At the midpoint of every Eucharist comes the peace. The peace of Jesus Christ is offered to the congregation and the congregation offers it back to the presiding minister. On Remembrance Sunday it carries with it a special challenge. It is a challenge to every person, every nation and the worldwide family. Do you want this peace? Do you want this peace for yourself, your community, your nation and the world in which we live?
The horror of war, and its persistence in our world, questions even our capacity to receive this peace. Perhaps we have simply to accept that the human race is destined for war. Although we desire peace, sometimes, in the name of justice and self defence, nations have no other option but to take up arms. And so the tragedy of war continues.
So what is our hope? Our hope is Jesus Christ and it is to him and his way that we are called to testify. As Jesus says in today’s gospel: ‘When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified … ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. This will give you an opportunity to testify.’
What is the church’s testimony to be? It is that from first to last God’s peace, his shalom to use the well-known Hebrew word, embraces the world. The opening chapter of the Bible tells us that God created the world ‘good’ indeed ‘very good’. It is created a place of harmony fit for us to live and thrive in. And the final chapter of Bible, depicts the heavenly Jerusalem, whose name includes the word for peace, Yerushalem, descending triumphantly to earth.
And in the middle of the Bible’s story, where all has been ravaged by human sinfulness, our greed and violence, comes Jesus as pure gift. He is our peace because God is peace. He shows us the way, because he is the way, the truth and the life. He is our compass pointing always to peace even in the midst of war. Whether we believe that it is right to take up arms or not, the direction of travel is always peace, peace with justice.
This Sunday of all Sunday’s the sheer graciousness of the peace we shall soon be offered, the peace of Jesus Christ, should astound us. It is a peace, not as the world gives, but as Jesus gives. We, faulted, frail, human as we are, carry this treasure into the world, as best we can, as individuals, as a community and as a nation.
To quote St Paul,
‘ … we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair … so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh.’
Service: Canon Bill Croft, 13th November 2022. (St John The Baptist Church Peterborough UK)
Referenced Scripture: Malachi 4.1-2a, 2 Thessalonians 3.6-13, Luke 21.5-19