, even in the storm’. Where you believe that sense of calm or peace originates may depend on your beliefs, but Christians will say that it is God, the Holy Spirit, the Prince of Peace. Or maybe it’s all three – but that’s a story for another day…
So what have I found out over the past 4 weeks as I’ve researched the content for these letters? Most strikingly I think is how many times in scripture, the four words of ‘joy’, ‘love’, ‘hope’ and ‘peace’ are connected with each other – however, I have yet to find one passage in the Bible that contains all four – the best I can do is three. ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace’ (Romans Chapter 15, verse 13). Can anyone tell me differently and enhance my education on this one?!
Wishing you a peaceful and peace-filled week ahead. (And if you’re finding it difficult maintaining peace with everybody, you may wish to bear in mind some wise words of Mother Teresa’s; ‘Peace begins with a smile…’
Until next Friday
Penny x
Penny Naylor
Primetime Befriending Co-ordinator