Striving for Peace

We are naturally concerned about the event that happened this Monday at the Boston Marathon as well as we should be, again we are faced with senseless lives that are lost. We are grieving again asking God when will it stop, when will the killing and the loss of life unnatural stop, where is peace, are we not praying enough?

Where do we turn in such tragedies? Who will help us get through the pain? I thought that spring was about new life, new opportunities for equality for all. I thought that we could work out our differences and move on agreeing to disagree, but somehow we are still attending funerals of victims of violence.

We open our churches to the grieved when the church should be open anyway. We shout for God to fix our violent world, and then we chose to be silent in our ministries. How then can we understand the Philippians scripture Paul wrote: “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God?  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” How can we understand that when our streets are lit up with fire bombs?

Each event we pray for peace and then we stop, I believe that in many ways we have turned away from love, peace, and understanding. These difficult days ahead should be days of healing and intense prayer for peace.

Call me crazy but I believe peace in our community and in our world can be obtainable but only if our faith is aimed at the very violence that brings fear to our land. We must believe and trust and exercise our faith to snuff out evil, Jesus said in Matthew 5: 44-46 “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? I guess the question is; through the tears of last Tuesday in Boston will we be able to rebuild our community, our faith, our trust, our love? Will we pray only for the victims or will we listen to Jesus.  I believe we have already started this struggle towards peace, how did I come to that conclusion, I watched the faces of the rescuers, those that ran to the fire, and in their eyes I seen it, I saw hope and peace and understanding, I saw it, in their eyes I saw Easter.

Striving for Peace is dangerous and risky but so was being crucified!

Praying for Peace Everyday

Pastor Combs