Dear Rose Park,
In Jesus’ most famous sermon, The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), He says these words: blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. It can be very tempting in our current cultural moment to either see that peace is a posture of weakness or that peace is such a lofty goal that it will never be achieved anyways. As people who love Jesus, we cannot call either of these postures home.
Today is Wednesday November 5, 2024. Many of us are watching the news and fidgeting in our seats either with glee or tremendous anxiety. I’ve spoken to some of you about this election and the overall consensus is a feeling of worry. Some of you have expressed a worry about your children’s or grandchildren’s rights going forward. Some of you have expressed worries regarding the national debt. Some of you expressed worries about how the other side will respond when this or that candidate prevails. Some of you are simply worried about how family members will act around the Thanksgiving table.
As I listen to your worries and hold my own worries in tension, I keep coming back to the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:9. Blessed are the peacemakers. Jesus was a peacemaker, but that didn’t make Him weak or passive. Jesus was not a moderate, at least in the sense that we understand it. Jesus had strong convictions, and it was because of those convictions that eventually led Him to die on the cross for us. Jesus’ role as a peacemaker was one of tremendous strength and courage. He stood in the middle - He didn’t ride the fence - and bridged the gap between opposing forces.
He ate with the religious and political elite, and then He ate with the people who were oppressed by them. He stood between the crowd and the woman who was to be stoned. He praised the woman who could only give a few pennies into the collection plate, and He told the people to give to Caesar what was Caesar’s. Even as He died on the cross, He hung between two sinners: one repentant and one mocking. In everything, Jesus bridged the gap and sought to bring about peace.
I’d encourage you to be a peacemaker. As you sit and have coffee with a friend, gather for corporate worship on Sundays, or sit next to a loved one at the Thanksgiving table, I’d encourage you to seek those things that bring about unity, purity, and peace. Might humility be your clothing, the fruits of the Spirit be your guide, and the glory of the Prince of Peace be our highest aim.
Grace & Peace,
