I wanted to write in response to the events of the current world, and then I thought, “no, I want this post to be timeless.” Yet, as I sat down this morning to write after reading from the Book of Luke, I realized that it is timeless or at least until we are no longer in physical form. To consider peace, one must view it from two perspectives: from the body of the church or believers in Christ, and from that of those who may or may not believe in God but do not practice his ways and are therefore considered outside of the church.
I am not trying to be critical of individuals, but it is imperative to see as Christ saw it. For him, there were two distinct groups.
If you are the Church and you do not know peace, then my response to you is simple. Either you are not looking at the right thing, or you do not have faith in the right thing. Christ clearly claims he is peace (John 14:27). For sure, the world can be scary. The time in which I am writing is off-kilter and frightening. People are cruel to one another. Hate is rampant.
Just for a minute, turn your head around and look behind you at history. What is it that you remember? The beauty of slavery being abolished, the Berlin wall crumbling, a pastor in Rwanda sacrificing everything to protect his people, a nun stepping into rat-infested communities to embrace the sick and dying? Or do you see the systems of hatred that surround each of these events? In these moments of rare human sacrifice and beauty, has been death so ugly that those living in it could not always see beyond it. Jesus lived in a time like this, where hatred towards anything new or different was despised and met with certain death.
Yet, the example of life that Christ offered us stood in opposition to the ugly. Peacefully, he went when invited into the homes of his opposers (Luke 11), peacefully he faced those who hated him (John 18-19). He was the perfect example of peace, calm, and rest. Can you go there with him, as you read the words, can you feel his peace settle into your heart? You should. Take a deep breath. Allow yourself to visualize his presence. Calm your spirit by way of assurance through the Holy Spirit. He is peace because he is in full control.
Fear leaves us feeling disoriented. It creates a sense of lost control. Jesus faced horribly frightening things. He did so with calm and reserve. Why? Because not once did he lose perspective that God reigns sovereign.
If you are reading this from the perspective of one outside of the Church, be assured that Christ’s peace wasn’t just for his followers. It is also not my intent to separate you, but I believe there are two different responses required in this post. One is to the Church Universal that demands us to step up and take a peaceful approach to hatred, which requires us to stand on the side that Jesus did; on the side of humans. We are only able to do this if we are looking at our God, trusting in him to bring peace to our hearts in the middle of turmoil. The other response is for you specifically.
Christ said a few things that apply to those who don’t embrace God and his ways. He said that he came into the world to bring “a sword” (Matthew 10:34), as well as he said that he came “not to call the righteous” (which means those who are following him correctly), “but sinners.” (Matthew 9:12) A sinner references several things. All of us make mistakes or have unsavory moments of living. To be a sinner is to live outside of God’s will, which is to be reverent to Him, respecting his authority as a King over all nations – past and present. To be a sinner is to live without mercy to others, to not sacrifice daily personal needs for the greater needs of others. And he brought a sword not to kill but because faith creates division. It wasn’t his intent to divide, but human nature simply will not allow us to easily accept him as God, and therefore it creates disharmony among people with differing beliefs.
But the key thing here is that God’s peace, which is found through Jesus, was brought to all of us. Jesus didn’t fight for those who already believed in him. If you read the Bible, what you see is that Jesus fought literally to his death for those who were seen as outcasts. He spent his time with people whose work was considered taboo. In other words, you might not sit down to a nice dinner with friends and tell them you collect trash or you cremate bodies for a living. Jesus physically hugged the unhuggable. He literally went into the ghettos and hugged and kissed the homeless, and those dying of untouchable diseases like flesh-eating bacterias.
Jesus knew that the peace found by those who did not believe in God was temporary. That war, hatred, and evil could cause their hearts to experience uncontrollable fear. That there was no rest for them, for you. As well he knew that peace for those who believed in God was found through a physical experience with the Holy Spirit of God. So, he came to call those who didn’t know how to find God’s peace and give it to them. He also came to chastise those who should have known how to have it and forgot.
Jesus knew that self-reliance is difficult because, as humans, we fluctuate in our emotions. He knew that human emotion can go from one extreme to another simply by the actions of others. Consider the intense anger you might feel at events you have no control over or at the actions of others. Jesus didn’t come to take away those feelings; he came to reassure us that we can experience peace in the knowledge that he has ultimate control (even when it is hard to understand why he doesn’t step in). He also came to remind us that it is our responsibility not to react out of emotion because reactions become illogical, but to act in peace towards a solution that is logical, controlled, and loving towards others.
Peace is attainable. It is my prayer for you, regardless of who you are. To live without peace is painful and harmful to the soul. May you choose to consider peace in harsh moments of life. How might you bring peace? How might you be a salve to those hurting? The world needs your service, your mercy, and God knows far more than us that peace is greatly needed by the children of the world.
-blessings to you in this journey
Monica Swank 