Matthew 5:9 - Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Matthew 10:34 - Do not think that I have come to bring
peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
I
believe the answer lies in what we said about peace yesterday. The work of shalom-making is hard. Part of what makes it hard is that it isn’t
popular. We only need to look at all the
conflicts raging in our culture right now to see this. Our culture is a Win-Lose culture, not a
culture of peacemaking. Democrats vs.
Republicans, Mask-Wearers vs. Never-Mask-Wearers, Black Lives Matter vs All
Lives Matter, CNN vs. Fox News are just
a few examples. The goal of these
conflicts is not peace, but victory. My
side needs to win which necessitates your side losing. Shalom holds out the vision of a situation
where there is benefit for all. Who do
you know touting that message and if you can think of someone, how popular is
their message?
Real
Shalom-makers are often the most hated of all because both sides fundamentally
resent the shalom-makers aim. They are
trying to win, not build community. They
aim at gaining the upper hand, not working toward harmony. Jesus calls us to be community builders and
harmony makers and he says that it is the blessed work of the children of
God. However, he warns us that it will
put us at odds with those we would bring together. Those we would bring together want us to take
their side, not help them understand the other side.
The
work of Shalom-making is still in our job description nonetheless. However, Jesus has this to say about it: “…do not worry about how you are to speak or
what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time.” In other words, as we know, shalom-making is
a fruit of the Spirit working in us.
We’ll talk more about that tomorrow.
I
want to close by sharing a story about what this shalom-making looks like in
real life. It’s a story behind a
oft-misunderstood photo from the 1968 Olympics.
I hope you’ll read it.
Prayer: Lord, we
confess that the work of Shalom-making is beyond us. We need you to give us the words and lead our
actions. Come, Holy Spirit Come. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Ask God
to show you one thing you can do or say to further the work of Shalom-making.
Song: Breathe on Me,
Breath of God – Alana Story
No comments:
Post a Comment