Let Peace Begin With Me

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21)

“Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.” (Psalm 34:14)

From the October 20^th killing of one of our own Gwinnett County Police Department officers, to last week’s mail-delivery of pipe bombs around the country, to the 11 victims slain this past Saturday at a Pittsburgh synagogue, the recent news has yet again been filled with stories of hatred and violence.

If you were at worship yesterday, you heard me condemn these senseless acts, and stand in solidarity with our Jewish brothers and sisters in prayer against the continued prejudice and violence of our world.  As followers of Christ, there is simply no room in either our words or our behaviors for anti-Semitism or other forms of bigotry, racism, or prejudice -- anything to the contrary clearly demonstrates a lack of understanding of the true ways and teachings of Jesus found in the Bible.  In his care for and ministry with Samaritans, “ladies of the night,” lepers, and even Gentiles, Jesus reached beyond the established racial and social customs of the day and sought to love everyone.  As his followers, we are called to do the same.

And yet, even if we know and understand this call, the love and peace of Christ is nevertheless sometimes elusive because there are forces within ourselves that are, at times, vying to be heard. For example, the biblical story of Pilate asking the crowd to choose between releasing either Barabbas or Jesus metaphorically also asks them to choose between the way of violence and hate (represented by Barabbas), and the way of love and compassion (represented by Jesus).  Read this story in Matthew 27:15-23, Mark 15:6-15, Luke 23:18-25, and John 18:39-40. In many ways, this choice haunts us today, and challenges each of us to ask ourselves, “What part am I playing in enabling peace and love to win out over prejudice, violence, and hate?”

The plot of the 1986 movie The Mission highlights this choice between choosing the way of love or choosing the way of violence, and how – just as with Jesus – too often we choose the latter.  The very last scene of the movie shows a 18^th-century religious leader in Paraguay who had ordered the removal of missionaries by force questioning those who carried it out about why they felt that the brutality and slaughter that was used was necessary.  One of them replies, “You had no alternative, your Eminence. We work in the world, and the world is thus.”  The religious leader replies, “No, Señor Hontes. Thus have we made the world….  Thus have I made it.”

So, before we go around complaining about what someone else is not doing to bring peace and understanding, we need to first look deep inside ourselves and ask what we are doing to help foster them, and to make sure our words and/or actions are not the inadvertent cause of strife, prejudice and hatred.  The words of a famous hymn say it well:

“Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me;

 Let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be.

 With God our creator, children all are we.

 Let us walk with each other in perfect harmony.

 Let peace begin with me; let this be the moment now.

 With every step I take, let this be my solemn vow:

 To take each moment and live each moment

            in peace eternally.

 Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.”

            [--Words by Sy Miller and Jill Jackson (1955), 

                    cited from the United Methodist Hymnal #431]

May this be our prayer as we struggle in our world to choose the ways of Jesus (the “prince of peace”).  Always remember that God loves you and I do, too!

NOTE: Find more resources for confronting and responding to violence HERE, and a response from the UMC Bishop of the Western Pennsylvania Conference in light of the synagogue shooting HERE.