Blessed are the Peacemakers

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

‘Blessed are the peacemakers, 
for they will be called children of God.

‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Setting the Scene:  Points to remember …
Beatitudes => Blessing
Blessings => “a deep joy in God’s presence”   . 
Blessings 1-4 => relationship with God
Blessings 5-8 => relationship with Others
Sermon on the Mount => Jesus sets context for ministry and talks about the kingdom of heaven => or reign of God.  Kingdom of heaven/reign of God => knowing God as sovereign ruler, living in the will of God, kingdom as already here but not yet fully realized … Foundation of the blessings in 3rd verse, knowing who we are in relation to God … living in total dependence upon God

As we have made the journey through the blessings so far, I have been growing deeper in my understanding of what it means to be blessed by God and what it means to live under Gods reign.  I’ve also found that moving through the second 4 blessings is really hard, for me … maybe not for you, but this way of living is truly the foundation of living in union (meaning, not my will but yours be done) with God.  The way I treat others reveals my relationship with God … to me, which invites me to change!   Indeed, John says, “Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from God is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.”   Can I hear faint whispers in my ear … who is my brother?  Who is my sister? 

This week we go deeper into our relationship with God and others as we are called to be peace “makers,” which is a translation of the Greek word eirenopoios {i-ray-nop-oy-os'} which literally means one who makes peace.   The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (TDNT) says these peacemakers are “those who promote human concord (not simply general well-being or peace with God); God calls them his children because they are like him.”   Eirene, which is the root word of eirenopoios, refers to the sense of peace that emerges from the Hebrew OT sense of shalom.  The only New Testament use of this form of the word eirene {i-ray'-nay} translated peacemaker is found in the Blessings.

Biblically, Shalom means completeness in number, safety and soundness in body, welfare and health and prosperity, peace and friendship in human relationships and with God in a covenant relationship.    Once again, we hear echoes of earlier blessings in which the covenant of God is of critical importance as we contemplate living in a relationship with God in which God reigns over our lives.  The prophet Jeremiah talked about this covenant repeatedly, especially in the time of exile when there was “no peace.” 

Read Jeremiah, 30:1-5, 31:1-6 and 31-34.   God invites the Israelites to turn from the past and to look to the future.  the new covenant, a time when “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.   No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord’, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord.”   

Making Connections: What does “peace” mean to you?  Have you lived through times of “no peace?”  What was that like?  How were you able to move into “peace?”  Who do you long to be in peaceful relationship with in your life right now?  How might you pray into action?

Going Deeper:  (*please see end note) In every worship service at our church, we “pass the peace.”  I often make this invitation myself, and I struggle theologically with contemporary urgings (from church growth consultants) to “loosen up” when it comes to this communal time of blessing.  It seems that in order to be welcoming we can no longer use certain words … like peace??   Although I am one of the first persons to encourage losing archaic words which no longer have meaning in today’s language, I can’t believe the word peace has lost its meaning to the point that we can no longer use it. I confess I am very uncomfortable inviting people to just stand up and say hi to one another.  So ... I don't.  I still invite people to "pass the peace :)"

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. 

The Priests blessed the people of Israel with this blessing found in Numbers 6:24-26.  When we talk about peace in the world, we are not just talking about peace as a calm feeling inside a person.  We are not talking about a world full of people who live in their own isolated place of inner tranquility.  We are not talking about peace in the sense of an absence of chaos or physical conflict or a world where we would just ignore each other to "keep" the peace.   When blessings are offered in the sense of shalom we are invoking the deeper meaning of the Hebrew word … As a Jewish rabbi, the sense of communal harmony of shalom would have permeated the life of Jesus and informed the way he lived within the Jewish community. Read Luke 24:36-49.  When Jesus appeared to the disciples in a post-resurrection episode, he greeted them “Peace be with you!”  I am quite sure Jesus actually said Shalom! 

As we engage in the “passing of the peace” in the Christian church, we are not simply greeting one another with an ordinary “hello” that equals the hellos and goodbyes we say all the time without a second thought. We are engaging in a communal act of reconciliation, and we are promoting the general well-being of our community.

What does shalom mean to you? 

• As you share shalom with others, how does it make you feel? 
• How do you experience more than hello as you greet people in Christian love? 
• What emotion or attitude, etc. do you need to give up in order to embrace shalom as a way of life?

And YET you might ask, in Matthew 10:34, didn’t Jesus say, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”   Continue reading with Matthew 10:35-37.   The TDNT helps us to understand that when Jesus uses the word sword in this context it “is obviously figurative. Those who follow Jesus must be prepared for hostility even in their own families.”    Let us rest with this explanation until next week … when we talk about persecution.

Pondering: One more example from the communal act of passing the peace :)  Last year our book discussion group read You don’t have to be Wrong for me to be Right: Finding Faith without Fanaticism.  Brad Hirschfield, a Jewish rabbi, describes an experience he had during the “passing of the peace” at a Catholic Church in Poland. A bishop, knowing that he was present made “a beeline” toward him. Hirschfield says, “He took my hands in his hands and looked deep into my eyes and said, not in Polish, not in English, but in Hebrew, Shalom.”  Overwhelmed by this gesture (and others) Hirschfield was moved to tears. I am in awe of this incarnational act of grace across lines of faith.  

When we engage in incarnational ministry, we intentionally seek to follow the risen Christ in reaching out to others with healing grace.  As we acknowledge that Jesus lives and moves among us today through the Spirit, we extend ourselves for all people, saints and sinners alike.  We are as Christ to others and we may pray that others see Christ in us.  God takes our efforts and transforms the lives of the people we meet.  Read Philippians 4:4-4:9.  Focus on verse 7, which reads “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

• Do you consider your own ministry as incarnational?
• If so, how so?  If not, why not?   Are there any changes you would like to make in the way you engage others in ministry ... not just in the church but in the world?
• Who is God calling you to reach across boundaries to extend the hand of grace?  Are you ready??
• When have you experienced this "peace that surpasses all understanding?"

Praying:  St Francis of Assisi was the son of a wealthy fabric merchant in France during the 12/13th centuries.  After returning home from war, the young Francis took a vow of poverty and gave his life for others.  He was a lover of animals and a committed advocate of peace.   You are invited to pray The Prayer of St Francis as an act of incarnational peace-seeking.

The Prayer of St Francis ...
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
   Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
   Where there is injury, pardon.
   Where there is doubt, faith.
   Where there is despair, hope.
   Where there is darkness, light.
   Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
   grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
   to be understood, as to understand;
   to be loved, as to love.
   For it is in giving that we receive.
   It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and
   it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.      Amen.

END NOTE:  Gandhi said, "I must be the change that I want to see in the world."   Much of the material in this week’s lesson emerges from my long exploration of peace and my desire to bring peace in the world by “BEING that change ... BEING peace.”  Honestly, every single day I fall short and every day I must seek God and God's presence in order to grow deeper in my journey to true and lasting peace in my soul and in the world.   Although there are some new thoughts, much of these ponderings have been adapted from my reflection blog.    Shalom, Cindy