Do not take revenge on others or continue to hate them, but love your neighbors as you love yourself. I am the Lord.

Leviticus 19:18 (GNT)

What does”self-love” look like? If you applied that standard of love in your relationships with others, what would you stop doing? What would you start doing?

Why do you think this verse ends with the emphatic statement, “I am the Lord”?

Each day (except Sundays) during Lent, we will post a Scripture for reflection on our theme, “Military Withdrawal.” Together, we will learn to walk in God’s ways of peacemaking and reconciliation. These posts are meant to stimulate conversation and interaction. Please post your thoughts and comments.

Peacemakers sow seeds of peace.

“Pray the Devil Back to Hell” is a documentary that tells the remarkable story of Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee and the courageous Liberian women who came together to pray, protest, and bring about a peaceful end to a bloody civil war. This inspiring film from Academy Award-nominated director Gini Reticker and acclaimed producer Abigail E. Disney shows how grassroots activism can alter the history of nations.

The documentary is available for rent on Amazon Prime, and iTunes and Google Play.

¹³ If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. ¹⁵ For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. ¹⁶ For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. ¹⁸ And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

James 3:13-18

How do you see “earthly wisdom” working on a local and global level? Do you see any evidence of “wisdom from above” at work locally and globally? Do you think something like the Nobel Peace Prize plants seeds of peace on the global level? If so, how? In what ways can you plant seeds of peace where you live?

Each day (except Sundays) during Lent, we will post a Scripture for reflection on our theme, “Military Withdrawal.” Together, we will learn to walk in God’s ways of peacemaking and reconciliation. These posts are meant to stimulate conversation and interaction. Please post your thoughts and comments.

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. ² And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

³ I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. ⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

⁵ And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”⁶ And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. ⁷ All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

Revelation 21:1-7 (NLT)

This is John’s vision of the new creation. How is life in the “new earth” different from the “old earth”? What part of the “new” is most appealing to you? If God is going to re-create and make all things new, what do you think our relationship to the old creation should be? Is there any point to making things better now on the “old earth”? Why or why not?

Each day (except Sundays) during Lent, we will post a Scripture for reflection on our theme, “Military Withdrawal.” Together, we will learn to walk in God’s ways of peacemaking and reconciliation. These posts are meant to stimulate conversation and interaction. Please post your thoughts and comments.

¹⁷ “Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth,
    and no one will even think about the old ones anymore.
¹⁸ Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation!
    And look! I will create Jerusalem as a place of happiness.
    Her people will be a source of joy.
¹⁹ I will rejoice over Jerusalem
    and delight in my people.
And the sound of weeping and crying
    will be heard in it no more.

²⁰ “No longer will babies die when only a few days old.
    No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life.
No longer will people be considered old at one hundred!
    Only the cursed will die that young!
²¹ In those days people will live in the houses they build
    and eat the fruit of their own vineyards.
²² Unlike the past, invaders will not take their houses
    and confiscate their vineyards.
For my people will live as long as trees,
    and my chosen ones will have time to enjoy their hard-won gains.
²³ They will not work in vain,
    and their children will not be doomed to misfortune.
For they are people blessed by the Lord,
    and their children, too, will be blessed.
²⁴ I will answer them before they even call to me.
    While they are still talking about their needs,
    I will go ahead and answer their prayers!
²⁵ The wolf and the lamb will feed together.
    The lion will eat hay like a cow.
    But the snakes will eat dust.
In those days no one will be hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain.
    I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Isaiah 65:17-25 (NLT)

Once again, Isaiah describes the the future world under the influence of God’s “Shalom.” How is life different in this new creation as compared to the old? God says, “I am creating…,” not “I will create..” In other words, the new heavens and new earth are already being formed. Where do you see the new creation already in existence? What do you think God wants you to do as a co-creator of the new?

Each day (except Sundays) during Lent, we will post a Scripture for reflection on our theme, “Military Withdrawal.” Together, we will learn to walk in God’s ways of peacemaking and reconciliation. These posts are meant to stimulate conversation and interaction. Please post your thoughts and comments.

¹⁷ “Your rulers will no longer oppress you;
I will make them rule with justice and peace.
¹⁸ The sounds of violence will be heard no more;
Destruction will not shatter your country again.
I will protect and defend you like a wall;
You will praise me because I have saved you.

¹⁹ “No longer will the sun be your light by day
Or the moon be your light by night;
I, the Lord, will be your eternal light;
The light of my glory will shine on you.

