Blessed are the Peace Makers
Isaiah 2:4
Matthew 5:9
We live in a broken world.
Something has gone terribly wrong.
People are angry at one another.
They are angry and suspicious of people who do not look like them, do not worship the same god, do not live in the same country, and vote for the “other candidate.”
We are vulnerable.
And we are allowing our vulnerability to take us to places we never dreamed of going.
This is in great part, the legacy of September, 11, 2001.
This past week, I spent one evening watching, on YouTube, all three major network morning shows as they were broadcast on September 11, 2001.
If you get the time to watch at least one of these—I highly recommend it.
The morning news was going along as usual that Tuesday morning 15 years ago today.
On NBC Al Roker had just finished the weather.
It was going to be a beautiful sunny day in early September.
On CBS’ morning show, a couple of stars from the t-v show “Everyone loves Raymond” were being interviewed.
On Good Morning America Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer were about ready to move to a new segment…
…when, all of a sudden, there was a break in the usual routine…
…and a live video feed of one of the Twin Towers, with smoke billowing out the windows, took the place of what had just been another beautiful morning in America.
How could this happen?
This must be some kind of a mistake.
This has to be something which is less serious than it looks.
After-all, we live in America.
At first, of course, no one could figure out what was going on.
It was approximately 8:50 in the morning and the news anchors were speaking to folks on the phone who had seen, what they described as, a small commuter plane accidently crash into one of the World Trade Center buildings.
There was no talk of Terrorism right away, just bewilderment.
Could there be a problem with “air traffic control” people wondered.
Had the plane lost control?
One caller thought she had seen the plane try and swerve out of the way of the building.
Surely this was a terrible accident—a mistake.
As they were speaking, and as more and more Americans were starting to watch their television screens, a few minutes after 9 a.m. another plane—this time it was clear that it was a good sized jet—slammed right into the other tower.
People screamed.
The people on t-v went silent for a moment.
And then, Charlie Gibson on ABC began to talk, for the first time, about this being “no accident.”
America was under attack.
Thousands of lives were on the line.
New York City was in chaos.
We didn’t yet know that another plane would soon hit the Pentagon, and another headed for Washington, D.C.—perhaps the White House—would crash into a field in Pennsylvania after a heroic group of passengers rushed the cockpit.
Another thing we didn’t yet know is that September 11, 2001 would become a day that changed everything!!!
We lost a lot of innocence that day.
We lost a lot of freedom which we had come to take for granted.
We became less trustful of others…
…especially of people who look different and dress different.
We became a scared nation.
And angry nation…
…a Reactionary Nation.
And for the past 15 years we have been experiencing the different stages of grief.
The fifth and final stage of grief is acceptance that this is the new normal.
And that things will never be the same again.
And sure, we can never replace what was lost, but we can make the world a better place.
We can be a part of what God is doing; and that is creating a new heaven and a new earth—where things will be restored to the way things were originally meant to be.
These are exciting times.
Let us not be depressed.
Let us not be angry!!!
Instead, “let us go to the mountain of the Lord…”
…and…
“…He will teach us his ways so that we may walk in his paths.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in The Cost of Discipleship that “the followers of Jesus have been called to peace.
When Jesus called them they found their peace, for He is their peace.
But now they are told that they must not only have peace but make it.”
Does that make sense to you?
As Peacemakers, we are called to action.
Faith without action is dead!!!
We are to feed our enemies, love those who hate us, clothe those who have done nothing for us, provide food for those who ask, and spread the fire of love throughout our community and our land.
And in doing this we are working toward a new future…a future which is not just a repetition of the past.
It’s a future where we are living out the Lord’s prayer: “Thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.”
It goes against our grain.
Our natural inclination is often to “lash out,” to defend ourselves, to fight fire with fire.
But the Gospel of Jesus Christ is often in direct opposition to our natural inclinations.
And that is a good thing.
In 1 Timothy 1:14, Paul declares, “The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”
And this is what we need to pray for.
This is what we are called to be witnesses too.
This is what we are called to preach and proclaim....
…that the grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ is bigger than this horrible catastrophe.....
….That the grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ is bigger than any terrorist.....
…That the grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ is bigger than any hate...
