“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (NRSV Matthew 5:9)
“You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight.
That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.” (The Message Matthew 5:9)
There is a slight pause in the current invasion of Ukraine and some talk of peacekeeping. Peacekeeping implies that there is a peace to keep. I am not so sure about that. I am encouraged that the peace talks are continuing despite some distractions. Peacemaking, on the other hand, is an active process involving open willingness to talk about differences and to negotiate even with sworn enemies. Peacekeeping seems to be more like holding back bad feelings, even the desire for revenge so that open war does not break out again. Think about the Thanksgiving Holiday dinner table where someone (usually the host) implores the most vocal family member to “keep the peace” and not bring up the personal, political, or even theological issue that person has with other family members. The request is made in the hopes of having a friendly family meal together. Now think about that on the world stage and you can see the difference between peacekeeping and peacemaking. We are reminded that peace is truly a gift from God—the assurance that all will be well.
Peacemaking requires some faith, lots of prayer, and skilled mediators. So, I am deeply troubled that the Orthodox Christian church in Russia seems to have chosen a side in this conflict. Didn’t we learn this lesson in the Crusades, WWII, or on 9/11? When are we going to learn to separate church and state for peace in our time? We do seem to be entering another Cold War era. The fear of nuclear war sort of helped us keep peace for a time. In my youth, it was Capitalism (Democracy) against Communism. Today it seems to be Democracy against Authoritarianism. Forget that Russia proved Communism didn’t work for them. Overlook that Capitalism is capable of creating huge disparities in peoples’ lives. We need to remember that Russian and Ukrainian mothers cry the same tears when their sons and daughters die too early in life. Yes, war will be justified in our own minds, but what is the mind of God thinking about all of this?
The church may attempt to claim authority because the Bible was written in patriarchal times which seem very authoritarian to us. The Biblical Israelites in Judges cried out for leaders like the other nations of the world. God honored their request, but that didn’t work so well for them in the end. Authoritarian systems have their appeal because you don’t have to think about life. Someone else is telling you what to do, say and believe. It is simple and easy. You just have to trust that the authority has your best interests at heart. When the authority is only after power and money, well… think again about authoritarianism. And Democracy is not simple. It is messy. It requires a desire to negotiate for just systems, policies and laws that honor all parties who have a stake in them. It is not about personality, but about justice and the rule of law. It takes time, mutual respect, openness to tension, willingness to listen and being active in choosing authentic representative leadership.
Jesus came to show a new way in a reversal of the world’s values. Not seeking power, but rather God’s will for all the children of God. His preaching, like this verse from the Sermon on the Mount, reveals God’s values. He shared a view of God’s ultimate authority. Following Jesus means healing the sick, feeding the hungry, taking care of your neighbors in need, fighting for justice for those oppressed in endemic even structural injustice and resisting oppression perhaps with any means possible. I said we are good at justifying war.
Tomorrow I will celebrate Palm Sunday. Jesus will ride into Jerusalem again and be crucified, again. He will die again for the children of God. The Good News is that He will be raised again. He will ascend to heaven and become a mediator between humanity and God. He will show us God’s desire to be the ultimate authority in our lives. He will offer forgiveness and peace that far surpasses human understanding. Imagine if we all lived in the reality of that Good News. He did it once for all. And all means all. We are all children of God. No one else is now or ever will be able to save us from ourselves. Christ has already done that. Now if we could just believe that and live together on this crowded planet with God as our ultimate authority, then we could be more than peacekeepers. We will find our place with all the other children of God.
fOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:
Please choose at least one and do it!
1. Pray for the Orthodox Christian Church in Russia – that God will strengthen it where it is faithful and correct it where it strays from the Good News of Christ’s redeeming work for the Children of God.
2. Persistently Pray for Putin – that God will soften his heart to accept his loses and pull out of Ukraine.
3. Pray for Russian oligarchs to have a change of heart about their lives and their faith.
4. If you know of any Americans with a Russian background (many came after the fall of the USSR), support them in their lives. Dialog with them about the Russian culture. If they have businesses support their financial needs as partners with us in a free world. Pray for their welfare.
5. Support refugees any way you can.
6. Share the Good News with someone who relies on authoritarianism rather than faith in Christ Jesus to make all things new.
Thank you for your passage from Matt 9.
We are all God’s people ♥️