God's peace is different

This Sunday's lectionary reading is taken from the Gospel of John where Jesus tells his disciples, "The peace I give you is not the the peace the world gives." One might think that peace is the same everywhere but its not.

The kind of peace Jesus was talking about is indeed very different. Taken from the Hebrew word for peace, shalom, God's peace is about wholeness, completeness, and security. To have God's peace is to be full in God- integrating the goodness of God into our whole selves. As 1 Corinthians says, it is about loving (remember peace is a definition of love).

The world offers a different kind of peace- to the world, peace is the absence of war brought about by justice, threat, controlling resources, and intimidation. Ironically, when we seek peace through justice and intimidation, we will never be able to bring about peace this way because violence, even when used with honorable (is this really possible) intentions, violence breeds violence. After reading about Nicholas Berg and the horrible things of war, is it possible to think that striking back against Iraq will bring out peace via revenge and intimidation?

We must fight the urge to be violent- our natures, I believe, were accustomed to war and intimidation as our ancestors hunted for food and created clans to claim the best resources. Jesus however, was the epitome of non-violence and calls us to peace. The only way we can achieve that sort of peace, is through right-relations with God and one another.

Since we not only have peace in God, we are required to seek peace and pursue it. Pursuing peace means forming right-relations based on love- not threat or intimidation. Pursing peace means sharing ourselves and what we have; it means respecting other people, their land, and their resources. It means not hording our wealth but treating everyone as if we were one large family.

Sadly, our greed keeps us from sharing and giving- and this only incites more jealousy and anger.

Misplaced anger and revenge also contributes to an antithetical pursuit of peace. When our World Trade Centers were bombed by terrorists, seeking a War on Terror with another country to redirect our anger on a tangible target was not a way to bring peace (nor an end to terrorism). It only incites it further.

Our belief in a justified torture of detainees in military prisons to force confessions to end terrorism to end the fighting to bring democracy to Iraq only begets more violence. There is no way that violence can ever beget lasting peace.

You see, God's peace is very different indeed. The world bases its peace on resources, while God's peace depends on relationships. To be right with God means to enjoy the peace of God. The world depends on personal ability, but the Christian depends on spiritual adequacy in Christ.

May we look for ways to bring true peace rather than allow our pride and greed to force a peace that will never take hold or prosper.