Peace Be With You
Psalm 16:7-11 and John 20:19-23
Bethany Nelson
April 19, 2020

Psalm 16:7-11
I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs
me. I keep the Lord always before me; because God is at my right hand, I
shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my
body also rests secure. For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your
faithful one see the Pit. You show me the path of life. In your presence there
is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Peace Be With You

I love to hear this Psalm on this Sunday after Easter, as it expresses so well
the joy and the hope of this Easter season. “My heart is glad and my soul
rejoices … you show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of
joy.” We celebrated the joy of Easter last week, and we continue to celebrate
the Good News of the risen Christ, for in the church calendar, the Easter
season lasts until the end of May. However, even though the calendar is
telling us that this is a season of celebration, I will admit that it feels a little
odd to be celebrating in the midst of these difficult times. There have been
many days recently when I just haven’t felt very joyful or celebratory.
And I know I am not alone in this. During this shelter in place time, Rob, Jeff,
and I have been offering various classes and conversations over Zoom. This
is a wonderful way to see each other’s faces, and to check in with each
other. Almost every Zoom gathering we have, we begin with a check in. I
have noticed a distinct pattern in these check-ins. At first, several weeks
ago, most everyone gave positive check-ins. “This isn’t easy, but I’m doing
great.” “I have everything I need and am grateful for this slower pace.” “All
is well here.” As time has gone by, however, and as we have come to realize
just how long we may have to shelter in place, the check ins have changed.
People are less upbeat. Loneliness and boredom have become major issues
for people living alone. Those trying to both work and homeschool children
at the same time have become more and more stressed. Many are under- or
un-employed during this and are worried. This past week, there was a much
more somber feeling to the check-ins than I had previously experienced.

Things are hard right now.

Though I do want to celebrate the risen Christ with joy today, I first want to
take some time to calm and center ourselves with a brief breath meditation.
Just as we began worship today by taking some deep breaths, let’s take
some more right now. May these breaths be a reminder of God’s presence
with us always. In both Greek and Hebrew, the same word is used for breath
and for Spirit. As we breathe, we remind ourselves that God is as near to us
as our breath.

If you are comfortable, put your hand over your heart as you breathe,
reminding ourselves that God is also as near to us as our heartbeat. Allow
your breath to enter your body and to be present with whatever anxiety,
stress, worry, concern you may be carrying. As you breathe, hear this
assurance from God:

Be still, O heart, you’re not alone, your beat is shared with me.
Come now, and calm, and center here, you’re mine, secure and free.
Take another deep breath, making sure any tension you feel in your body is
letting go with each breath. Notice your hand on your heart, if it is still there,
or perhaps you might hold your hands together. We are reminded that we
are always held in God’s hands, or as the Psalmist reminds us, the hands of
angels, who ensure that we do not dash our foot against a stone. May we let
go of our worries - for now – placing them in God’s hands and heart.

We offer this prayer of letting go:
Into your care, we offer now, our worries, fears, and strife.
We turn to you and know you’re near – your light, our love and life.

Continuing to ground and center ourselves in our breath, we turn to our
second scripture passage. In this reading from John’s Gospel, we encounter
Jesus’ disciples on Easter evening, shut up in their house, the door locked to
prevent anyone from entering. They are keeping to themselves … nervous,
anxious, afraid, and uncertain about the future. Does any part of that sound
familiar? Let us listen together to what happens.

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of
the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he
said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples
rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with
you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he
breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive
the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are
retained.” (John 20:19-23)

In the disciples’ moment of fear and uncertainty, Jesus wanted them to have
two things – peace and the Holy Spirit. He breathed on them so that they
would feel and know his peace and his Spirit living in them. This is the good
news of Easter! Nothing – not death, not locked doors, not fear and
uncertainty – could keep Jesus and his promise of peace from those
disciples. And, nothing – not shelter in place orders, not viruses, not
loneliness and isolation – keeps Jesus from promising that peace to us as
well.

This is not to say that we won’t continue to have worry, and stress, and
loneliness – we are living in challenging times right now. But through all of
this, Jesus continues to breathe on us, to breathe with us, to breathe in us.
Jesus continues to tell us, “Peace be with you.” And that is why we
celebrate. That is why we are an Easter people living with the joy of new life.
Because not even these very troubling times can overwhelm the peace that
Jesus offers.

Now I want to make sure we do take some time to celebrate. This is the
Easter season! God’s love is stronger even than death. Alleluia! I recently
learned about a great spiritual practice called “Dancitation.” It was created
by Rev. Molly Baskette, a pastor over in Berkeley. As you might guess from
the name, it is a combination of dance and meditation. We have already
done the breath meditation. What is left for us to do is dance. Now, before
you start rolling your eyes, know that dancing has important biblical roots.
When Moses and the Israelites were able to cross the Red Sea and evade
their Egyptian captors, the scriptures tell us that very first thing Moses’ sister
does is to grab her friends and her tambourine … and dance. The
Ecclesiastes poet reminds us there is a time to weep and a time to laugh; a
time to mourn and a time to dance. The Psalmist encourages the people to
sing to the Lord a new song and praise God’s name with dancing.
Though I don’t like many things about worshiping separately, one of the
benefits is that you can truly now dance as if no one is watching. Because
no one is! I encourage you to stand up if that is comfortable for you. Or
remain seated. And dance! As you dance, be aware of your breath. Notice
how it is moving through your entire body. This is God’s peace and God’s
Spirit filling every ounce of your being.

I am going to play a song by a pastor colleague of mine, Rob Leveridge. It is
called, “Grace Comes Down.” One of my favorite lines in this song says,
“Bringing children of peace into life anew and hope that’s true.” (SONG)
I wonder how we might live as children of peace, helping to show others life
anew and hope that’s true. How might we share that message of Jesus,
“You are not alone. I am here. Peace be with you.” What can we do to share
God’s peace in our household? In our relationships with those we cannot be
with right now? With those who are working so hard to keep us safe? With
those who feel no peace or comfort. May we not only breathe in God’s
peace for our ourselves, but also breathe out God’s peace for others.

Let us pray:
Loving God, you are always with us. No matter what trials or hardships come
our way, you are right beside us, whispering, “Peace be with you.” Thank you
for guiding our path, so may we not live in fear, but in Easter joy. Amen.
i Thank you to Marcia McFee at worshipdesignstudio.com for this breath meditation.