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by Setri Nyomi Peace! Oh, Peace! Where are you? Peace in our homes? Peace in our church? Peace in our nation? Peace in the world? This constitutes the cry of many — in the face of turmoil in many families, economic difficulties in our communities, challenges that face our denomination, turmoil in the Middle East, confusion over what to do about Iraq four years after the war begun, devastating diseases, conflicts and wars — and the list can go on. Peace! Oh, Peace, where are you? Facing some rather difficult personal hardships, many have lost hope. This may be due to bereavement or difficulties in the family — no peace between husband and wife, children and parents. It could also be lack of peace at work or because of lack of a job, or scarcity of financial resources. For many, it is concern over unity in our denomination. This is where the timeless Easter message comes in! It is in the midst of despair and cries of hopelessness that our Lord Jesus Christ appeared to his discouraged disciples. Here the disciples were — in a secluded room, pretty much shattered. They had lived and walked with, and learned from their Lord for about three years. Then suddenly it felt as if all were lost. The religious leaders of the day captured him and had this hurried trial that led to his suffering and death on the cross. Even though they had heard and some had even seen him after the resurrection, they were still dealing with deep-seated fear and helplessness. They shut themselves up in an upper room. It is in this state that the Lord Jesus appeared to them with the words: “Peace be with you.” As we celebrate Easter in the year 2007, the same Lord continues to appear to us today in the challenges we face. Whatever our challenges are, he comes and says “Peace, Shalom.” It is a peace that addresses our distresses and challenges. If the Lord is alive indeed, then we need not be afraid. The resurrected Lord’s presence with us is comforting. It makes us know that we will not be crushed by these challenges. We can be at peace because the living Lord is with us. There is a second reason for the Lord’s presence with us — not just to give us comfort and keep us like spoilt children in a triumphalist state. He came also to give us a mission. As the Father sent me, so send I you. We have been entrusted with an important mission. Part of our mission is to carry the good news to others that what happened on the first Good Friday and Easter is for our good. That is God’s provision for us to receive forgiveness and peace in our lives. The commitment to carrying the gospel to others is our response of gratitude to what our Lord Jesus Christ did on the cross so that we can have new, meaningful life. This mission entails living out the gospel mandates in our lives. The early apostles understood that this meant living in love. Living in that kind of love in which selfishness in every form is thrown out. Each brought what they had and they shared among themselves. They built communities in which the rich were not over comfortable while the poor were wallowing in their poverty — their care for one another showed in their providing an alternative to economic arrangements that are marked by selfishness and greed. Such a community is an echo of what the Psalmist described — behold how pleasant it is when sisters and brothers live together in love. It is beautiful. The images the Psalmist used (oil running down someone’s beard, or dew on a mountain) may not communicate beauty to us living in the 21st century. However, we can get the picture — it is beautiful to have sisters and brothers be together. This vision of sisters and brothers in Christ living together as evidence of our faith is what inspired the World Alliance of Reformed Churches to focus on economic injustice for the last two and half decades. In the latest General Council in Accra in 2004, we developed what is called the Accra Confession — an expression of the conviction that our witness includes fostering more just communities. Part of the Accra Confession reads:
Today, we may not bring our goods together and share equally among ourselves. But we can point out from our Christian faith standpoint the problem with an economy that is not subjected to God’s standards. Many sisters and brothers in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa suffer as a result of the global economy. Some have literally died. Others have their marriages falling apart. Yet others have found themselves unemployed. Many face very difficult financial circumstances. We have many in our streets who do not know where the next meal will be coming from. The good news is that we all hear the same comforting words — “Peace be to you. Not as the world gives.” God’s peace should be spoken by the church, not as a lame platitude, but accompanied by an intention to be God’s agent of transformation in bringing peace. The peace and security the world provides do not go far enough. It, in fact, depends upon military might and often serves the self-interest of political leaders. The peace that God gives is built on right relationships. First, right relationship with God as we respond to the message of salvation, and then with fellow human beings. It is the right relationships with fellow human beings that call us to critically look at how we are related in the global economy and work for more just relationships. These are important elements of the mission to which we have been called. So we are the recipients of two things:
May the Lord bless us and give us peace no matter what our circumstances. May the Lord grant us wisdom and courage to engage in the mission with which we have been entrusted. The Reverend Dr. Setri Nyomi is the General Secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches.
Copyright Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). All Rights Reserved.
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