LENT 2021:  PEACE

Psalm 122: 6-9 






(NRSV)  

 
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

    “May they prosper who love you.
7 Peace be within your walls,
    and security within your towers.”
8 For the sake of my relatives and friends
    I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
    I will seek your good.

Peace - what is it?  It's more than just the absence of war.   

I like the slogan of the Carter Center - Waging Peace.  To wage peace is doing the necessary work toward prosperity, security and the well-being of those we love (Psalm 122).  And who do we love?  We love the Lord our God, and love our neighbors as ourselves.  Clearly, Jesus tells us that our neighbors are whoever is in need; not just people we know, and not those who are easy to love.  

During some of our recent wars, I have heard American Christians pray that it is better for the bombing and destruction to be "over there" rather than here.  To wish destruction against our man-made enemies is against Jesus' instructions to pray for our enemies.  How can we pray for our enemies in Christian love, and at the same time pray for their destruction.  To me, our Christian love and peace go hand in hand.  If we truly wage peace in the world, we will work in Christian love for our enemies to be prosperous and secure within their homes. 

This is a hard concept to understand, but Philippians 4:7 says that God's peace surpasses our understanding.  We need to think and act as God thinks and acts, loving the entire world so much that we will sacrifice our best for them; praying and acting for God's will to truly be done on earth, as it is in heaven.  Christian love must accompany God's peace in the world.   Let there be peace on earth.