May 23rd at 10:45 AM

Join us for our 10:45 a.m. worship service. We are studying the beatitudes. This week

“The Attitude of Justice”

Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Ponder for a moment with me the following questions… “What is the fundamental or foundational vocation / work of a follower of Jesus?”  “What is at the core of each and every action of each and every disciple of Jesus?”  “What does a child of God do to reveal to the world that they are one of God’s children?”

Is what a follower of Jesus believes the most fundamental thing?  Is pursuing a life of piety the most important action?  Is telling others you are a Jesus follower, and they should be too the way to reveal you are one of God’s children?  What we believe, pursuing piety, and telling others about God’s love revealed through Jesus are important, but I do not believe these are what is most fundamental or what a child of God does to reveal to the world that they are one of God’s children.  Listen to what Jesus said about who God’s children are.  “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

Jesus’ statement might seem strange to us.  We live in a society that is addicted to violence and militarism.  But I believe and Jesus says that if we want to be a child of God we are called to be peacemakers.  Living a life of peace, being peaceful in one’s own life and in one’s own relationships  and being a peace activist is what it means to be a child of God.  This seems odd, not only because of the society we live in, but because peacemaking has been misunderstood and marginalized by many Christians ever since Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity.  But peacemaking is at the core of what it means to be a child of God.

This Sunday we’ll unpack what it means to be a peacemaker.  What peace do we pursue?  How can we be peaceful in our own lives?  What steps we can take to become a peacemaker?  “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

Pastor David