Peacemaker People
Sermon
Building Character
With God's Laws And Declarations
Indexes of books have always fascinated me. Whenever I look in an index, I think of the work someone has done to put in alphabetical order the subjects dealt with in a book; that is, I used to marvel at that accomplished task. Now, computers have taken over the job. Nevertheless, indexes still fascinate me.
They intrigue me most not by the subjects listed, but by the subjects omitted. I am always amazed how an author can write an entire book without mentioning a certain topic or word. For example, there are books on theology, the study of God, which never mention the word prayer. I don't understand how a person can write a book on the study of God without talking to God. Or, as a student of history, I have always appreciated the work of Arnold J. Toynbee and his wife Veronica. Yet, I cannot understand how Toynbee could have written a whole book on A Study Of History without mentioning the word peace. They wrote in great detail concerning their thesis that there is a rhythm in the histories of civilization, how certain patterns develop in the growth and breakdown of civilizations. I have possessed a copy of their book since May 26, 1948, and I still can't understand how they could have left out the word peace in a study of humankind. So, the subjects omitted in book indexes never cease to amaze me.
The oddity is not confined to book writing. Everyday conversations are monotonous, at times. We ask each other, "How are you?" without having the least intention of listening to the answer. We talk about the weather, as if some new phenomenon has arisen on the horizon that must be dealt with. We make small talk to keep the conversation flowing. We talk about what others are doing wrong without trying to be constructive. We talk about ourselves as if nobody else has problems. It is what we don't say that is amazing. Serious conversation on subjects that matter have a way of escaping us. We talk about the externals without talking about the eternals. What we don't say to each other in a serious way is rather amazing.
There are some words that cannot be omitted from life --Êdeath, for instance. When somebody dies, we often say, "He passed away." Pray tell, where did he go? Why are we so afraid to say the word death? Do we think it will go away if we don't mention it? He is dead, awaiting the resurrection to life or the resurrection to damnation (John 5:29). There is nothing you or I can do about it. It is done. It is finished. The dead man made his choice while he lived. The results will not go up on the board until resurrection day, not Easter, but the last day of civilization, whenever that is.
What we don't say about a dead person is probably a good thing. By the conversations I have heard at funerals, however, there never was a bad guy buried. The preacher is always expected to say something nice about the deceased, hard pressed as the preacher might be. We omit words about humankind being a failure and needing a victorious Christ. Death has a way of burying evil with it, or so we think. Seldom do we learn any lessons from those who mourn. There are just too many unsaid words. We dwell more on the attributes of the deceased than on the attributes of his God, if he had one.
I wonder what they said about Christ when he died on the cross? He wasn't an old man dying from cancer. He wasn't a man who needed a transplant. He was a young man full of life who became full of death in a matter of a few horrendous hours. What did they say about him? A captain in the Roman army, who assuredly was accustomed to seeing people die, was affected by Christ's demeanor on the cross and was heard to say, "Truly this man was God's Son!" (Matthew 27:54). Where did the captain get this expression "God's Son"? He was an emperor worshiper. The captain might as well have said, "He was a good man." One of the other Gospels reported the captain as saying, "Certainly this man was innocent!" (Luke 23:47). Regardless of how it is translated, the thought conveyed is, "He was a good man."
Was there no one else to speak about this man who hung lifeless on a cross other than a captain of the army? Mary, what did you say? Mary Magdalene, what did you say? Simon of Cyrene, what did you say? Peter, James, and John, wherever you were, what did you say? My goodness! Was there only an army captain to say anything except, "He was a good man"? Fifty days had to go by before anybody got enough courage to face the world and tell it like it was, "You are the Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know -- this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law" (Acts 2:22-23). It took Peter fifty days to get over the shock of the crucifixion and the unbelievable resurrection to tell anybody about it.
Words of great people do not die with them. What they pass on in ways of wisdom aid generation after generation. We have learned that from sages of the past.
The words of Christ from the cross have been imbedded deeply in the minds of people for centuries. What he said on a mountainside will be contemplated for years to come. Whatever else we say about Christ, we have to say he was a peacemaker. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." Even a Roman captain saw in the Christ of the cross a peacemaker. "Truly this man was God's Son!"
