Not a Wish

The Rev. Joseph Winston

May 1, 2011

Grace and peace are gifts for you from God, the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ.1

Star light, star bright;

First star I see tonight.
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.

For thousands of years, humans have seen the awe inspiring beauty of the
night sky and hoped that these mysterious luminous objects, which looked down
on them, held some sort of power over their short and insignificant lives here on
earth. Even today, the followers of astrology hold on to this wish that the sun,
moon, and the planets influence their daily lives. Popular culture in this nation
grasps at these same straws and you see this all the time. Take for instance the
1
Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians
1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:2, Philemon 1:3.

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poem Star light, star bright. We all know it by heart. Jiminy Cricket sings an
emotional rendition to Pinocchio when the wooden toy is at his lowest point in
life. That is not the only place where you will hear Star light, star bright. It even
turns up in science fiction. During an episode of the original Star Trek series,
the Shakespearean actor and mass murderer Lenore quotes part of this poem to
Captain Kirk as a way to speak of the power stars hold.
So, tell me how you really feel about all this here being nothing more than a
good idea that someone once had, like wishing on a star. Start with last Sunday
and the unexpected news that the crucified One now lives. What would you say
if we only dreamed that God the Father raised Jesus from the dead? Move on
to today’s Gospel Lesson and tell me your reaction to the idea that it was just a
deep desire in our hearts that made Jesus appear to the disciples who were hiding
behind locked doors. Continue on with me a little bit longer and consider that
Jesus just hopes that His followers have the ability to forgive others and to slow
down the problems people cause.
Hoodwinked is a phrase that springs to mind as a way to describe how you and
I might feel if the Christian faith is nothing more than wishing on the star.
You and I know that all this here is true. We have seen the crucified One with
our own eyes living among us. We trust the witnesses who saw Jesus appear out
of nowhere and we believe their testimony. We have experienced the relief when
the weight of guilt has been lifted off our shoulders.
Now, if we could only convince the people who translate the Bible from Greek
into English.

2
 Jesus says these words to us not once, not twice, but three different times in
today’s Gospel lesson (John 20:19; 20:21; 20:26). It is as if He really wants us not
to mess this one up. Jesus tells us, “Peace to all you.2 ”
That sentence probably does not sound right to your ears. You are used to
hearing something like this, “Peace be with you.” After all, you hear these words
every Sunday when the pastor says to you using the version found in the hymnal,
“The peace of Christ be with you.” And you reply with, “And also with you.”
What is the reason for the difference between what Jesus says, “Peace to all
you.” and what we say, “Peace be with you.”?
Despite what the flower children of the sixties might want to believe (Peace
man!), peace is not a verb. It is a noun. Listen to how silly this sounds. I peace.
You peace. He, she, it peaces. A word that shows action makes sense here and
would sound something like this. I run. You run. He, she, it runs. Almost always,
a sentence in English must contain a word that shows something happening. You
do not say, “Clock.” but “Tell me the time.” The undeniable fact that peace is a
noun along with our need for a verb leaves the poor people who translate few
options. One is making peace a verb like we do with mouse (Mouse over there.).
“Peace to all of you!,” is how this would sound. The other is adding verb to the
sentence that is missing one.
You already know what they did. They added “be” as in: I am; You are; He,
2
The Greek is εἰρήνη ὑμῖν and Moloney translates this as “Peace to you.” S.D.B. Francis
J. Moloney; S.J. Daniel J. Harrington, editor, The Gospel of John, Volume 4, Sacra Pagina Se-
ries, (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1998), p. 534. Since ὑμῖν is the plural form of
σύ, a more appropriate translation would be “Peace to all you.”

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she, it is. This brings us to the big fat elephant in the room. Peace now is nothing
more than an imaginary wish. The sentences:

Peace might be with you.

Peace could be with you.

Peace should be with you.

spell it out for you to hear. Peace in these sentences is nothing more than a dream
like wishing on a star.
That is what they have given us. A false hope that is completely worthless in
the real world.
And you know what? We let them do it! We let them convince us that Christ’s
gift of peace is just like a passing fad like bell-bottomed jeans that no one wears
anymore, tie-dyed T-shirts put away in the bottom of the closet, and nursery
rhymes we expect our children to outgrow once they know better.
Look around at Peace and tell me it is not true.
Would you be willing to agree (And I know that this sounds a little bit crazy.),
that Jesus means exactly what He says? Just to warm things up a bit, start here. By
gently shaking your head yes or no (No one get whiplash please!), tell me what
you think of the story of the Word calling the entire world into existence. Okay.
Then try this one on for size. Can you whisper yes (You can talk during worship!),
if you heard Jesus say to you that He has already saved you from all that you
have done? Good! Now, attempt to move for one brief moment outside of your

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comfortable Lutheran way of doing things. Do I hear an Amen for the real and not
imaginary gift of peace that Jesus gives every one here? Great!
Jesus gives each of you peace. It is not a pleasant dream that quickly fades
away with the morning’s first light. It is not a quaint antique that you bring out to
show your grandchildren the way we used to do it. Peace is freedom.
With peace, you no longer have to worry about what the new day will bring.
God takes care of it. Clothes are there. You find them in your closet or another
person who knows the peace Jesus brings provides them for you. Food and drink
come. You have enough to make it through the day or someone who has more than
they need shares with you because they have Christ’s peace. In the end, it does not
matter how you are clothed or fed. You know that God gives you everything.
You want the ability to say what is on your mind without fearing that some-
one might report you to the authorities. You believe that no one must grant you
permission to come together and talk about whatever your heart desires. It excites
you when you come and worship God. These are but three of your liberties spelled
out in the Bill of Rights that you used today. They are not old fashioned. They are
not obsolete. They are not dreams. Jesus gave them to you and they all bring you
peace.
Then there is the undeniable fact that Peace is a place. It is right here. We
gather together and recall what God has already done in our lives. Jesus gives you
the freedom to come and worship. Jesus gives you clothes, food, and drink. Jesus
gives you a second chance. Jesus gives you Peace.
Now, if we could only tell the rest of the world this. Peace is not a wish. Peace

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is not a hope. Peace is not a dream. Peace is here. Jesus gave it to you and me.
“The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus.”3

References

Francis J. Moloney, S.D.B.; Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., editor, The Gospel of John,
Volume 4, Sacra Pagina Series, (Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical
Press, 1998).

3
Philippians 4:7.