6-7-20 Sermon Notes “Peace With Justice”
When I was just a kid, back in the 1960’s, it was cool to have long hair, wear tie-dyed shirts and bell-bottomed jeans, and say things like, “Groovy!” and “Peace, man!” You know…hippy stuff. My parents did not think all that highly of hippies, so my sister’s and my clothing and language were not all that hippy-like. But we could occasionally get away with saying something was groovy, and we could occasionally hold up two fingers and say, “Peace, man.” Too much of that stuff, and our mom and dad would bring us back down to earth – usually by making us do some hot, sweaty chores.
It made me wonder, though…what does “peace” really mean? What does it mean when Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you?” (John 14: 27) Jesus was always wishing “peace” on his disciples, especially in the Gospel of John.
And what does it mean when Paul tells the Corinthian church to “live in peace?” That’s in our Scripture for this coming Sunday – Peace With Justice Sunday.
11 Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.
13 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. (2 Cor. 13: 11-13 NRSV)
The word in the Bible for “peace” is an incredibly rich word – the Hebrew word, “shalom.” Shalom can simply mean to be safe, sound, and whole. It would be like a greeting or wish you would wish on someone. “Shalom, man!” But when we dig deeper into shalom, we find it also means to be reconciled…to God, to others, and even within ourselves. In Colossians 1: 19 – 20, we see that through Christ, God “was pleased to reconcile to himself all things…on earth…in heaven…by making peace through Christ’s blood shed on the cross.” Biblical peace means putting things right…within ourselves, with our neighbor, and with God. No wonder Jesus was always wishing “peace” on his followers!
So, this isn’t just “peace” Sunday…it’s Peace With Justice Sunday. Peace…with…justice. If the most basic meaning of peace has to do with reconciliation, then it makes sense that we can’t really have peace without adding justice. We are reconciled to God through Christ, and we move toward being reconciled with each other…to be “reconcilers” of conflict among others.
The Social Principles of the United Methodist Church include this:
As disciples of Christ, we are called to love our enemies, seek justice, and serve as reconcilers of conflict. We must insist that the first moral duty of all nations is to work together to resolve by peaceful means every dispute that arises between or among them. (UM Social Principles, Par. 165.c)
Why is peace paired up with justice? Because we can’t really be at peace with God, within ourselves, and with our neighbors when justice is absent. When people are oppressed, when their basic needs and human dignity are denied…then there can be no real peace.
I know there is a tendency in the good ol’ Bible Belt to focus on personal morality and really downplay justice issues. But peace and justice go together. Personally and collectively, we must remember this! After all, I would hate to hear the words spoken to me that Jesus spoke to the super-religious Pharisees:
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices – mind, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law – justice, mercy and faithfulness. (Matt. 23: 23)
This Sunday we will talk about Scripture’s call to “live in peace.” But we will not neglect the call to also “put things in order.” We will celebrate Holy Communion (online), so make sure you have some bread, crackers, juice or wine so you can participate from home.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Sam