2020 has been a challenging year. As a country, we have been dealing with a global pandemic that has taken the lives of over 200,000 of our fellow Americans. Now more than ever, we need to hold fast to the words of our Savior that call us to be the salt and light in this dark and divisive world.
It is easy to want to stand idly by, to not enter the fray and believe that it is enough to avoid adding to conflict. However, we have a responsibility to lead through action rather than simply observe while our country continues down a toxic path of division. We know we must enter the fray as Christ did. Scripture tells us that when God saw the level of human sin and deprivation, He sent His Son into the world to redeem us (Gal 4:4-5). But, the story doesn’t end there. Our Lord commissioned us to join Him in His mission of healing (Matthew 28:16-20).
We are called by God to walk in Christ’s footsteps to be peacemakers—not merely peacekeepers. Peacemaking is not passive but an active commitment, and as modeled by our Prince of Peace, it is grounded in relationship building and evangelism. It happens when we engage those with whom we vehemently disagree with the humility and love that Jesus modeled.
Remember when Jesus saw the crooked tax collector Zaccheus perched in a tree? Jesus didn’t greet him with arguments about his oppressive tax policies. Instead, He said, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today” (Luke 19:5-6). Jesus went to Zaccheus’ house and shared a meal with him. While we don’t know what was said in the conversation, we do know that once the meal was over Zaccheus had a change of heart and started the process of reconciliation.
This is what peacemaking looks like, and as Christians, we must remain focused on the commission God has given us.
While we contemplate the role we can play in this time, we must remember the words of the Apostle Paul when he admonished the Roman church: “Let us, therefore, make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (Romans 14:19). To act as our sisters and brothers keepers, we must not abandon or compromise our values. We must treat each other as we ourselves would like to be treated—with love, dignity, and respect.
How we engage with others we disagree with should reflect the heart of God.
Peacemaking requires focus and commitment wherever we are. We have to work to build peace in our homes through God’s Word. We can turn away from toxicity and hate by carefully selecting which messages and ideas we bring into our homes through the news, entertainment, and social media. We can demonstrate Christ’s teachings to our children as we lead them to become peacemakers as well.
We also need to live our faith and values openly in the world. We have to bring our light and values into our workplaces, communities, churches, and ultimately in our nation to respond with unwavering faith when others are caught up in partisan bickering and hatred.
We do not have to do this work alone. We were birthed by the Holy Spirit for such a time as this. As the body of Christ, we are joining together to share this message of peacemaking with the nation. Join us here!
