2nd Sunday of Easter: Shalom

I do not think this statement will be an over generalization; nobody enjoys, likes, desires to be broken up. Nobody enjoys being estranged from those who we consider family and friends; having our hearts broken through betrayal and loss; having our dreams and goals taken away from us; feeling victimized by others; have a disease or injury take away our lifestyle.

And when we get broken we feel pulled in a thousand different ways, unsure of ourselves, our intentions and motives. We can’t find our way in life. We lose trust in ourselves and who we think we are.

It is devastating.  How many tears I have witnessed from others and shed personally. How do we get back to self?

The Hebrew word “Shalom” is a potent word; full of depth and meaning. Translators will apply the English word “Peace”; but our minds hear this word differently. Peace for us tends to mean lack of violence, calmness, or quiet. We really don’t have one word that means all of Shalom.

Shalom speaks of wholeness, of being made whole, of wishing wholeness, integrity for another. It implies depth, something that goes to the core of our being. It also implies Love; only those who love others, who desire their goodness wish wholeness for them.

This is what Jesus speaks to his disciples. It is what Jesus speaks to us.

Wholeness means that we experience and believe in our hearts and minds that we are loved; loved by God and are children of God. We are united to God, through Christ, in the Spirit. And as God raised up Jesus, so too will God raise us up, and does raise us up.

God forgives us, and loves us. This Jesus reveals to the disciples, the same ones that misunderstood him, left him on the cross, denied him. They still remain loved by God, and forgiven. Once they accept this, they find that Joy, and they will go forward to share this good news with all. They will go forward to renew this world with not just the knowledge of God’s love, but also the experience. They will begin to see others as God’s beloved, and will show it. We will hear stories of this in Acts.

People shattered by life need to be reminded they, we, are still loved. When we become shattered we must return to our core, that we are loved by God, in Christ, through the Spirit.

The first act of the Church to damaged people must be to love them, to show them value, dignity as Jesus did to his disciples. He did not point out guilt, or shame, or their supposed sinfulness.

Shalom, wholeness; so needed in our lives and in our world.

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