Jesus’ Call to Community - Five: Called to be Peacemakers
Opening Prayer:
Loving God,
We pray for peace for this fractured world of ours,
Where so many would rather draw lines and guns than draw near to the ‘other’.
Help us draw near to You so that we can then draw near to those in pain and walk with them.
Help us be peacemakers, working to bring peace to the people and places that need it.
Help us pray for peace, but also help us work for peace, so that this world can be healed,
and so that Your kingdom may come.
We ask this in Your precious name, Jesus,
Lord of the world and Prince of Peace,
Amen.
Key Scriptures:
“9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.”
“Some people came down from Judea teaching the family of believers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom we’ve received from Moses, you can’t be saved.”
Paul and Barnabas took sides against these Judeans and argued strongly against their position. The church at Antioch appointed Paul, Barnabas, and several others from Antioch to go up to Jerusalem to set this question before the apostles and the elders. The church sent this delegation on their way.
They traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, telling stories about the conversion of the Gentiles to everyone. Their reports thrilled the brothers and sisters.
When they arrived in Jerusalem, the church, the apostles, and the elders all welcomed them. They gave a full report of what God had accomplished through their activity. Some believers from among the Pharisees stood up and claimed, “The Gentiles must be circumcised. They must be required to keep the Law from Moses.”
The apostles and the elders gathered to consider this matter. After much debate, Peter stood and addressed them, “Fellow believers, you know that, early on, God chose me from among you as the one through whom the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and come to believe. God, who knows people’s deepest thoughts and desires, confirmed this by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, but purified their deepest thoughts and desires through faith. Why then are you now challenging God by placing a burden on the shoulders of these disciples that neither we nor our ancestors could bear? On the contrary, we believe that we and they are saved in the same way, by the grace of the Lord Jesus.”
The entire assembly fell quiet as they listened to Barnabas and Paul describe all the signs and wonders God did among the Gentiles through their activity.
When Barnabas and Paul also fell silent, James responded, “Fellow believers, listen to me. Simon reported how, in his kindness, God came to the Gentiles in the first place, to raise up from them a people of God. Therefore, I conclude that we shouldn’t create problems for Gentiles who turn to God. Instead, we should write a letter, telling them to avoid the pollution associated with idols, sexual immorality, eating meat from strangled animals, and consuming blood.”
The apostles and the elders, along with the entire church, agreed to send some delegates chosen from among themselves to Antioch, together with Paul and Barnabas. They selected Judas Barsabbas and Silas, who were leaders among the brothers and sisters.
When Barnabas, Paul, and the delegates were sent on their way, they went down to Antioch. They gathered the believers and delivered the letter. The people read it, delighted with its encouraging message.””
Summary:
What happens when things inevitably go wrong in our communities? What does Jesus mean when he calls us to be peacemakers, and how can we seek for peace with one another so that we can seek for peace in our world? Below is a summary of Sunday’s talk:
Questions to Consider:
What is the difference between a peacemaker and a peacekeeper?
What was the issue the early church was dealing with here? Why was it an issue?
How did they resolve the conflict? How might this apply to how we resolve conflict today?
How might failure to resolve the issue have damaged the early church?
How do we work out which disagreements are important and need resolution, and which are trivial and to be lived with?
Why is resolving conflict in our community so important? What happens if we don’t?
What message do we send if there is fighting and conflict in the church? How is our witness affected?
How might we participate in peacemaking in the world?
…
What is God saying to you?
What are you going to do about it?
Practices to Consider:
What community conflicts are you aware of that need to be resolved? Could this be an opportunity for us to:
Recognise the conflict
Talk face to face (if safe to do so)
Listen with curiosity and openness
Collaborate on a solution
Play the “telephone” game to practice active listening
Participants whisper a message down a line, and the last person in the line must repeat the message, highlighting the importance of active listening to avoid miscommunication.
Prayer Prompts:
For the communities and people still grieving as we mark six years since the Christchurch mosque attacks.
For the places in the world currently experiencing war and violence.
Additional Resources:
You can find a printable version of this guide here.