Peace?
I can’t unsee it… I wish I could, but the scene is seared into the synapses of my brain. Angry voices… a struggle… shots… and then a still body. It all happened so fast. When fear and anger mix, rational thought often takes a back seat to instinct. And now, a nation sits in the comfy seat like armchair quarterbacks, scrutinizing each image, each video, each fact that emerges, to justify or to condemn.
It’s easy to villainize, though we do not agree on who the villain is in that scene. Have we heard the story and seen the clips from Fox News or CNBC? They report on the same event, yet the view of that moment is so different. Everyone is pointing a finger and assessing blame, but no one is taking responsibility.
It’s easy to villainize, but it is harder to see the humanity of the man who lost his life and the one who took it. Again, we take sides. One side remembers a man who served as an ER nurse, a son, a friend, one who tried to help another up after being pushed to the ground. The growing memorial testifies to the value of his life, and the grief in his loss. The other side supports a man who was serving in harm’s way, just trying to do his duty. His life will never be the same after that moment. Taking a life is an act, even if justified, that leaves the shooter forever changed. Both men had a life and a family before that moment. Both men had hopes and dreams. God’s Word in the book of Genesis teaches us that both were created in the image of God, thus both men are precious to their Creator. Yet, in that moment, humanity was forgotten in the flurry of arms and legs.
Our war of words has now become an actual war on the streets of our cities. In war, it is easy to demonize the enemy, to forget their humanity, to blind ourselves to the image of God woven into their being. In war, it is easy to justify our actions and condemn our enemy’s. In war, we all begin to look more like the Evil One, and less like the Savior. We rationalize that the ends justify the means. But Jesus taught that the means must be as godly as the ends we seek. To the Christians in Rome, enduring the persecution of Caesar, Paul writes: “Do not repay anyone evil for evil… Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:17, 21) Yet, while we know that Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the ultimate triumph of good over evil, we still wonder if good has a chance in our world these days.
Watching from the sidelines leaves us feeling angry, helpless, even hopeless. How did we get here, citizen against citizen, anger over reason? Here in the Philadelphia region, we watch these scenes in horror, but also in fear that what we see from afar will come to our doorstep. The mayor of our city is trying to walk a fine line so as not to raise the ire of the powers-that-be. But it seems like just a matter of time before Philadelphia will be in the crosshairs. Are we doomed to be mere victims of a society on fire?
In this moment, we need to remember God’s Word to the people of ancient Israel. It is a word to people who had already been conquered by their enemies. They had lost their home and their sense of peace and security. They yearned to rebuild, so that their children would know peace. People on both sides of this modern struggle yearn for peace in our nation. But first, the people of God are told that they must become peace-makers where they are. Before they can rebuild, they must live as God’s instruments of grace in a broken world. Isaiah declares the Word of the Lord:
It’s easy to villainize, though we do not agree on who the villain is in that scene. Have we heard the story and seen the clips from Fox News or CNBC? They report on the same event, yet the view of that moment is so different. Everyone is pointing a finger and assessing blame, but no one is taking responsibility.
It’s easy to villainize, but it is harder to see the humanity of the man who lost his life and the one who took it. Again, we take sides. One side remembers a man who served as an ER nurse, a son, a friend, one who tried to help another up after being pushed to the ground. The growing memorial testifies to the value of his life, and the grief in his loss. The other side supports a man who was serving in harm’s way, just trying to do his duty. His life will never be the same after that moment. Taking a life is an act, even if justified, that leaves the shooter forever changed. Both men had a life and a family before that moment. Both men had hopes and dreams. God’s Word in the book of Genesis teaches us that both were created in the image of God, thus both men are precious to their Creator. Yet, in that moment, humanity was forgotten in the flurry of arms and legs.
Our war of words has now become an actual war on the streets of our cities. In war, it is easy to demonize the enemy, to forget their humanity, to blind ourselves to the image of God woven into their being. In war, it is easy to justify our actions and condemn our enemy’s. In war, we all begin to look more like the Evil One, and less like the Savior. We rationalize that the ends justify the means. But Jesus taught that the means must be as godly as the ends we seek. To the Christians in Rome, enduring the persecution of Caesar, Paul writes: “Do not repay anyone evil for evil… Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:17, 21) Yet, while we know that Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the ultimate triumph of good over evil, we still wonder if good has a chance in our world these days.
Watching from the sidelines leaves us feeling angry, helpless, even hopeless. How did we get here, citizen against citizen, anger over reason? Here in the Philadelphia region, we watch these scenes in horror, but also in fear that what we see from afar will come to our doorstep. The mayor of our city is trying to walk a fine line so as not to raise the ire of the powers-that-be. But it seems like just a matter of time before Philadelphia will be in the crosshairs. Are we doomed to be mere victims of a society on fire?
In this moment, we need to remember God’s Word to the people of ancient Israel. It is a word to people who had already been conquered by their enemies. They had lost their home and their sense of peace and security. They yearned to rebuild, so that their children would know peace. People on both sides of this modern struggle yearn for peace in our nation. But first, the people of God are told that they must become peace-makers where they are. Before they can rebuild, they must live as God’s instruments of grace in a broken world. Isaiah declares the Word of the Lord:
If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
Isaiah 58:9-12
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
Isaiah 58:9-12
Jesus called peace-makers the children of God. We may not be able to bring peace on the streets of Minneapolis, but we can bring peace to our little place in the world- a kind word at the kitchen table, dry goods brought to church for our hungry neighbors, a donation to the Deacon’s Fund, an email that brokers understanding at work, a card to one who is lonely, a vote for those who stand for peace and justice. Imagine if the people of God respond to the God’s call to bring grace into our daily interactions.
What does the Lord require of you?
To do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8
To do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8
May we surprise our world with grace today!
With you as the mission of Jesus Christ to the world God so loves,
Anita
With you as the mission of Jesus Christ to the world God so loves,
Anita
Posted in From The Pastor
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