What are the barriers for talking about peace in our congregations? We Seeds all started this summer with interesting perspectives and thoughts on this subject. Some of these thoughts have been affirmed by our observations; others have been changed, and new ones have been added. There are five barriers on my list right now that I would like to mention.
I must say that this list comes from conversations with many people. So dear friends if you read this and think, “hey I said that,” you probably did.
We talk about peace within the limited framework of the absence of violence and warfare. Too often we talk about and pray for peace as the absence of physical violence and warfare. This is just one slice of the pie. I worry that this limited emphasis has turned many people away from talking about peacemaking and working for peace because of a perceived connection to hippies and anti-Americanism. How do we teach our children to be people of peace if we do not present as a lifestyle? Sometimes our words and actions can be violent, without doing physical harm.
The presentation of peace doesn’t resonate with people. I see this as being closely tied to the first point. If folks aren’t on board with the anti-war movement, then peace, God’s encompassing vision for Shalom, is dismissed. As I visit and network with different peace groups, I’m generally the youngest one in the room. Often it’s the Baby boomer generation and older. Where are the younger folks? Why do I feel like I’m the only person under the age 45 going to these things? Are peace groups still lost in the way things were done in the 60’s? How do we reach and excite younger generations with God’s vision for peace and reconciliation?
The Biblical foundation is left out. Peace has been disassociated with faith because we’ve stopped talking about the connection to the Bible (I do this too). We assume the connection to the Bible is obvious, assume that everyone has made it, and then we act with passion. For those within our worshipping communities who are biblically grounded, the connection is lost unless are able to explain how our actions are related to the Scriptures.
Tradition. Peace is what we’ve always believed. Well, no longer. We can no longer feed the line: well this is the way we’ve always done it. It is not common knowledge among Christians that we are people of peace because Christ is our peace, and has brought us peace through the cross. If we want our children to learn this message, Christians/Mennonites can’t assume that osmosis will do the trick. If we want new people of faith to understand the connection between Jesus and peace, we have to talk about Jesus and who Jesus is and how Jesus taught peace. We are not people of peace because traditionally Mennonites have taken up nonresistance.
Peace is hard, being a peacemaker is hard; it is much easier to ignore the call. It’s hard to be a follower of Christ. There are many things in the world that compete with our faith: money, lack of time and energy, consumer goods. Being a peacemaker means we are children of God, it requires us to have patience for results we may never see in our lifetime. It means acting outside of traditional expectations. How can we communities of faith that encourage on another in this difficult-yet-rewarding lifestyle?
I raise these points because I wonder why I heard from some churches, peers, and youth that they are tired of talking about peace. I wonder, what kind of peace they are referring to? Do they really mean this, or are they reacting to the way we’ve talked about peace in the past? In God’s vision for Shalom, peace is related to my relationship with God-and we talk about that in our churches all the time. God’s peace is related to my relationship with myself; it affects my relationships with others; it affects my relationship with creation. Peace permeates the Gospel. What do we need to do to break down the walls between our congregations and within our congregations to become people of God’s peace?
Elizabeth
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