“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
Matthew 5:9
I have a routine of setting up my Wednesday blog posts on Tuesday night so it’s ready to go early on a Wednesday morning even if I’m not. This week, Tuesday night happens to be the evening of election day here in America, so I’m scheduling this post with no idea which way the election will have turned by the time morning arrives. But one thing I do know is that in a two-party system like our country has, when the result of the election is made known, half the country will be disappointed at best or downright mad at worst.
Another thing that is certain is that our country will be in recovery mode for a while to come. This is nothing new, it’s always been this way after a general election and probably always will be. But this isn’t a political post. This is a post about peace and peacemakers.
My husband taught all of Matthew chapter 5 on Sunday, which is the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. The opening verse (above) was just a small portion of that teaching, but as I listened I thought to myself, “this might be the most important phrase for this week!” As followers of Jesus, we’re surrounded by opportunities to help peace happen every day, but election cycles elevate those opportunities.
Making peace with God is clearly in the forefront of what Jesus was meaning in that phrase, but being a peacemaker covers a lot of territory and includes peace between people as well. I’m tempted to launch into a three-part essay here on the ways we can actually be peacemakers between people at a time like this, but I think I will refrain. We all know what it means to inflame a tense situation and we know what it takes to diffuse those tensions. I think I’ll just encourage us this morning to do whatever the Lord puts in front of us to be peacemakers in this challenging political environment — because blessed are the peacemakers!
As for my typical update at the end of each week’s blog — I’m headed for another train ride. Tomorrow I’ll be jumping on the radiation train. This train ride has 30 stops over a six-week period. I’m so thankful for the abundance of technology that we enjoy these days and I’m confident that God will use this treatment in the healing process as well.
My Love & Blessings,
Sue