It is a psalm kind of day and I loved the verses from my sermon this morning!

1 Shout for joy to God, all the earth!
2 …Sing the glory of his name;
……make his praise glorious.
3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! Psalm 66:1-3a (NIV)

Luke 10:4-7 (<<click to read the passage)

Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace [that is, a blessing of well-being and prosperity, the favor of God] to this house.’ And if anyone of peace is there [someone who is sweet-spirited and hospitable], your [blessing of] peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. vs.5,6 (AMP)

Just reading through these few verses, these are the ones that jumped out at me.

Peace seems to be a rare commodity today. Anger? There are tons of anger. Selfishness? It runs rampant. Division? Our entire culture seems to be split right down the middle! But peace? Oh, that it would we could be doused with a deluge of peace.

A little bit of reading from the Jesus Walk Bible Study Series helped my understanding.

The Greek word eirene “peace” is a translation of the rich Hebrew word shalom. It has a wide meaning, but the root idea is “well-being.” It can carry the concepts of bodily health, prosperity, a friendly relationship.” But it also carries a strong religious usage. Shalom is the gift of Yahweh, so the word moves into the concept of the gift of God’s salvation and wholeness.

One of the verses that were referenced for a better understanding of shalom being the gift of Yahweh (God’s formal name in Scripture) is Numbers 6:24-26 (NKJV).

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”

And then of course, what did that make me think of? One of my favorite songs from my days in the Collegians choir at my alma mater, Mt. Vernon Nazarene College (now University).

The current conductor of that ensemble recently gathered the current choir and several alumni to join in a virtual choral presentation of this inspirational piece. It is wonderfully put together both musically and visually. The singing vocalist’s faces are set in the windows of their beautiful chapel.

Please take a moment and listen…and may you find peace settling in your spirit. …and don’t hesitate to pass that peace along.

May 17th, 2020, Sun, 7:26 pm