We can get pretty excited about this subject of peace. There are many peace lovers; there are few peacemakers. What our country would give for a peacemaker these days! Nuclear weapons have not made the world safe for democracy, or safe period. A few years ago some senators and congressmen were eagerly preparing bills to establish a new department in our government, a Department of Peace. They claimed that a Secretary of Peace could pursue this matter of peace in the world with the same energy and dedication as people of science struggled to put somebody on the moon. They felt a great urgency to establish peace in the world for all time. Nobody could argue that point, but it didn't happen. We have a Department of War but we do not have a Department of Peace.
We can say this about Jesus in this matter of peacemaking. He had more in mind than people getting along with one another, more in mind than nations learning to live on a planet in some kind of harmony. He certainly was concerned for peace among nations, as he believed the people should "Give ... to the emperor the things that are the emperor's ..." (Matthew 22:21). However, he believed that peace with God had priority. Since Adam and Eve, humankind has been more at war with God than with one another. This is verified throughout history. At times, people would mold a golden calf to demonstrate their defiance, insisting that God shape up and pay more attention to his creation. At times, people would argue the existence of God and exalt the human mind. At times, people would claim to be God, acclaiming themselves more than mortal, as with Roman emperors. At times, people would assert God is outmoded or dead. At times, people would simply ignore God in the pursuit of their own happiness. Humankind has never found it difficult to wage war against God.
Jesus endeavored to show humans that God was not their enemy, although they hung him on a cross in an attempt to disprove it. Jesus sprung back to life to show human beings that their real enemy, their last enemy, death, had been destroyed.
The role of Jesus Christ is peacemaker. The word peace means completeness or wholeness. We can think of peace in terms of reconciliation. When we are reconciled to God, when we are willing to accept life as the Creator intended, we become complete, whole. You cannot be a whole or complete person without God. This is not possible. That's why the nonbeliever or the partial believer never experience completeness or wholeness.
All of us, at one time or another, have tried to eliminate the word death from the index of our lives. We pretend it isn't there, except on forcible occasions. We embrace the attitude, in one form or another, that this is the only life there is. We almost never expect to die. Therefore, we become forever frustrated about life. We are torn between daring to live and fearing to die. Or, we may lose all hope of seeing anything ahead and want to get life over as quickly as possible. Or, we may want life never to end so much that we never permit ourselves to love anybody.
A neighbor of mine didn't want any more pets. He loved the pets of the other neighbors. He didn't want any of his own because, he told me, "I will become too attached to them and when they die, it will be like losing a child." He missed the joy of loving his own pet and having his own pet love him because he was afraid of being hurt. He knew that to love means you are going to be hurt some time. He didn't want that to happen to him again.
But that is exactly what happened to Jesus Christ. It will happen to anybody who loves the world so much that they give themselves for the completeness and wholeness of others. Because Christ was not only a peacemaker, he makes peacemakers of others. It is the one word that we need in our lives, as well as the word death. When you die and others look into your book of life, the word peacemaker needs to be in there.
John Glenn, the senator, went up into space again in 1998 on a mission to provide scientists information about the effects of age. When he was launched into space as the first American astronaut, news people inquired about his thoughts and fears as he shot through space with the real possibility of death as a result. Glenn replied calmly, "My peace had been made with my Maker for a number of years...." I rather imagine he cherished the same thought the second time he was launched into space.
Christ's resurrection has made it possible for us to be at peace with our Maker. He has also made it possible for us to launch out as peacemakers. In a real sense, the Christian church is God's "Department of Peace." It is God's way of assuring humankind that after a crucifixion there is always a resurrection. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called (sons and daughters) children of God." Peacemakers are people of character.
The beatitudes are building blocks for character: kingdom people, brokenhearted people, disciplined people, righteous people, kindhearted people, pure-in-heart people, and peacemaker people. The utilization of the beatitudes enables people to draw from truths that last forever and ever. They are character builders.
