“Believers Who Make Peace”
Sermon Series on
“Peacemaking a Believer’s calling”
Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ September 16, 2012
Scripture: Psalm
16 read responsively and Matthew 5: 1-16
Unity Presbyterian Church ~ Terre Haute,
Indiana
INTRODUCTION
TO SCRIPTURE
Psalm
16 read responsively
There
are some serious textual problems with Psalm 16, but for today let us trust the
translators of the text and listen instead for a message of care and love found
in a life of faith.
1Protect me, O
God, for in you I take refuge.
2I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good
apart from you.”
3As for the holy
ones in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight.
4Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows;
their drink offerings of blood I will
not pour out or take their names upon my lips.
5The Lord is my
chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
6The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant
places; I have a goodly heritage.
7I bless the Lord
who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.
8I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at
my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9Therefore my
heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure.
10For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your
faithful one see the Pit.
11You show me the
path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are
pleasures forevermore.
Matthew
5: 1-16
When
I was first ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament, I chose the call of
Abraham as the pivotal text for our worship service.
“Go from your country and your kindred and
your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a
great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will
be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:1&2)
To
be a blessing seems significant in our relationship with one another. In the “Sermon on the Mount” Jesus expands
being a blessing; to being blessed by following God’s will in our lives. Giving and receiving blessings are all
wrapped up in the Hebrew word for Peace – Shalom, which means so much more than
an absence of violence. It means
wellbeing; completeness; health and contentment. It is the encompassing nature of God’s
blessings that bring us to such a state and that we are called to create
together.
When
Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his
disciples came to him.2Then he began to speak, and taught them,
saying:
3“Blessed are the
poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.4“Blessed are
those who mourn, for they will be comforted.5“Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.6“Blessed are those who hunger and
thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.7“Blessed are the
merciful, for they will receive mercy.8“Blessed are the pure in
heart, for they will see God.9“Blessed
are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.10“Blessed
are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.11“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute
you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.12Rejoice
and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they
persecuted the prophets who were before you.
13“You are the
salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be
restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled
under foot.14“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill
cannot be hid.15No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the
bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.16In
the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your
good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
SERMON
“Blessed
are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Believers who make peace are called children
of God. For me, when I hear the word
“make” I think of creative activities such as cooking, carpentry or gardening. But making peace seems so ethereal. I wonder, “Where is the concrete result of
peacemaking I can see and touch?” My
plan for this sermon series is to seriously look at peacemaking as we move
toward World Communion Sunday when we receive and dedicate our peacemaking
offerings.
In the Gospel of Luke, as Jesus is teaching in the
synagogues, he comes to his home town and reads the Isaiah passage that would
frame his en-fleshed life. It is here that he grounds his calling in the making
of peace. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to
bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim
the year of the Lord’s favor.”[1]
Last week we remembered that Jesus’ purpose was to
proclaim the Kingdom of God and how we are to live as citizens of God’s kingdom. If we too are called to herald the Kingdom of
God and we too are called to be children of God, then we too are called to be
makers of peace through works of justice and compassion: to be light in the
darkness and salt that gives flavor. We
do that through a myriad of actions that make for peace. I think making peace really is like
gardening, baking, and carpentry:
·
Gather
your resources
·
Put
them together
·
Waiting
time/patience
·
Share
the result
·
Give
thanks.
Respect of others, even when we disagree
with one another.
Seek common ground.
People who have made peace in their
communities.
Prayer, prayer, prayer!!!!
Good listening practices
Time and financial support
Remember Northern Ireland? Over thirty
years of violence, what seemed irreconcilable hatred between groups, and generations
of injury.
The legacy
is deep seeded hurt from decades of fighting and polarization along religious,
political and cultural divisions. Even after a decade of peace movement toward
full reconciliation still needs to be seen as a generational task involving the
churches, voluntary bodies, and community groups, working alongside
politicians.[2]
One example is Project Children which was
started in 1975 by members of the Gaelic Cultural Society who wished to assist
the blameless children who had become victims of the conflict in Northern
Ireland. Money was raised to bring six children, Protestant and Catholic, from
Belfast to the United States to spend a six week vacation together. Since its inception, more than 16,000
children have experienced a summer of peace and tranquility in the United
States. Now they are bringing young adults who are doing internships in various
areas of law, politics, science and building trades.[3] Did this cost time and money, you bet!
How
do these resources go together?
Prayerfully and Carefully.
Can you find common ground without
respect of others?
Who in your family, our church or
community has a history of peacemaking among people? Often in counseling we challenge peacemakers
because they have lost a sense of their own worth. Peacemakers cannot be doormats! Could you see Jesus as a doormat?[4] Peacemakers are those who stand up for
righteous relationships and justice.
They will encourage risk taking.
The Presbyterian Peacemaking offering at
the national level takes gifts of nearly one million dollars and works with the
Red Hand Campaign to end the use of children as soldiers, supports peace
efforts in the Sudan, Israel, Palestine, the Philippians, Congo,
Colombia, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and other
places around the world. Think of the
careful and prayerful efforts that have come together in so many places to make
peace a reality.
Why
wait?
Whether it is waiting for bread to rise,
paint to dry or plants to grow, good results only come to those who wait in
patience. When I see violence reign in
our world, I want to stop it right NOW!
But lasting peace, takes time and people are hurt and dying during those
waiting times. It is the hardest thing
to do, is not to rush into violence our selves and wait for God’s grace to be
revealed.
With
whom do we share our results?
Wherever brothers and sisters hurt one
another: in families, communities and around the world they need to know there
is another way that works.
Praise
God!!!!!
Everyday and in every life there are
reasons to rejoice. The makings for more
shalom/more peace is born from the praise of God.
