Blessed are the peacemakers
Hello,
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9 ESV)
Without a doubt the highlight of this week has been the announcement of a ceasefire in the Middle East. It is hard to understand fully the human cost of the last two years of war. Lives lost, homes ruined and families destroyed – the impact will last for generations.
After Israel’s parliament had agreed to the ceasefire, the news was full of videos of people on both sides of the conflict. They were rejoicing about the end to the violence and destruction, and you could see the hope in their faces that at last there might be a return to a sense of normality.
The quote above is from Jesus’ sermon of the mount. In this radical message he encourages his followers to live a different kind of life from the way of the world, and to hold to a higher set of values. One where instead of praising the strong and victorious, we praise those who show mercy and bring about peace. For Jesus, the peacemakers are not just the leaders on the world stage, it is all those who make efforts to bring about peace.
As important a step forward as a ceasefire is in Gaza, the role of the peacemaker will be all the more important in the coming months and years. We need them to help people with the grief and loss they have experienced without seeking violence in return. And, to inspire the next generations to dream of and to pursue a world without violence.
As we thank God for this ceasefire let us not stop there. Let us pray blessed are the peacemakers.
Warm regards,
Gavin
About the Writer:
Gavin Henderson is the National Ministry Leader for GCI in the UK and Ireland.