17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
As 3 people are murdered in Ireland peace is in our minds once again. ‘We don’t want to go back 40 years’, said a woman interviewed on the streets of Craigavon, where the policeman was shot on Monday night.
What should our response be? One of the main things must surely be to resist the desire to rerun old arguments, or stereotype every nationalist or republican. Clearly the complexities of both sides resist simplistic blame. This act was as much provocation towards mainstream republicanism as it was anti-British or anything else.
With a refusal to succumb to simplicity should also come the resolve to pray for peace. It starts with praying for our enemies and blessing those we dislike, whoever they may be. No matter how distasteful of strange it may be to see former terrorists in political office they, and everyone involved in the situation, need our prayers.
But just as we pray for the situation over there, peace demands that we act with integrity back here. Jesus talks about peacemakers and elsewhere we are called to be bearers of reconciliation. If the gospel is true we should be bearers and makers of peace everywhere.
• Who do you find it hard to be with at home? God calls you to be a peacemaker with hem
• Which member of church annoys or irritates you? God calls you to be a peacemaker with them?
• Your neighbours, work colleagues, friends and enemies? God calls you to be a peacemaker with them.
It’s easy to point over the Irish Sea and wonder what’s wrong with others. But the gospel demands that we first look to our own hearts and attitudes and deal with what's wrong with us.
For peace in your country
For the victims of violence everywhere
For those struggling for peace and justice
For churches in conflict situations
For a world without war and violence
Lead me from death to life,
from falsehood to truth,
Lead me from despair to hope,
from fear to trust.
Lead me from hate to love,
from war to peace,
Let peace fill our beings,
our world and our universe. Amen
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