The Prize of Peace

This past week there has been a lot of talk about peace and prizes for peace. It got me wondering about peace and the chances we have for real peace.

Is it possible for there to be peace in this age? How about the age to come? What will it look like and who will bring us true and lasting peace?

For those of us who are Christ followers we know that true and final peace will not come during this age. (See 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3) As the age comes to a close we know that there will be more and more war and strife. Peace will not be found. (Matthew 24:6).

Jesus himself taught that peace making is a blessed occupation. (Matthew 5:9) But notice that he said peace makers not those who give peace away in a Chamberlin-like fashion. Peace at any cost is no peace at all. There are times when peace making requires non-peaceful methods.

And what about peace? What is peace? Too often we equate peace with the absence of open conflict. But in the Hebrew God calls peace shalom. Shalom is so much more then the absence of conflict. It is the creation of a Kingdom where God reign and rule comes to affect every portion of our life and being. Jesus came to offer a Kingdom of Shalom. But we wanted a peace that was ruled by force. There will come a time when Jesus will rule by force but now He offers us His shalom. Shalom is used as a greeting and a farewell (a wish for God’s blessing to be upon the other person), it is used to express our wish that His will, including His shalom is done here on earth as it is in heaven.

His peace should permeate the lives of all citizens of the God’s Kingdom. Our duty as citizens and representatives of His Kingdom is to seek to further His shalom both in our lives and in the world around us. While it is true that full peace will never be accomplished until after this age when the” age to come” comes, we are still commanded during the time of “now and not yet” to practice His peace to all that we meet.

It is always interesting to watch non-followers of Christ try to create something and long for something that is impossible to attain without the most necessary ingredient – the Prince of Shalom – Jesus Christ our Prince of Peace

Peace to you

Pastor Val

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like … The First Century

It seems that the more of the 21st Century that we experience the more it seems that we are living in the past. Bob Webber author of the ancient-future series used to say that the future is found by traveling through the past. He encouraged his student and readers to recognize that today the western Christianity faces many of the same obstacles that believers did during the first three centuries. The plurality of religions and the duality that has crept into Christianity all point to similar circumstances with the early Christians.

Now to start the New Year comes yet another similarity with the first century. Hamas has legalized crucifixion for enemies of Islam. For centuries this form of execution that been called the most brutal of all capital punishments was outlawed. But that no longer is the case.

This announcement was reported in the Jerusalem Post. You can read the entire article at http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230111707087&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull

“On Tuesday, Hamas legislators marked the Christmas season by passing a Shari'a criminal code for the Palestinian Authority. Among other things, it legalizes crucifixion.

Hamas's endorsement of nailing enemies of Islam to crosses came at the same time it renewed its jihad. Here, too, Hamas wanted to make sure that Christians didn't feel neglected as its fighters launched missiles at Jewish day care centers and schools. So on Wednesday, Hamas lobbed a mortar shell at the Erez crossing point into Israel just as a group of Gazan Christians were standing on line waiting to travel to Bethlehem for Christmas.”

Isn’t interesting, we have not heard any news reports outside of the Middle East about the reinstitution of this punishment. I wonder when the first sanctioned crucifixion will be carried out. Will the Western News outlets carry it? It makes you feel like we are slipping back in time as we travel into the future.

Jesus said that in this world we would know persecution and if they hated our master why would we expect to be treated any better?

Enjoy the New Year but never forget that our job is to live out our King’s command to spread his message of shalom to a world that hates our King and fights against the shalom that he offers to all who follow Him

Happy New Year may His shalom live in your heart throughout this coming year!

Grace to you

Pastor Val