This matter of character building is a lifelong endeavor. Jesus bade us to be "perfect," but we know that is not possible for humankind. It is his way of encouraging us to follow him by including ingredients of character that make life purposeful and meaningful. Laws (the ten commandments) and Declarations (the beatitudes) help us latch onto principles that never die. They help us live with a sense of character.
They intrigue me most not by the subjects listed, but by the subjects omitted. I am always amazed how an author can write an entire book without mentioning a certain topic or word. For example, there are books on theology, the study of God, which never mention the word prayer. I don't understand how a person can write a book on the study of God without talking to God. Or, as a student of history, I have always appreciated the work of Arnold J. Toynbee and his wife Veronica. Yet, I cannot understand how Toynbee could have written a whole book on A Study Of History without mentioning the word peace. They wrote in great detail concerning their thesis that there is a rhythm in the histories of civilization, how certain patterns develop in the growth and breakdown of civilizations. I have possessed a copy of their book since May 26, 1948, and I still can't understand how they could have left out the word peace in a study of humankind. So, the subjects omitted in book indexes never cease to amaze me.
The oddity is not confined to book writing. Everyday conversations are monotonous, at times. We ask each other, "How are you?" without having the least intention of listening to the answer. We talk about the weather, as if some new phenomenon has arisen on the horizon that must be dealt with. We make small talk to keep the conversation flowing. We talk about what others are doing wrong without trying to be constructive. We talk about ourselves as if nobody else has problems. It is what we don't say that is amazing. Serious conversation on subjects that matter have a way of escaping us. We talk about the externals without talking about the eternals. What we don't say to each other in a serious way is rather amazing.
There are some words that cannot be omitted from life --Êdeath, for instance. When somebody dies, we often say, "He passed away." Pray tell, where did he go? Why are we so afraid to say the word death? Do we think it will go away if we don't mention it? He is dead, awaiting the resurrection to life or the resurrection to damnation (John 5:29). There is nothing you or I can do about it. It is done. It is finished. The dead man made his choice while he lived. The results will not go up on the board until resurrection day, not Easter, but the last day of civilization, whenever that is.
What we don't say about a dead person is probably a good thing. By the conversations I have heard at funerals, however, there never was a bad guy buried. The preacher is always expected to say something nice about the deceased, hard pressed as the preacher might be. We omit words about humankind being a failure and needing a victorious Christ. Death has a way of burying evil with it, or so we think. Seldom do we learn any lessons from those who mourn. There are just too many unsaid words. We dwell more on the attributes of the deceased than on the attributes of his God, if he had one.
I wonder what they said about Christ when he died on the cross? He wasn't an old man dying from cancer. He wasn't a man who needed a transplant. He was a young man full of life who became full of death in a matter of a few horrendous hours. What did they say about him? A captain in the Roman army, who assuredly was accustomed to seeing people die, was affected by Christ's demeanor on the cross and was heard to say, "Truly this man was God's Son!" (Matthew 27:54). Where did the captain get this expression "God's Son"? He was an emperor worshiper. The captain might as well have said, "He was a good man." One of the other Gospels reported the captain as saying, "Certainly this man was innocent!" (Luke 23:47). Regardless of how it is translated, the thought conveyed is, "He was a good man."
Was there no one else to speak about this man who hung lifeless on a cross other than a captain of the army? Mary, what did you say? Mary Magdalene, what did you say? Simon of Cyrene, what did you say? Peter, James, and John, wherever you were, what did you say? My goodness! Was there only an army captain to say anything except, "He was a good man"? Fifty days had to go by before anybody got enough courage to face the world and tell it like it was, "You are the Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know -- this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law" (Acts 2:22-23). It took Peter fifty days to get over the shock of the crucifixion and the unbelievable resurrection to tell anybody about it.
Words of great people do not die with them. What they pass on in ways of wisdom aid generation after generation. We have learned that from sages of the past.
The words of Christ from the cross have been imbedded deeply in the minds of people for centuries. What he said on a mountainside will be contemplated for years to come. Whatever else we say about Christ, we have to say he was a peacemaker. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." Even a Roman captain saw in the Christ of the cross a peacemaker. "Truly this man was God's Son!"
