peace
I've thought a lot about peace this week, and all week I've tried to come up with the words to say what I feel in my soul. I am weary. My heart mourns because there is so much dissension and violence in our world. There is so little peace.
The hosts of heaven announced the arrival of the Messiah with shouts of Glory to God in the Highest and Peace on Earth. I think sometimes we forget that people during this time frame had a very different version of peace than we think of today. The shepherds who heard this announcement would have been well aware of the Pax Romana: the Peace of Rome.
You see, Rome had a great and terrible weapon to enforce their peace. You threaten the peace; you die. And not just any death, but a public, humiliating, and excruciatingly painful death. The Peace of Rome came at a great price to any who would stand in their way.
So I wonder if any of the shepherds had questions or doubts as they left their sheep and rushed off to find this new king. Or I wonder if their thoughts ran more in line with: Finally a king who will be our enforcer of the peace. The Peace of Israel is finally coming.
I'm sure they had no idea how different this peace would be. Yes, it still came at a great cost. Yes, there was loss of life to usher in this peace. The difference was that instead of inflicting the loss of life, the King gave up His life so there would be peace. At long last there is peace between God and humankind.
Jesus says that he gives us His peace. He does not give as the world does. (John 14: 27) Yet looking around you would never know that we have His peace. It is far more important for us to argue with each other and be right than for us to live at peace with one another. It's far more important for us to state our own opinions rather than listen to the opinions of those around us.
We are admonished: as far as it depends on you, live at peace with all (Romans 12:18). And my heart grieves because I see so few people including those who follow Jesus who say as far as it depends on me, I will live at peace with all.
Mother Theresa is credited with saying: If each of us would only sweep our own doorstep, the whole World would be clean. I wonder what would happen if each of us decided that as far as it depended on us, we would live at peace with all.
Honestly, that scares me a little. Because maybe that means swallowing my words when I want to fight back. Maybe that means humbling myself and asking forgiveness for a wrong I have done. Maybe that means going to a cross without fighting back. Jesus didn't just preach peace. He lived it. And if we are trying to look more like him, we need to start living it too.
The hosts of heaven announced the arrival of the Messiah with shouts of Glory to God in the Highest and Peace on Earth. I think sometimes we forget that people during this time frame had a very different version of peace than we think of today. The shepherds who heard this announcement would have been well aware of the Pax Romana: the Peace of Rome.
You see, Rome had a great and terrible weapon to enforce their peace. You threaten the peace; you die. And not just any death, but a public, humiliating, and excruciatingly painful death. The Peace of Rome came at a great price to any who would stand in their way.
So I wonder if any of the shepherds had questions or doubts as they left their sheep and rushed off to find this new king. Or I wonder if their thoughts ran more in line with: Finally a king who will be our enforcer of the peace. The Peace of Israel is finally coming.
I'm sure they had no idea how different this peace would be. Yes, it still came at a great cost. Yes, there was loss of life to usher in this peace. The difference was that instead of inflicting the loss of life, the King gave up His life so there would be peace. At long last there is peace between God and humankind.
Jesus says that he gives us His peace. He does not give as the world does. (John 14: 27) Yet looking around you would never know that we have His peace. It is far more important for us to argue with each other and be right than for us to live at peace with one another. It's far more important for us to state our own opinions rather than listen to the opinions of those around us.
We are admonished: as far as it depends on you, live at peace with all (Romans 12:18). And my heart grieves because I see so few people including those who follow Jesus who say as far as it depends on me, I will live at peace with all.
Mother Theresa is credited with saying: If each of us would only sweep our own doorstep, the whole World would be clean. I wonder what would happen if each of us decided that as far as it depended on us, we would live at peace with all.
Honestly, that scares me a little. Because maybe that means swallowing my words when I want to fight back. Maybe that means humbling myself and asking forgiveness for a wrong I have done. Maybe that means going to a cross without fighting back. Jesus didn't just preach peace. He lived it. And if we are trying to look more like him, we need to start living it too.
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