Matthew 5:9

There has always been trouble in the world.  Conflict and suffering has been present for all of history. Yet there are periods where it seems that both escalate and intensify and demand more of our collective attention.  We are in one of those periods now.

Through wars and violence we have witnessed destruction on a scale that is almost unimaginable.  At this very moment, there are millions of people suffering and grieving the losses created by the attempts to solve conflicts with weapons of war.

When we watch the news wee see conflict and suffering that results from human interaction; our inability to instinctively work through our differences with a peaceful outcome.  Problems do not fix themselves.  Whether we are looking at Israel, Ukraine, race issues and inequalities, violence, political division, or concerns regarding immigration, the solution to the conflict created by opposing views has not revealed itself. These are not situations that time will resolve. Ignoring them will not fix these situations.

And these issues are not being ignored.  In fact, the opposite is happening. Through a 24 hour news cycle and social media, literally millions of people are weighing in on these topics. From the President to the average Joe, people are weighing in and having their voices heard.

Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”  Sadly, most of these voices entering into these situations are just joining in a cultural shouting match.  I watch as people on all sides of these issues enter in to the fray, see a small fire, and pour gasoline.  It is as if the only tool we have in our societal tool box is a giant hammer in which we employ with the hopes of delivering the knock out blow to our opponents.

In my college days I had a loud amplified sound system in my car.  I bought most of my gear from a guy in a local shop.  And there was a sign on his shop door as you walked out that read, “maturity is understanding that the dial turns in two directions.”

Right now, our society is full of people rushing into these situations whose only move is to turn the dial up to 11, to escalate the division, to enflame the anger, to highlight the differences, to up the ante, and declare war.  We have seen this time after time after time.  A situation exists in which there are differing opinions.  We cannot wait to rush into the conversation making hasty and often misinformed conclusions along the way.  As we run to the fire we leave a trail of collateral damage in the form of relationships and friendships  in our wakes.

Nothing is more important in the moment than to have our opinion known;

My being right is the most important value.  

My side has to win.  

And the way that I win is through escalation of the situation.  I have history, political power, popular opinion, common sense, or whatever else helps prove my point on my side.  And so with great passion we stand toe to toe and shout in each others faces.

Blessed are the peacemakers,  for they will be called children of God.

The world aches for peacemakers. The peacemaker is noticeably absent in the world today.  The peacemaker is one who starts with the belief that there is something more important than being right or winning.  The peacemaker believes that winning an argument, but leaving the world more broken is not a win.  The peacemaker believes that adding violence, hate, and anger to a situation is fundamentally the wrong move from the beginning; you cannot achieve peace through violence.  You cannot experience unity through division. You cannot create love through hate.

And so the peacemaker enters into a situation, and instead of cranking up the dial, she calmly starts asking questions; she listens.  The peacemaker seeks understanding and listens carefully, because she knows that the passion present in these arguments has its source in deeply meaningful  beliefs and experiences.  And so the peacemaker listens.  She makes space for a voice to be heard without the threat of being shouted over.  She invites the parties involved to take deep breaths and let the fires of the moment die down a bit.

And only after listening and understanding happens does the peacemaker begin to seek a solution.  But it is not her solution; no, the peacemaker invites others to move forward together.  The peacemaker may have to be the referee to make sure the fires don’t fan back into large flames, but she knows that this is not the opportunity for her to exert her will and to get her way.  Remember, she enters into this situation already acknowledging that there is something more important than her being right or getting her way.  What’s more important than being right?  Peace.  Its true peace that she seeks, which includes a reconciliation and a unity between those who once were enemies.

Blessed are the peacemakers,  for they will be called children of God.

As a new day begins for us, begin focusing your attention into these situations and looking for the peacemakers.  You will begin to see whose goal is to throw gasoline on the fire, to stir division, hate, and anger.  You will see people who don’t care about peace; Peace will cost them something and they would rather be right and alone than have peace.

You will see people who are trying to hijack the narrative; people who are trying to manipulate the situation.  They use the pain and passion that people have and they twist the situation so that it benefits them.  Once they have what they need, they move on to the next situation. You’ll see that they really did not care about the situation or the people involved.  It was just another opportunity for them to build their brand, get exposure for themselves, make a few bucks, or knock down their competition.  And the broken and burned out people left behind are not a concern.

Blessed are the peacemakers,  for they will be called children of God.

And then there are the peacemakers.  

They will be hard to see and hear because they won’t be in the middle of it all shouting at the top of their lungs.  They will not be centered in one of the two camps rallying the troops or preparing for the next round of battle.  They will be just on the fringe and speaking in a quiet voice.  

The temptation will be to take something they said, and see it as a support for one of the sides in battle, and take offense. But they are not attacking anyone.  They are challenging the framework of the battle.  They are attempting to remove the gas from the fire. They will step on toes on both sides as they question the motivations behind attacking each other.  The peacemaker might make us uncomfortable because they tear apart the simple story of “us vs them”.

So what does that look like in real life?  OOne example would be New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Following the tragic Christchurch mosque shootings in 2019, Ardern exemplified peacemaking in her response. She immediately called for unity, emphasizing the need for compassion and support for the Muslim community. Her leadership was marked by empathy and a refusal to give in to divisive rhetoric. She urged people to listen, to understand, and to come together in solidarity against hate. Ardern’s focus was not on political gain but on healing a nation and fostering peace.

And so we see Ardern as the peacemaker in her speeches and actions following the tragedy. Her words reminded us of the importance of being united despite our differences. The division that could have torn the nation apart was met with her call for understanding and mutual respect. She invited us to listen, to those who were grieving and to those who sought answers. Jacinda said clearly that the only way forward was through unity and collective strength. She invited us to stop and listen. Set aside what we already think and know.

The reason she stood there, leading her country through one of its darkest times, is because she understood that peace is not going to make itself. She understood that someone had to get involved and turn the dial down from 11. Someone had to put a little water on the fire. Someone needed to put the hammers away so we approach each other and actually work on making peace.

Friends, look for the peacemakers and join them.  Let’s declare boldly that there is something more important than winning; more important than being right and being heard.  The children of God are people that enter into conflict and make peace.  Lets put away our hammers and cans of gasoline.  As we approach these areas of disagreement and conflict, lets bring our love of peace, our love of God, and our love of others with us.

Blessed are the peacemakers,  for they will be called children of God.

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