…bigger much bigger than any evil!
We’re talking about the God Who changes water into wine....
...the God Who raises the dead....
….the God Who befriends the friendless, and touches the untouchables.....
…the God Who takes something as horrible as a cross used for execution, and turns it into a symbol of eternal life!
On September 11, 2001 and in the years since we have seen, felt, and
experienced the most dreadful evil imaginable.
So what are we as Christians to do in the face of this tragedy?
In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus tells us “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
And I don’t think that we can do this on our own.
We are also called to forgive.
And I don’t think we can do this on our own either.
And if we are to be “Children of God” we are to be “peace makers.”
And I know we can’t do this on our own.
But it is possible, and there is only one way that it is possible......
…By calling upon God....
…by asking God to help us to be able to do this....
…by asking God to give us God’s forgiveness.
We can’t get anywhere without forgiveness.
Carrying around hatred in our hearts is a horrible burden.
And it’s a burden which makes us vulnerable.
It makes us vulnerable to follow anyone who promises easy solutions, revenge, hatred, war, shock and awe.
But this doesn’t satisfy.
It just leaves us more empty, lost, and in a bigger mess than before.
I think we have seen this first hand over the past 15 years.
Hatred breeds hatred.
Revenge breeds revenge.
Violence brings more violence.
Forgiveness, on the other hand, brings freedom and opens the door to reconciliation—to peace.
The prophet Isaiah talks about a day when people will rely on God.
And in doing so, they will trade in their weapons of war for instruments of peace.
Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
That is our job.
That is to be our mission.
Christianity has been hijacked like those plans on September 11 and dragged into the call for nationalism, militarism and revenge.
This is not the Christianity of Christ.
The Christianity of Christ is the opposite of these things.
It is peace, love, mercy, forgiveness, eternal life.
Through the power of the Prince of Peace guiding us and residing in our hearts we can decide to forgive.
We can begin the process which will eventually lead to Isaiah’s vision.
…and it may take time....
…it may take a long time.
But “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”
And I’m a sinner.
How about you?
If Jesus can forgive me, who am I to withhold my forgiveness toward another?
When Jesus was hanging on the cross in utter humiliation and agony He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
The terrorists acted out in ignorance and unbelief and we are called to do what can only be done through the Spirit of the living and loving God ruling in our lives.
“Father forgive them.”
Father forgive us.
Father, enable us to keep on keeping on....
Father, enable us to believe in your mercy and your love.
Father enable us to accept your mercy and your love for ourselves.
Father give us Your peace so that we can have Your peace.
Father give us Your peace so that we can be peacemakers.
The future belongs to God and the children of God--those who have glimpsed God’s light and are willing to walk and trust in the Light.
The future is what is written in Isaiah Chapter 2: “[God] will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths…
…He will judge between nations and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”
We are in the presence of a great mystery.
There will be a day when there will no longer be war.
The reasons for envy, greed, resentment, retribution, and fear will be abolished, and weapons will be irrelevant.
The world will be converted from learning war to learning the ways of God.
And we, as Christ’s Body on this earth are called to help usher in this new reality—the reign of God.
That’s what the Church is: a Body of believers where the reign of God is already at work—though not yet in its fullness.
We saw the reign of God in Jesus Christ, Who converted fear into love, lunacy into sanity, and enemies into friends.
He died surrounded by swords.
A spear stabbed Him.
Nails tore Him.
But the spears and the nails entered into infinite Love—and that infinite love melted those instruments of torture into light.
So let us come to the light as well.
Let’s allow the infinite love of God, found in Jesus Christ, to melt away the darkness of our anger, our pain, our defensiveness, our hatred, our violence, our prejudice—and turn them into “light.”
Jesus has called us to be the light of the world, and the salt of the earth.
We are to be “Peace Makers”—the very children of the God Who will soon fully rule all people who will believe.
The future is bright for those who choose to trust the Prince of Peace.
Those of us who are taught by God will seek peace and practice violence no more.
We will be part of the “New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
And God will dwell with us forever.
God will be with us.
We will be His people.
And there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things will have passed away.
God will wipe away every tear from our eyes.”
Glory to God!!!
Amen.
