Time Only Moves in One Direction
Our current sermon series is on the Beatitudes. Each message has given me a better understanding of what Jesus was trying to convey. So far, the series has covered the first six:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
This week’s message will be on the seventh beatitude “Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)
I reviewed a children’s Sunday School lesson on Blessed are the Peacemakers to understand it through a child’s eyes. Qualities of children are innocent, pure, receptive, eager to learn, and a perfect reflection of God. Qualities of a peacemaker are to overcome evil with good activity, help find the highest good in every situation, and bring harmony and blessings to others. Those qualities should be easy to maintain, but our human condition comes into play, and we fail.
We need to remember that peacemaker does not imply pacifism but those who actively bring conflict to an end. What does it look like practically to be a peacemaker and not just someone who loves peace? Peacemakers seek to reconcile people with God and reconcile people with each other. As stated in the Sunday School lesson, we should strive to be a perfect reflection of God. It’s vital to remember that to be a peacemaker, we need to possess the six previous Beatitudes of being poor in spirit, mourning over sin and the suffering of others, being meek, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, showing mercy, and being pure of heart.
I can’t think of a time in my life where a major conflict happened, but there are times, especially over the last two years, when I felt it was easier to move on from a situation and not address the issues at hand. It’s called conflict avoidance. Changing the subject, stonewalling, or shutting down are simple ways to avoid conflict. Crossing our fingers that it will go away and denying that a problem exists is not peacemaking. Such passive tactics may delay the inevitable, but they also cause unresolved issues to grow and resentment to take root. To grow as peacemakers, we must be painfully honest; we must be willing to risk pain; we must develop healthy communication skills; we must develop perseverance, and most importantly, we must trust God.
I have given the Beatitudes a lot of thought over the last few weeks and how we spend too much time on things that are counterintuitive to what Jesus was trying to convey. A light bulb went off when I thought about the title from one of my favorite songs, “One Direction” by Dan + Shay, referring to time. Considering everything that has happened over the last two years, some good and some that we should forget, we need to remember that time only moves in one direction, and it's impossible to get precious time back. Please don’t spend time in conflict and doing things we can’t undo or waste time on issues that don't matter? Time is ticking, and life is short.
At the end of each day, I pray we ask ourselves these important questions posed by one of my favorite authors Henri Nouwen: “Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone’s face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love? These are the real questions.”
Blessings,
Peggy Zumhofe
Executive Pastor
