Is Peace a Possibility

Written by Pastor Ed

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http://dl.dropbox.com/u/46934662/Nov%206%202011%20.MP3

Is Peace a Possibility?

November 6, 2011

Micah 4: 1-4

Ephesians 3:16-21

Psalm 130:5-7

Video http://www.mcc.org/stories/videos/earth-heaven-praying-peace

Yes, we wait in eager expectation, but the question is, for what?  For some, the Biblical quotes at the beginning of this video suggest that working and hoping for peace is at best unrealistic, and at worst working against God’s plan for the end of the world.  I have just finished reading a book about the vast history and industry of Christian apocalypticism entitled, When Time Shall be No More. 

For many who accept the premises of that genre, wars and rumours of wars are givens in the end times which we are living in.  And each new war adds fuel to the speculation and time setting.  To work to eliminate war is fruitless they say, because the Bible says there will always be war.  In fact, some would argue, trying to eliminate war is actually working against God’s plan, since wars are inevitable.  In fact, according to some, working for peace may be playing into the hands of the Anti-Christ.

Peace, in that scenario, only has to do with the inner peace we get by becoming a Christian and knowing we will be saved from the final conflagration of Armageddon.  Peace will only come when Christ returns and establishes the Kingdom. 

But what do we do with the words of Jesus who tells us to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us?  And what do we do with Micah’s vision, or Isaiah’s similar vision of a time when nations will come to the mountain of the lord and turn their swords into ploughshares, or their rifles into potato forks as the sculpture over the door to Justapaz in Bogota, Colombia renders the vision as seen on the cover of the bulletin?  Are those only for some future time with no meaning for today?

Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah, and prophesied during a time is Israel’s history when there was much to be concerned about.  The opening chapters of Micah contain strong words of condemnation for Samaria and Judah and their rulers.  “Alas for those who devise wickedness and evil deeds on their beds!  When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in their power.”  (2:1)  It’s rulers give judgment for a bribe, its priests teach for a price, its prophets give oracles for money; yet they lean on the Lord and say, ‘Surely the Lord is with us! No harm shall come upon us.’”  (3:11)  Such practices and attitudes will surely lead to destruction, and exile.  God will not stand for it.

Yet, as with all the prophets, all is not hopeless.  Micah sees a day when there will be peace and security, part of which we read this morning from chapter 4.  “The days are coming,” says Micah when many nations will come together to learn of God’s ways and in that gathering they will practice justice and peace will reign among them.  They will turn their implements of destruction into useful implements of planting and tilling, and they will feel secure, even out in the open under the fig trees.  No one will make them afraid.

It reminds me of an area close to Pipestone, Minnesota where the First Nations peoples all came together to mine the soft red stone that is used to make peace pipes.  It is still an active quarry and you can see artisans at work.  But in earlier days, it was not only a place of digging stone, but a place of peace.  Since it was one of the few places that pipestone was available, all the tribes came together there to quarry it.  And so it was a “peace zone” where any tribe could come to get stone and not be afraid of other tribes, even those of whom they might be bitter enemies.  Such it will be among many nations in Micah’s portrayal.

And how or when will this be in Micah’s estimation?  According to Micah, that all depends on the people.  After all that God had done for them, delivering them from Egypt and bringing them to a new land, this was the way they responded.  But it was not what God was looking for.  “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (6:8)

As with all the prophets before him and after, Micah’s call to the people was for repentance and obedience.  Only then will that vision of peace and security come to pass.  Only as the people of God begin to fulfill their role as God’s people, living according to God’s purposes and walking in God’s ways will the vision of peace begin to come about.  A few years ago, MCC put forth what they called a modest proposal for peace, namely that the Christians of the world would agree to stop killing each other.  How novel an idea!  And yet how profound and what a difference it would make.

Micah understands where conflict and war seems to arise from, as he ends his vision of peace with a note that “no one shall make them afraid.”  Fear of the other has always been the culprit for much of the oppression, war, and violence in the world.  When I was growing up in the 50’s and 60’s it was the fear of communism that drove much what we did and heard.  Today it’s the fear of terrorism, from whatever quarter that may be, that drives the security measures we all enjoy so much at the airport!  Fear is a powerful motivator, and Micah recognized that in order for there to be a peaceful setting, fear would need to be eliminated.

That is as true today as it was in the time of Micah.  And one of the things we hear Jesus saying over and over is “Fear not.”  “But,” we protest, “there is so much to fear.  We need to be careful, watchful.”  When people are asked about all the security measures, they usually respond that they don’t like them, but feel safer because of them.  Yet the reality is that, for the most part, none of those measures make a bit of difference in actual security – they just give us the illusion of safety.

As Christians, our security comes from a much deeper place than whether someone carries liquids on a plane that aren’t in a zip-lock baggie.  Jesus’ admonishments to not fear were not because the disciples had all gone through security before getting on the boat.  Rather we are told we need not fear, because God, through Christ has overcome all that we might fear, including the ultimate fear itself, death.  When we no longer fear death, then everything else becomes relatively minor.

I recall Lynn Miller, Mennonite pastor and author, tell of being confronted at gunpoint on the streets of Chicago by someone who demanded money.  Lynn explained to the man that he had no money on him, but since he lived only a short distance away, if the man wanted to come with him he would give him some.  And after repeating his offer, turned and began walking toward his house.  The man was so confounded by this response that he put his gun away and walked off!  

CPT’ers, member s of Christian Peacemaker Teams, also tell stories of what it means to face violence and anger and to do so without fear.  In fact the only way to confront those situations is to not be driven by fear, and the results are often amazing.  We can live like that because of the God we serve; the God of Micah who calls us to live a life of mercy, to love justice, and walk humbly with our God.  

That humbleness is also a part of the vision of peace that Micah portrays.  Some time ago I read an article that stated that one of the underlying principles of pacifism, or a stance of peace, was the understanding that we might be wrong.  What a profound statement!  Arrogance is surely the companion of fear.  Part of the reason we fear the “other” is because we are so sure that we are right and they are wrong. 

You have heard me say it before, and probably will hear me say it again, but I was relieved to discover that my salvation does not depend on my being right on every theological point.  And what a tension reliever that is when it comes to talking with those who differ.  That’s not to say I don’t have some firmly held beliefs – but I could be wrong!

And I can take that stance because I know the one whom Paul refers to as he pronounces a benediction on the church at Ephesus.  These words took on new meaning for me as my staff and I visited each congregation in our conference and ended each session with this benediction.  Listen to these phrases:

“strengthened in your inner being with power”; “rooted and grounded in love”; “to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.”  And where does all this come from?  From the one “who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine.”

Is peace a possibility?  Well, certainly not if the only way we think it can be attained is by the use of force or fear, or even by our own feeble attempts.  But is peace a possibility? I think most certainly it is, because I worship a God who can do far more than I can even imagine.  And we are called to participate in that movement toward peace, just as Micah called the people of his day.  We participate in building peace as we live humbly each day, practice justice and love even for our enemies, and listen to the voice of Jesus who says, “Fear not.”

The materials for this Sunday provided by MCC Canada include a declaration of citizenship, modeled after the declaration used in citizenship ceremonies in Canada.  This is a declaration of Christian citizenship, which reads as follows:

“I affirm that I will be faithful and bear allegiance to Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, and to the Holy Spirit who moves us toward love, and that I will faithfully observe the peacemaking call of God and fulfill my vocation as an ambassador of reconciliation and as a citizen of the nonviolent Reign of God.”

If you are so inclined, I invite you to read it with me.  If we bear that allegiance, we need not fear, and can truly look forward to a day of peace among all people.