Peace be with you...

Hi friends,

After Jesus' resurrection, he appeared to his disciples and his first words to them were "Peace be with you." The disciples must have been feeling a storm of emotions, from the despair of Jesus' crucifixion to the hope of the report from Mary that Jesus had risen, mixed with confusion about how that could be possible. Into all of this turbulence of experience and emotion Jesus appears, and his first word is 'peace.'

In fact, Jesus says "Peace be with you" twice to his disciples at this time - they really needed to hear it! The Prince of Peace gives his disciples a peace that passes all understanding. He then goes on to breathe on them (in John 20:22) saying "receive the Holy Spirit." I find it interesting that these words, "peace be with you" and "receive the Holy Spirit" are so closely connected in this account. I believe this is because, lasting peace is only possible when the Holy Spirit dwells within us. The gift of the Holy Spirit is the gift of peace.

When we face turbulent times, whether externally or internally, Jesus has given us his peace in the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our comforter, our counselor and our helper in time of need. He helps us to pray when we don't have the words, and he transforms us more and more into the likeness of Christ. He is the seal of our salvation and the source of our strength. When you begin to meditate on all the ways the Holy Spirit helps and works in us, peace begins to settle more and more into your heart and mind. 

I had fun creating a painted, stenciled background on this page, using a honeycomb stencil as well as some feather stencils. I stamped over the top with Stazon ink then painted the dove from Doves of Peace with acrylic paints. I also used Bitty Minnie Alpha to complete the text. Here are the sets I used:

I pray that we may all grow in our understanding and experience of what it means to live in the peace the Holy Spirit brings to our lives through his indwelling presence.

x Amy x