Rev. Eric Brown
Is everyone in the world angry about something except for me? It’s come to the point where I almost dread scrolling through social media in the morning. See, I have friends on all sides of the political spectrum. They are people I love; they are my friends. But they – like me will often click on that little “share” button, and out will go the political posts. Not calm, rational discussion, but harsh, angry political posts. I think for five days in a row I’ve been told how I need to be worried about a new “war” on something.
When Jesus rides into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, He weeps. He cries out, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace!” (Luke 19:43) That seems to be an apt description, sadly, of what we see today. Peace is far from anyone’s mind; instead, there’s the new social or political war to fight where we must rally our troops to crush the enemy.
The very same Jesus who weeps is Himself the One who makes for peace. He is the One who goes to the Cross and dies for peace. He is the One who rises and appears to the disciples and speaks to them over and over again, “Peace be with you.” He is the one who comes to you in bread and wine so that the Peace of the Lord would be with you always.
Always! Even when the news feed is full of angry messages telling you who you ought to be hating now, Jesus has made peace. He has died and is risen for you. He has died and is risen for those people telling you to be angry, and He has died and is risen for the people they want you to be angry at. He makes for peace – peace that flies in the face of everything we see in the world, peace that surpasses all human understanding.
The world will call out for battles. People with the best intentions will warn of the latest war. Some of these you might even think are worth fighting. Even then, the truth of Christ Jesus and the peace He won for you and for the person you’re fighting against still remains and shapes everything. Even then, the great battle is the one Jesus waged for you upon the Cross against Satan and sin and death. In Him you have peace – now and forever.
Rev. Eric Brown is pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Herscher, IL.
