The Upload
Posted on Dec 12, 2014 by
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray you have had a blessed week.
So have you started receiving all those Christmas cards, yet? I love getting cards and notes from friends and family this time of year. These cards are great reminders for me that it is a special time of year. It is that time of year when we really try to bring joy into the world as we Christians remind the world that Christ is present and he will come again and my favorite cards usually speak about there being peace on earth. Now, as I watch the news each day, I am well aware that there isn’t peace on earth these days, but someday, Christ will bring peace on earth. But, as I reflect on all these Christmas wishes, I realize that if we ever really want peace on earth, we are going to have to change and the truth is, most of us do not want to change.
Last week, in a speech at Georgetown University former secretary of state Hillary Clinton said women around the world should play larger parts in conflict resolution and she also urged the use of "smart power," which she defined as “using every possible tool and partner to advance peace and security, leaving no one on the sidelines, showing respect, even for one's enemies, trying to understand and insofar as psychologically possible, empathize with their perspective and point of view, helping to define the problems, determine the solutions.”
Now, I do not want to get political here, but whether you are a Hillary fan or not, from a Christian perspective, she is right. Since that speech many have labeled her comment as naive, impractical and even damaging, and even some of her major supporters are coming out and saying that they don’t like her remarks. One of her supporters said, "I take issue with the word 'enemies.' I think we have to respect people with different points of view in order to win the argument with them. ... I don't think we have to respect members of terror groups ever. I think we have to have harsh policies against them."
I disagree this last comment, and as Christians, we all should disagree with this last comment. Whether you support Mrs. Clinton or not, her word choice, according to Jesus anyway, is absolutely correct. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says. “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (5:43). In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus says, “love your enemies” (6:35). Paul also teaches in both the book of Romans and 1 Corinthians that we are to love those who hate us.
Now I don’t believe Jesus is telling us that we have to like our enemies, or ignore the fact that they want to kill us. That is not the love Jesus is speaking of. No, when Jesus says “love as I have loved you” (John 113:24), he is saying we need to respect each other, honor each other and know each other. If our actions toward our enemies are only to be harsh and mean, then we will NEVER achieve peace. Peace will only come through respecting and understanding the hatred our enemies have for us. They may be wrong and they may need to be stopped, but treating our enemies with the same hatred they have for us, is only doomed to fail and doomed to bring about more violence. If we want peace in Ferguson, in Jerusalem, in Kansas City Kansas, then according to Jesus we must start by “living those who hate us. In essence, peace starts with our actions.
God sent his Son in to this world to show us how to live. Jesus did that. He loved those who hated him. The question is when will we, his followers, follow his ways. As we continue our journey through this Season of Advent, my prayer is that somehow, as individuals, and as faith communities, we might begin to truly find ways to “love our enemies,” so that we might come to find true and meaningful peace on earth.
Have a blessed week!
Shalom,
Pastor Dave