“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.”

- 2 Thessalonians 3:16 (NRSV)

In Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians, he ends his correspondence by asking that the Lord grant them peace. Paul is not only talking about the inner peace one may feel when they believe that all is right between themselves and God, but he specifically asks God to grant them peace at all times and in all ways. But just how many ways can there be peace among the Thessalonians? There is of course peace within themselves and peace within the community, but Paul is talking about more than just quiet in this passage. There is a deeper and more meaningful peace which Paul is proclaiming here, and this peace can only come directly from God. The scope of this peace is important. “Peace in all ways” is not just passive agreement; it is intentional action towards harmonizing with God, loving our enemies, understanding the parts of ourselves that we may not like, and properly stewarding the resources which God has granted us.

“Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.”

- John 14:8-14 (NRSV)

Have you ever seen Jesus? I remember the experience of growing up in a moderately conservative christian church and community where this question would have been asked. It came from a perspective that enticed more of a spiritual inkling or evangelistic premise to it; the idea was that if your spirits were set right, on good terms, or having accepted the gospel message of God’s love through Jesus Christ into your life, then spiritually, you were set to one day spend all eternity with God in the Kingdom of Heaven. The christian faith in its personal experience of being lived out has particular implications to individual as well as collective narratives; however, there is also a universal or holistic side that still maintains personal context, while stretching us beyond our vision of faith.