Sunday 13th July 2025
Shalom.
Sometimes the word shalom is used as a greeting or word of farewell, sometimes it is used to wish peace upon someone. A Hebrew word in the Old Testament, that occurs hundreds of times in the Bible, if you include the Greek equivalent, Eirene, in the New Testament.
Today, I will very briefly share a time when I found the profound peace of God that surpasses all understanding. Then we will look at some other passages in the bible that indicate shalom is a much more complex word. It doesn’t just mean absence of conflict.
For instance, why did Jesus say “My peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives”? And what do I think is meant when Paul finishes his second Thessalonians letter with wishing them “peace at all times and in every way”?
Some years ago, I asked a rabbi what the word shalom meant. Before answering me, he had a look on his face and a shrug in his shoulders that conveyed to me, “Where do I start?”
Shalom,
Alan Findlay
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