We can get pretty excited about this subject of peace. There are many peace lovers; there are few peacemakers. What our country would give for a peacemaker these days! Nuclear weapons have not made the world safe for democracy, or safe period. A few years ago some senators and congressmen were eagerly preparing bills to establish a new department in our government, a Department of Peace. They claimed that a Secretary of Peace could pursue this matter of peace in the world with the same energy and dedication as people of science struggled to put somebody on the moon. They felt a great urgency to establish peace in the world for all time. Nobody could argue that point, but it didn't happen. We have a Department of War but we do not have a Department of Peace.
We can say this about Jesus in this matter of peacemaking. He had more in mind than people getting along with one another, more in mind than nations learning to live on a planet in some kind of harmony. He certainly was concerned for peace among nations, as he believed the people should "Give ... to the emperor the things that are the emperor's ..." (Matthew 22:21). However, he believed that peace with God had priority. Since Adam and Eve, humankind has been more at war with God than with one another. This is verified throughout history. At times, people would mold a golden calf to demonstrate their defiance, insisting that God shape up and pay more attention to his creation. At times, people would argue the existence of God and exalt the human mind. At times, people would claim to be God, acclaiming themselves more than mortal, as with Roman emperors. At times, people would assert God is outmoded or dead. At times, people would simply ignore God in the pursuit of their own happiness. Humankind has never found it difficult to wage war against God.
Jesus endeavored to show humans that God was not their enemy, although they hung him on a cross in an attempt to disprove it. Jesus sprung back to life to show human beings that their real enemy, their last enemy, death, had been destroyed.
The role of Jesus Christ is peacemaker. The word peace means completeness or wholeness. We can think of peace in terms of reconciliation. When we are reconciled to God, when we are willing to accept life as the Creator intended, we become complete, whole. You cannot be a whole or complete person without God. This is not possible. That's why the nonbeliever or the partial believer never experience completeness or wholeness.
All of us, at one time or another, have tried to eliminate the word death from the index of our lives. We pretend it isn't there, except on forcible occasions. We embrace the attitude, in one form or another, that this is the only life there is. We almost never expect to die. Therefore, we become forever frustrated about life. We are torn between daring to live and fearing to die. Or, we may lose all hope of seeing anything ahead and want to get life over as quickly as possible. Or, we may want life never to end so much that we never permit ourselves to love anybody.
A neighbor of mine didn't want any more pets. He loved the pets of the other neighbors. He didn't want any of his own because, he told me, "I will become too attached to them and when they die, it will be like losing a child." He missed the joy of loving his own pet and having his own pet love him because he was afraid of being hurt. He knew that to love means you are going to be hurt some time. He didn't want that to happen to him again.
But that is exactly what happened to Jesus Christ. It will happen to anybody who loves the world so much that they give themselves for the completeness and wholeness of others. Because Christ was not only a peacemaker, he makes peacemakers of others. It is the one word that we need in our lives, as well as the word death. When you die and others look into your book of life, the word peacemaker needs to be in there.
John Glenn, the senator, went up into space again in 1998 on a mission to provide scientists information about the effects of age. When he was launched into space as the first American astronaut, news people inquired about his thoughts and fears as he shot through space with the real possibility of death as a result. Glenn replied calmly, "My peace had been made with my Maker for a number of years...." I rather imagine he cherished the same thought the second time he was launched into space.
Christ's resurrection has made it possible for us to be at peace with our Maker. He has also made it possible for us to launch out as peacemakers. In a real sense, the Christian church is God's "Department of Peace." It is God's way of assuring humankind that after a crucifixion there is always a resurrection. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called (sons and daughters) children of God." Peacemakers are people of character.
The beatitudes are building blocks for character: kingdom people, brokenhearted people, disciplined people, righteous people, kindhearted people, pure-in-heart people, and peacemaker people. The utilization of the beatitudes enables people to draw from truths that last forever and ever. They are character builders.
This matter of character building is a lifelong endeavor. Jesus bade us to be "perfect," but we know that is not possible for humankind. It is his way of encouraging us to follow him by including ingredients of character that make life purposeful and meaningful. Laws (the ten commandments) and Declarations (the beatitudes) help us latch onto principles that never die. They help us live with a sense of character.
