True Peace
Posted by Rev. Dr. Lance Giuffrida on 08/07/2008
Thursday, August 07, 2008
100 years ago, as the Twentieth Century was ushered in with a wave of enthusiasm, we stood in the shadow of terrible politics that would soon bring the curtain down on the world’s hope for peace. The War to End All Wars, WWI, was fought on a global stage. And when it was over, hardly a single person could be found who was not affected by it. But it didn’t end all war. WWII erupted with all the fury of hell and evil and ended much the same way. Then the Mideast. Then Korea. Then Viet Nam. Then the Mideast again. Then Bosnia. Then the Mideast again.
And as the Twenty-first century begins we are once again facing world crisis—in the Mideast, in Korea, and in our own cities and towns. I know you’re wondering why I decided to rehearse our history of conflict and warfare. I’m not trying to depress you; I suspect many of you are already that. I’m trying to impress upon you that true liberation can never be gained by human means. Neither military nor humanitarian purpose can truly free us from our own need to be right or righteous. Only one can—God.
Knowing our hearts and our minds as we do, God knows them even better. No matter how perfect our intentions are, the desire of God is to perfect our souls. And while we must strive to bring peace and unity to the nations of the world, we must equally strive to bring God into our lives. Nothing else will really work, you know. While peace treaties can require we hang up our swords and shields, we never really do forget where they are. Or how to wield them. The soft touch of Jesus in our heart can easily be overwhelmed when our feelings are hurt, when our cities are under threat, and when our nation is attacked. And while all things in moderation is true of most things in life, it cannot be true of our devotion to Christ, or we will war again. And again. And again.
In a recent editorial of “Christian History”, Chris Armstrong describes the preaching efforts of Jonathan Edwards as “aimed at breaking down and converting a group of Yankees who saw religion as more or less a do-it-yourself project.” If that was true in 1734, it is even truer today. Our cities and towns are full of religious spirit, but not much of it has anything to do with true religion as given to us in the Gospels of Jesus Christ. The mark of a religious spirit is sincerity and tolerance, and while these are noble things, why haven’t the pursuits of pagan humanitarians brought peace to our world? Because these pursuits, as noble as they are, cannot convert the human spirit. Our own history of war is evidence enough.
But what might happen if we did all turn to Jesus? What if all of those who call themselves Christians turned to Jesus as their baptismal vows declare: with all of their heart, all of their soul, all of their mind, and all of their strength? Maybe, just maybe, we might experience among ourselves the same thing experienced in Northampton, almost 300 years ago:
The town seemed to be full of the presence of God: it never was so full of love, nor so full of joy…There were remarkable tokens of God’s presence in almost every house….God’s day was a delight…everyone earnestly intent on the public worship, every hearer eager to drink in the words of the minister as they came from his mouth.
If this is a time of national soul searching and prayer, ask yourself this: what does your discussion among family and friends resemble? Is it like the description of an entire town that turned their hearts seriously to God in Jesus? Or is it more like the endless rounds of “head to head” arguments we see on TV? Has your practice of Christianity brought you any nearer to the true peace your soul longs for? Or are you just as mystified by this and other wars as are those who have no hope?
Honestly, my friends, the future is in your hands. The world you hope for your children, and for your children’s children, will not be effected by sincerity and humanitarian means. The world you dream of can only come when we turn our full attention to the Prince of Peace. God bless and think on these things.
Fr Lance
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