Becoming a Peacemaker!

Over the years, Canada has developed a reputation of being a country which is devoted to peacekeeping in some of the troubled “hot spots” of the world. Although the role of our soldiers has changed recently in the process of hunting down members of the Taliban in Afghanistan, they are still looked upon as an army to help “keep the peace.” But keeping the peace and becoming a “peacemaker” are really two different things. You may remember that Jesus said in Matthew 5:9: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God” (NIV). From this verse, it becomes clear that one of the challenges set before believers today is to work for peace, starting first and foremost amongst the people who are a part of our church communities.

The Hebrew word for peace in the Old Testament is shalom. This important word refers to “the absence of strife” and points to the need for unity and harmony amongst the people of God. It also “expresses the fulfillment that comes to human beings when they experience the presence of God” (Lawrence Richards, Expository Dictionary of Bible Words). This means that the word shalom is meant to convey the importance of knowing the reality of God’s presence, which in turn, enables His people to live in a state of undivided harmony. How exciting to think that the church of Jesus Christ is meant to be a model of how people get along with each other! Perhaps this is why the late Henri Nouwen of Toronto’s L’Arche Daybreak community wrote is his book entitled Peacework, “without peace there will be no life.” In other words, abundant life always springs forth in an environment of peace. This means that we must make every effort to become peacemakers in the body of Christ. Practically, we can work for peace by:

1. Refusing to carry an offense against a fellow member in the church.

2. Avoiding conversations where concerns, gossip, or rumor is shared about others.

3. Laying down selfish agendas or desires that could end up creating strife in the family of God.

4. Praying regularly that God’s Spirit of peace would be evident in all that we do.

5. Working to create an atmosphere of harmony amongst believers by sharing words of hope, encouragement and comfort.

As we think about the world in which we live, it is obvious that in many places there is an absence of peace. Today, there are nations which have given themselves over to civil war, there are countries in constant conflict with others, and even on the streets of our cities there are people who live in constant fear of violence from others. How we need a people to emerge who would become peacemakers to a world that is desperately looking for help. But the challenge for us as Christians is this: Peace must first come to the house of God before it can impact the nations of the earth!