Photo ©2015 Amanda Gross When I read Psalm 122 in preparation for this meditative exercise, the phrase, “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” captured my attention. My initial thought was, “Yes, and many other places.” I made a random, and without too much thought, list of areas of conflict in our world and came up with a collection of over a dozen. If the church has been expected to continue the message of “the Prince of Peace”, and having been around for two thousand years, it doesn’t seem to have had much of an impact in this regard.
I recall being in a church school class as a youth in which the teacher was commenting on Jesus as the “Prince of Peace”. She indicated that this did not necessarily refer to world peace but rather peace of mind or peace with God. A neat side-stepping of the issue I thought.
I then remembered a statement made by Dr. George Peck, then president of Andover Newton Theological School, who raised the question, “What would happen to the church if to be a Christian you had to be a pacifist?” I don’t believe I have adequately faced the question of pacifism for myself, but I often wonder. I have come to the conclusion that war doesn’t solve a thing, but only adds to the problem.
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem?” How best to do that?
Let woe and waste of warfare cease,
That useful labor yet may build
Its homes with love and laughter filled:
God, give your wayward children peace.
- William Vories
- Robert Aspinwall
I recall being in a church school class as a youth in which the teacher was commenting on Jesus as the “Prince of Peace”. She indicated that this did not necessarily refer to world peace but rather peace of mind or peace with God. A neat side-stepping of the issue I thought.
I then remembered a statement made by Dr. George Peck, then president of Andover Newton Theological School, who raised the question, “What would happen to the church if to be a Christian you had to be a pacifist?” I don’t believe I have adequately faced the question of pacifism for myself, but I often wonder. I have come to the conclusion that war doesn’t solve a thing, but only adds to the problem.
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem?” How best to do that?
Let woe and waste of warfare cease,
That useful labor yet may build
Its homes with love and laughter filled:
God, give your wayward children peace.
- William Vories
- Robert Aspinwall
Today pray for:
First Free Will Baptist Church, Ashland and their pastor Ernie Madden
First Baptist Church, Barre and their pastor Craig Ray
Region Staff: Malcolm Hamblett, Asst. to the Region Minister
First Free Will Baptist Church, Ashland and their pastor Ernie Madden
First Baptist Church, Barre and their pastor Craig Ray
Region Staff: Malcolm Hamblett, Asst. to the Region Minister
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