Today's readings: Ps 140, 142; Mic 3:9-4:5; Acts 24:24-25:12; Luke 8:1-15
“The opposite of war isn’t peace; it’s creation.”
-- Jonathan Larson, Rent
It’s easy to think of peace as an end unto itself. In a world full of conflict, achieving true, lasting peace is a project humankind has never been able to complete. But if we ever did achieve peace… what then?
Then… everything. Peace is the environment we seek to establish in order to maximize our service to each other and to God. Peace is not an end, but a beginning. The prophet Micah offers many warnings to the nation of Israel, but he also offers them the hope of peace. He describes a day when conflict will end and people “shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks” (Mic 4:3). When this time comes, the people will walk in the name of the Lord forever (v. 5).
What about now? What do we do while we wait for that glorious time? Well, Jesus tells us “blessed are the peace makers” (Matt 5:9) - not the peace waiters. Like Micah’s soldiers-turned-farmers, we can turn our implements of destruction into tools of creation. Just as iron can be the material for either swords or plows, our own gifts and talents are raw stuff that can be channeled in many directions. A knack for leadership is a prime example of a gift that can be used for good or ill. The same might be said of almost any talent or skill, from engineering to baking to singing. Our talents are gifts from God, and we should employ them in the service of God’s creation. Like Micah’s farmers, we might need to examine and reshape them until they are put to their very best use.
Peace is not merely the absence of war; it is an ongoing, conscious effort to be in right relationship with everyone around us. Jesus is not known as the Prince of Peace because he passively avoided conflict. To the contrary, he actively transformed the destructive elements of this world until they served God. And he asks us to follow him.
Comfort: Peace is a project in which we can all participate.
Challenge: Make two lists: one for the skills and talents you are employing in service to creation, and another for those you are not. How can you get some of the items from the second list into the first?
Prayer: Teach me, O Lord, to make peace.
Evening readings: Ps 141, 143
“The opposite of war isn’t peace; it’s creation.”
-- Jonathan Larson, Rent
It’s easy to think of peace as an end unto itself. In a world full of conflict, achieving true, lasting peace is a project humankind has never been able to complete. But if we ever did achieve peace… what then?
Then… everything. Peace is the environment we seek to establish in order to maximize our service to each other and to God. Peace is not an end, but a beginning. The prophet Micah offers many warnings to the nation of Israel, but he also offers them the hope of peace. He describes a day when conflict will end and people “shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks” (Mic 4:3). When this time comes, the people will walk in the name of the Lord forever (v. 5).
What about now? What do we do while we wait for that glorious time? Well, Jesus tells us “blessed are the peace makers” (Matt 5:9) - not the peace waiters. Like Micah’s soldiers-turned-farmers, we can turn our implements of destruction into tools of creation. Just as iron can be the material for either swords or plows, our own gifts and talents are raw stuff that can be channeled in many directions. A knack for leadership is a prime example of a gift that can be used for good or ill. The same might be said of almost any talent or skill, from engineering to baking to singing. Our talents are gifts from God, and we should employ them in the service of God’s creation. Like Micah’s farmers, we might need to examine and reshape them until they are put to their very best use.
Peace is not merely the absence of war; it is an ongoing, conscious effort to be in right relationship with everyone around us. Jesus is not known as the Prince of Peace because he passively avoided conflict. To the contrary, he actively transformed the destructive elements of this world until they served God. And he asks us to follow him.
Comfort: Peace is a project in which we can all participate.
Challenge: Make two lists: one for the skills and talents you are employing in service to creation, and another for those you are not. How can you get some of the items from the second list into the first?
Prayer: Teach me, O Lord, to make peace.
Evening readings: Ps 141, 143
Tomorrow's readings: Ps 137, 144; Mic 5:1-4, 10-15; Acts 25:13-27; Luke 8:16-25
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