Fri Aug 9 – Making Peace and Being Persecuted

Matthew 5:9-10 (CEB)

“Happy are people who make peace, because they will be called God’s children.

10 “Happy are people whose lives are harassed because they are righteous, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.


Reflection

In today’s climate, it is a difficult task to try to be a peace maker.

What does being a peacemaker look like to you? Are we trying to be peacemakers? That’s a
tough one because no matter what “side” we are on we feel like we are being persecuted for
our beliefs at this point in history. We hope our beliefs find us on the right side of history, but
do we sometimes have to have a bit of controversy etc. to get peace? As we have heard so
many times, peace is not just the absence of war. Nelson Mandela said, “Peace is not just the
absence of conflict: peace is the creation of an environment where all can flourish regardless of race, color, creed, religion, gender, class, caste, and any other social marker of difference.”
Martin Luther King Jr said, “True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence
of justice.” In John 14:27 Jesus said “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I give to you
not as the world gives. Don’t be troubled or afraid.” It feels like we are a long way from peace
not only in the world as a whole, but also in our communities. It also feels like a very daunting
task, but there are ways we can make a difference in our communities.

I am not a protester, but sometimes I feel like I want to be. I can be vocal at times about my
beliefs and trying to defend others. I have to say that I think about writing letters or calling my
representatives, but in reality, I do it rarely. You know yourselves that once those rainbows
went up at the church, you had people protest and steal signs and send nasty emails in
opposition. Working for justice and peace for all people can cause others to persecute us for
our beliefs. Are we showing others who disagree with us the love of Jesus – even when they
claim they are speaking for Jesus – or especially when they claim they are speaking for Jesus? It is a very hard line to walk, but something we are called to do. Debbie stated this beautifully in her children’s message on July 28, that we need to show others love even in the midst of the struggle with disagreeing with people. My leaving my former church and you being a part of a reconciling congregation is witnessing to people that you are working toward peace and justice.

Protesting may or may not be our “thing,” but we can all stand up for those who are opposed in ways that work with our gifts – writing letters, talking to friends, giving donations to causes that we support. We can all offer something knowing that what we do will make a difference – and a difference no matter how small is worth working toward because one never knows what will happen from our work.

As we finish up this week of Beatitudes, I hope you see that we can live these happinesses
every day and we can feel the Holy Spirit guiding us and giving us those rewards – the sense
that God is with us and will give us what we need to fulfill our purpose. You may find yourself
being stronger in one area than another, but that doesn’t mean we can’t work on those other
areas and live a more fulfilling life for the Lord. Be blessed!

by Janet Waryck


For Pondering and Prayer

Thoughts: Which beatitudes do you lean into, and which seem out of your realm? Which one
can you pick to work on a bit more to help increase your blessing (happiness)?

Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for being our example and for showing us that we can do amazing
things through you. Guide us on our journey to live into your beatitudes more fully. Amen
.

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