May 2023

Reflection

On Tuesday, I gathered with two friends, Marcus White and Rev. Chris Boston, whom I first met upon moving here in 2005.  As I visited with them, it was a time of fellowship, lament, joy and dreaming.  I felt deep gratitude for having fellow travelers on our journey through life.

As we reflected on the challenges of our current moment as a community, state and nation, we found ourselves referencing the Sermon on the Mount and its power.  Rev. Boston's poignant comment on the term “peacemaker” which has stayed with me all week. In Matthew 5:9, Jesus states: 

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

Rev. Boston then differentiated peacemaker from peacekeeper.  Given how often many of us have heard the Beatitudes, the term “peacemaker” has lost its power.  We probably hear “peacemaker” and think peacekeeper, one who maintains the peace and avoids conflict.  

A peacemaker is entirely different.  First, the Greek word for peace holds much in common with the Hebrew term shalom.  Shalom refers to all people thriving and every person is deeply valued.  If a person is lost, no matter whom, we grieve for them.  

Our current place and time lacks shalom.  People suffer. People are dismissed, ignored and/or oppressed, and others benefit from this.  A peace maker challenges or disrupts the way things are.  This is done in how we treat one another, how we do our jobs, what we do with our money. We intentionally ground our actions in a deep agape love for all of God’s creation.  

It is also important to note that the Sermon on the Mount calls us to act together as a community, where we each play a role.  The weight of this call cannot be placed on one person’s shoulders.  It must be carried as a community committed to living out this love.