Peace Makers vs Peace Keepers
Usually, when I write my sermons and my E-Letters, I sit at my kitchen table. I have an office, but I like the view of my kitchen better. I can face my back window, where I look out onto the pond behind my house. Or, I can face my living room, where I can see my beautiful Christmas tree, now standing in my house after Thanksgiving weekend.
I often write in the early morning, when there is not much noise even in my neighborhood! But, as I live just with my relatively-quiet beagle, Bernie, my house is almost always peaceful. Writing here is easier than in the office at Suntree UMC, because I’m always tempted to talk to someone or visit with someone there. I know for many of you, especially with young children, the peace and quiet of a kitchen table seems very far away. I know for me, this won’t always be the environment I prefer to work in. I guard the gift of these peaceful morning hours, because there may come a time in my life when I have to give that up for the gift of family, children, visitors, or even a less-quiet dog!
I like peaceful, quiet spaces. I like maintaining them. And maintaining a peaceful, quiet space is easier when there’s less crowding in. It is easier to have a peaceful, quiet space when life does not barge through the door. Though my space is empty, often my head is not very peaceful at all. It is filled with worries for friends, family, and work; worries about how I will decide to handle a certain situation; worries about how I will maintain my own peace or sense of balance. Worries about COVID. The noise comes in.
A favorite author of mine, Sarah Bessey, defines a sharp difference between peace-making and peace-keeping. Peace-keeping is more passive. The peace has arrived, and we just have to keep the appearance of calm. The work I do in my mornings is that of peace-keeping: I try not to call anyone, invite anyone in, or otherwise stir my dog so he demands my attention. In my relationships, I am good at peace-keeping: don’t say the controversial thing at Thanksgiving, try not to step on toes, don’t ruffle feathers. Peace-keeping can look like people-pleasing, which I could win awards in.
But peace-making is harder. Peace-making is doing the deep work to achieve actual, generative peace. It is not the absence of tension but the presence of love, relationship, and reconciliation. Sometimes, you have to go through tension to get to peace. Say how you feel. Deal with a hurt. Acknowledge your own sin. Peace-making in my mornings would mean addressing how my mind still finds a way to run wild, even when I am sitting in a very privileged position, in a beautiful home, in the goodness of peace and quiet. It is hard work, but important.
John the Baptist is a peace-maker, not a peace-keeper. He comes to make us hear of our own sin and address it, and to make us deal with our own “stuff” that we carry in our world. His words are harsh, but they lead us to prepare for God’s true peace to be made real in our lives. We have to get ready. So this Sunday, as we talk about Luke 3:1-14 and decluttering into peace, we will address the real sin in our lives and get ready to welcome Christ into our hearts and minds.
Our souls are often not as peaceful as our outer world appears to be, and John comes to address it. In dealing with our sin, we can find true peace in Christ. I hope you’ll join us as we continue to grow in our peace in this season of Advent.
See you Sunday,
Pastor Allee