Sharing from our Congregation – David Petty
Blessed are the peacemaker, for they will be called children of God – Matthew 5:9.
Peace is something we all long for, whether it is a moment, a state of being, or for the places in which we live. If we watch the news, we might question the ability to have peace in our nation. Recently, we have heard from the Council of Bishops about how United Methodist are to take a stand against systemic racism in our nation. We could look at placing blame on various people or groups for causing a divide, but truly the only thing powerful enough to divide us is ourselves. We might look to government and elected officials to help bring us unity, but as the church, or as Christians we should realize that the way towards peace is by doing the work of the Prince of Peace, Christ Jesus our Lord.
Initially, we might view peace as a passivity, in that we find peace within. While inward peace is important, there is something to be said about an active peace or that it ‘comes with work to do.’ John Wesley, among many others understood this active peace. But what does Wesley really have to say about peace?
In 1739, Wesley preached a sermon on the Sermon on the Mount, which includes a section on the seventh beatitude. The published form of this sermon must have undergone one or more revisions, because there are some slightly different variations in existence, but those differences aren’t the important part.
Wesley points out that the Greek word, Eirene, is broader in meaning that our word peace. Eirene implies a general sense of goodness or wellbeing to oneself and to others. It would be more similarly equivalent to the Hebrew word, shalom. In this sense of the word we translate as ‘peace,’ the great understanding is that it is more a way of being than just feeling. Peace transcends the outward and the inward to be a calm amidst the storms of our world.
Wesley acknowledges that the first job of the peacemaker is to prevent strife, conflict, etc., and failing to do so, one should attempt to stop such actions taking place. Wesley says that peacemaker are called to go beyond, to do good for others in every way possible, in essence sharing a pathway of peace with neighbor. A more modern stance might be that peacemaking has both reactive and proactive components.
Wesley stresses that doing good involves good for both the body (feeding the hungry, visiting the sick and imprisoned, etc.) and for the soul. He admits that in the end only God can change hearts, but he emphasizes the role of the Christian: “Nevertheless, it please Him who worketh all in all, to help man chiefly by man.”
In a single phrase Wesley links peace and unity. It may seem straightforward enough to follow, but we could admit this advice is difficult to implement sometimes. How can one have peace without unity? Some modern writers have noted, unity can be often confused with assimilationism, where minority cultures or thoughts fade away as their members adopt the attitudes and behaviors of the majority culture. However, that can be a problematic idea. Unity amidst diversity can exist (and should). Truthfully, we see this emersion of coexistent unity and diversity in our everyday society, but most of us have not realized it has happened. When we consider that America was once called ‘the great melting pot’ that very phrase emphasized the grand diversity of cultures in our land that all work together to form our culture and community. Furthermore, we have the great diversity of the kingdom of heaven, where so many are accepted and adopted into one family through the unifying love of Christ. People of all nations, creeds, and origins, through Christ are made one body, that celebrates its diverse parts.
Paul illustrates this in the parable of the body in 1 Corinthians 12:12-26. Wesley notes that people may be ‘distinguished by things of lesser importance,’ however they are still unified in Christ.
Wesley affirms that peacemaking is hard work. Using a familiar biblical image, he says that the peacemaker cannot “stand idle in his vineyard … He is ever labouring therein.” Wesley may have not had in mind the United States of America in 2020 or 2021 when he made such comments, but these lessons from history can teach us that Christians have longed work for the unity of peace found in the gospel message, and we can hear there speak so directly to us in our day and time, as we continue to strive for the same.
Grace & Peace,
Sam