Prince of Peace

This Sunday's sermon is based on Mark 1:1-8 (which echoes Isa. 40:1-11), and the subject is peace.

Here's what I've got so far.

Many people have an unsettled feeling about their lives. We deal with stress at work, conflict in relationships, anxiety about the economy, and our country is at war. Most often we look for solutions outside ourselves. If work would slow down, we’d be less stressed. If the enemy would surrender, we’d have peace.

When Jesus came, life was perhaps even more unsettled. According to Mark, Jesus came to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy about a the great Messianic age of peace. To prepare for that time, John called people not to take control of their schedules, understand their finances, or sort out their relationships with others—he called them to repent.

So the balance we are seeking in life, in relationships, in finances, in the world begins with our relationship with God. To people who are stressed, worried, anxious, hostile or otherwise have their lives out of balance, Mark brings this message: You don’t have to live that way anymore.

I’m thinking this message might apply to people who—

• Feel stress about the holidays because they have too much to do
• Are angry about the election because they think the country is on the wrong path
• Are dealing with a difficult marriage and feel rejected or betrayed
• Worry that their retirement portfolio will no longer support them
• Face conflict at work because they deal with difficult people or demanding assignments

The message could be something like this—

• Don’t look to other people to make your life better, look to God.
• Quit trying to control your circumstances, because you can’t.
• Rather than finding fault with the world, examine yourself.
• Be at peace with God, and you will be at peace within yourself.
• Then you will have peace with others.

Some actions people might take based on this message might be to—

• Examine their inner thoughts to see the real sources of the stress they face.
• Admit that they are partly or fully to blame for the problems they face.
• Forgive others for not being perfect.
• Relax.
• Seek to know Jesus better and to be guided by the Holy Spirit.
• Forgive someone in particular against whom they’ve held a grudge.
• Humble themselves and seek reconciliation with another person.
• Trust God to provide for them.

What do you think?

Am I on the right track here?
Does this scratch where anybody itches?
Do you have any thoughts or ideas that would help to illustrate these points?

Let me know what you think.