Isaiah 60:17b-19 (GNT)

God promises a change in leadership from rule by oppression to rule by peace and justice. What do you think “rule by oppression” looks like? How would “rule by peace and justice” be different? Isaiah connects “rule by peace and justice” to a reduction of violence and war. Would it be logical to assume that violence and wars would increase under the “rule by oppression?” Why or why not?

Take a moment to evaluate the “rulers” in your location at the local, state and national levels. What type of rule do they follow? What could you do to make sure they rule by peace and justice?

Each day (except Sundays) during Lent, we will post a Scripture for reflection on our theme, “Military Withdrawal.” Together, we will learn to walk in God’s ways of peacemaking and reconciliation. These posts are meant to stimulate conversation and interaction. Please post your thoughts and comments.

⁶ A child will be born to us.
    A son will be given to us.
    He will rule over us.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Adviser and Mighty God.
He will also be called Father Who Lives Forever
    and Prince Who Brings Peace.
⁷ There will be no limit to how great his authority is.
    The peace he brings will never end.
He will rule on David’s throne
    and over his kingdom.
    He will make the kingdom strong and secure.
His rule will be based on what is fair and right.
    It will last forever.
The Lord’s great love will make sure that happens.
    He rules over all.

Isaiah 9:6-7 (NIRV)

We usually associate this prophecy with Christmas and Handel’s ‘Messiah’. In the Christian tradition, the child that is born is none other than the babe in the manger – Jesus – whose name means ‘Savior.’ The vision is powerful. God sends a ruler that transforms the political and social landscape and establishes enduring peace through policies of justice. We believe that the prophecy will ultimately be fulfilled at the return of Christ.

How do you think we are supposed to live in this ‘in-between’ time waiting for the prophecy’s fulfillment? We often think that if only we elected the right person to leadership, every problem would be solved. In the end, we are always disappointed. Can this prophecy help guide us when selecting our leaders? If so, how?

Each day (except Sundays) during Lent, we will post a Scripture for reflection on our theme, “Military Withdrawal.” Together, we will learn to walk in God’s ways of peacemaking and reconciliation. These posts are meant to stimulate conversation and interaction. Please post your thoughts and comments.

6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
    the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
    and a little child will lead them.
⁷ The cow will feed with the bear,
    their young will lie down together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
⁸ The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
    and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
⁹ They will neither harm nor destroy
    on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

Isaiah 11:6-9

Imagine. Envision. Dream. When war is on the horizon (or has already begun), we experience intense anxiety about the future, and we focus on the present moment and survival. In a time of turmoil, the prophet Isaiah announced a vision a future of peace (shalom) that seems unbelievable – a peace the world has yet to experience.

Can you imagine a future without conflict and war? Why do you think imagination and vision are so necessary in times of distress? What is the relationship between faith and vision? What do you feel when you read Isaiah’s vision of the future? If this is the future, how could you begin to live into this future today?

Each day (except Sundays) during Lent, we will post a Scripture for reflection on our theme, “Military Withdrawal.” Together, we will learn to walk in God’s ways of peacemaking and reconciliation. These posts are meant to stimulate conversation and interaction. Please post your thoughts and comments.

Training Ourselves in Peace-making

Today, we feast. We go to the mountain and we learn to walk in the ways of God’s peace.

Consider reading “Speaking Truth to Power”, a statement that was written in 1955 when the Cold War was escalating. Among its authors was Bayard Rustin, an activist who was instrumental in shaping the strategy of non-violence of the Civil Rights Movement with Martin Luther King. It is just as relevant today in the face of oppression, state-sponsored violence, and aggression.

¹⁷ Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. ¹⁸ Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, ‘“I will take revenge; I will pay them back,”  says the Lord.’ ²⁰ Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” * ²¹ Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Romans 12:17-21. (* The Scripture quoted in verse 19 is from Deuteronomy 32:35 and the quotation in verse 20 is from Proverbs 25:21-22.

In your experience, what does “paying back evil with evil” accomplish? How do you think the alternative responses to our “enemies” (ie, feed, hydrate and do good to them) accomplish what revenge and evil cannot? Have you ever tried this peacemaking strategy? What were the results? Do you think this strategy could be applied beyond interpersonal relationships?

Each day (except Sundays) during Lent, we will post a Scripture for reflection on our theme, “Military Withdrawal.” Together, we will learn to walk in God’s ways of peacemaking and reconciliation. These posts are meant to stimulate conversation and interaction. Please post your thoughts and comments.