We Can Have Peace on Earth

Luke 4:18 

Jesus Christ can bring peace into this un-peaceful world.

Alarmed by the possibility of a nuclear war, a wealthy retired couple decided to move to a remote group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean. They were large enough to provide a comfortable life but small enough to be unimportant. English rule made the government stable and the culture familiar. It was not long after they moved to the Falkland Islands that, to everyone's surprise, war erupted there.
 
We search for peace but there is no peace on earth today. Wars, terrorist attacks, rioting... peace is lacking between nations; between races; it’s lacking in homes and in hearts. It’s obvious that our world needs peace.

Many of the prophecies of the birth of Christ use the word peace.

He is the "Prince of Peace"

Zechariah says, "He will proclaim peace to the nations..." (9:10)

Micah adds, "He will be their peace" (5:4-5)

But our world has seen very little peace because it has not embraced Jesus Christ. Since the signing of the Peace of Westphalia (1648) there have been more than last 300 wars in Europe alone. There is not a single generation of Americans who have not known war. Most have known multiple wars.

Into this brawling, war-torn world, God sent His personal envoy of "peace on earth, good will toward men."

Peace is more than the mere absence of war. It has its roots in the Old Testament concept of shalom. It means wholeness, completeness, well-being, and prosperity. The lack of shalom comes from such sources as poverty, greed, the lust for power and spiritual emptiness. Into this turmoil we must bring the light of Christ by waging peace.

We wage peace when we feed the hungry, clothe the naked and befriend the lonely. (Matthew 25:44-46)

We wage peace when we stand for justice. (Isaiah 1:17) We wage peace whenever we share the love of Jesus with others. (John 13:34-35)

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, 

because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.  

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and 

recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 

 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 

Luke 4:18

see also:

We Can Have Peace with God

We Can Have Peace in our Relationships

 

Honoring Veterans

Operation Iraqi Freedom 2005-06

The sacrifices made by our military are worthy of our honor but honoring veterans doesn’t always take extraordinary efforts. It can be as simple as respect, remember and repay.

David's mighty men honored their leader and future king with a daring raid behind enemy lines to collect water from a well. David returned the honor. “Far be it from me, Lord, to do this!” he said. “Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” (2 Samuel 23:16-17)

David poured out the water as an offering to God. He respected the risk taken by his mighty men. His act ensured that their valor would be remembered and payed the sacrifice forward.

Respect

My church gave me a small going-away party when I went to boot camp so many years ago. It was a sign of respect for this important right of passage. Today, when National Guard units deploy into war zones, they are honored both upon their departure and their return. Words cannot convey what I felt when, upon our re-entry to America, we were greeted by a line of senior veterans. They shook our hands and welcomed us home. Later, in the Atlanta airport, we were greeted by applause. I will never forget these simple acts of respect.

Remember

My church never forgot me while I was overseas. I received care packages and letters. My family was cared for. On the other hand, one woman told me that her church never once contacted her while she was deployed. She never forgave them.

Notes, care packages, church bulletins, and newsletters can be a comfort to a lonely service member, desperate for a reminder of home. Remember, also, the family left behind. A phone call to a lonely wife, an invitation to a meal, or an offer to take the kids for a while will mean a great deal. There is much that is missing from a family where one of the parents have been called to active service.

Repay

The cost of military service can be high. Some families have lost a member. Some soldiers have been severely wounded. All soldiers have had their lives disrupted. Education, careers and family are put on hold when duty calls.

After WWI discharged veterans got little more than a $60 allowance and a train ticket home, later, embittered, they marched on Washington to demand their due.

Following WWII the GI Bill transformed America by multiplying the number of educated Americans, populating our suburbs and creating new job opportunities. The GI Bill was one of the most successful piece of legislature in American history. Veteran’s benefits repay sacrifices that cannot be measured.

Let us respect, remember and repay our veterans and pray for the day when there will be no more war.

He will judge between many peoples 
and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.

They will beat their swords into plowshares 
and their spears into pruning hooks.

Nation will not take up sword against nation, 
nor will they train for war anymore.

 

Micah 4:3

No Soldier’s life is wasted.

It is painful for a soldier or the families of any person in military service to hear that a life lost in service to our country was wasted. People enter military service for many reasons including patriotism, economics and adventure but, once that uniform is put on, you serve for personal honor, your comrades and the long line of those who have served with honor in the past.

Senator Barack Obama said in a speech in Iowa last month, "We now have spent $400 billion and have seen over 3,000 lives of the bravest young Americans wasted."

He later apologized. Perhaps he can be excused for his lapse. He has never served in the military and cannot know what goes through the minds of our young service members. He does not know the fear, loneliness and deprivation that are part of the sacrifice we are often called upon to endure. He does not understand the level of fortitude shown by a soldier who enters a room first or goes to investigate a suspicious bag lying by the road.

Senator John McCain, a veteran of Viet Nam who was a POW for over five years, has a long family history of military service, and has two sons who are currently serving, said pretty much the same thing on David Letterman.

"We've wasted a lot of our most precious treasure, which is American lives,” said McCain.

What was he thinking? Were his years in a POW camp wasted? Did he forget the way the military was scorned back then? Has he forgotten how the courage he displayed is an inspiration to others who face the possibility of capture?

In all branches of the military and in our veteran’s groups we honor our dead long after their families are gone and their names have been forgotten. I have been in military service since 1976. I have seen the tide of public opinion rise and fall. I do what I do because it is a part of me. I believe it is the same for most in the military. People speak of fighting for freedom, for causes, for whatever… In the end we fight for each other. In the end each other is all we have.

Early in my career my squadron lost three Marines in three separate training accidents. These were not war losses. These deaths were not wasted and were no less honorable than a combat casualty. Everyone in uniform understands that we are in a dangerous profession that may have cost us our life.

I am in the National Guard now and have already deployed once. I am ready to go again if called upon. I don’t make these decisions. I swore an oath and I live by it. I will go where I am sent and fight at home if it comes to that. I don’t crave parades or special honors but they are touching when I experience them. It’s what I do and will probably do for a few more years.

You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool -- you bet that Tommy sees!
From “Tommy” - Rudyard Kipling

To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to love, And a time to hate;
A time of war, And a time of peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1,8 (New King James Version)