“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
     --Matthew 5:9 NRSV

Rarely do we hear the word “peace” anymore in the sense of cessation of conflict between two or more parties. Perhaps we encounter the term “peace” in this way when we see a news article about another failed Mideast peace plan or when we are watching a documentary about a peace treaty at the end of World War II. For some, the word “peace” may conjure memories of peace marches during the Vietnam War or hippies making the peace sign. When I think of the word “peacemaker” I have images in my mind of diplomats sitting across the table from one another negotiating a treaty, but it doesn’t seem like a job for ordinary people like me and you. So, this Beatitude of Jesus seems at first unrelated to daily living.

We do hear the word “peace” a lot today in the sense of inner peace. So maybe it is worth beginning any discussion of peacemaking with the personal and internal. Mystics from various traditions teach that any efforts for peace in our world can only begin with peace inside us. The medieval Christian mystic Julian of Norwich said:

“Peace and love are always in us, existing and working, but we are not always in peace and in love.”

The Vietnamese Zen Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh writes:
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“Peace is present right here and now, in ourselves and in everything we do and see. Every breath we take, every step we take, can be filled with peace, joy, and serenity. The question is whether or not we are in touch with it. We need only to be awake, alive in the present moment.” 

The Jain monk Satish Kumar writes:

Lead me from death to life,
from falsehood to truth.
Lead me from despair to hope, from fear to trust.
Lead me from hate to love,
from war to peace.
Let peace fill our hearts,
our world, our universe.
Peace, peace, peace.

The first step to making peace in the world seems to be finding peace in ourselves. Attempts to make peace with those around us have a difficult time succeeding when we proceed from a conflicted place inside of ourselves.

As we move outside of ourselves into the world around us, peace may seem like an abstract concept for those of us privileged enough to live in save neighborhoods that are largely free of violence. Yet it doesn’t take much effort to see violence at work in all areas of our lives. In his writings about leadership, Parker Palmer writes that our perception of the world around us shapes our actions in that world. When we view the world as hostile and full of scarcity, we act with hostility and view everyone as a threat to our interests.

[A shadow that affects leadership] is the perception that the universe is essentially hostile to human interests and that life is fundamentally a battleground. As I listen to everyday discourse, it is amazing to me how many battle images I hear as people go about the work of leadership. We talk about tactics and strategy, about using our big guns, about do or die, about wins and losses. The imagery here suggests that if we fail to be fiercely competitive, we're going to lose, because the basic structure of the universe is a vast combat. The tragedy of that inner shadow, that unexamined inner fear, is that it helps create situations where people actually have to live that way. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. . . Our commitment to competition is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Yes, the world is competitive, but only because we make it that way. Some of the best places in our world, some of the best corporations, some of the best schools, are learning that there is another way of going about things, a way that's consensual, that's cooperative, that's communal. They are fulfilling a different prophecy and creating a different reality.

Palmer points out how we create the opposite of peace in our families, our workplaces, our schools and our places of worship when we enter them expecting competition and conflict. When the only tool in our tool belt is to dominate others before they dominate us, there can be no peace. When we learn ways of living that create compromise, community and sharing of resources, we create a new reality.

In this precarious time in the political life of our nation, we are in need of peacemakers. Peace understood in this sense is not the avoidance of conflict or the absence of struggle. Instead peacemakers help create contexts and spaces where people in conflict can feel secure enough to let their guard down, listen to other points of view and find the common good once more.

I have an experiment for you to try out. On any given day try to keep track of the number of violent images and words you hear or experience. These words or images can be news stories about violence or conflict. They can also be cases where imagery of war and violence are used in ordinary situations such as business meetings or conversations with friends or family. Count the number of times something violent is in the media and advertising you consume. If you are alert, I bet you will quickly lose track of the number of images and words involving violence, war and weaponry you experience in an ordinary day.

We are saturated with images of violence and war. It pervades our language and our actions. Is it then any wonder that we know so little about making peace? Peace has become a rare word in our culture. It is time for people to understand the word peace as more than an unrealistic and abstract idea but rather as a vital way of changing reality around them.

The reason Jesus said peacemakers are blessed is because they not only see but already live in the reality of God’s peace. It is possible for you and me to experience that blessedness too. I found the following quotation today, and I can’t get it out of my head. It seems to fit with the kind of peacemaking Jesus was pronouncing as blessed.

You are someone only in as far as you are love, and only what has turned to love in your life will be preserved. What love is you can learn from Jesus…. So be converted to love every day. Change all your energies, all your potential, into selfless gifts for the other person. Then you yourself will be changed from within and through you God’s kingdom will break into the world.

--H. van der Looy, Rule for a New Brother

May you be converted to love today.

Grace and Peace,
Rev. Chase Peeples

     “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
     --Matthew 5:8 NRSV
 
For the last two weeks in my daily emails, I have been sharing about the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12. They form the beginning of what is called The Sermon on the Mount, a collection of Jesus’ sayings in Matthew 5-7. I believe the best way to interpret these verses is not as an instruction manual from Jesus, but as declarations from Jesus about how the world really works, all appearances to the contrary. 
 
A group of clergy called SALT Project does a nice job of describing this way of understanding the Beatitudes:
 
Jesus paints an utterly counterintuitive picture of blessedness: looking around the world, then and now, and it’s easy to conclude that the “blessed” are the rich, happy, strong, satisfied, ruthless, deceptive, aggressive, safe, and well-liked — and yet here’s Jesus, saying that despite appearances, the truly “blessed” are actually the poor, mourning, gentle, hungry, merciful, pure in heart, peacemaking, persecuted, and reviled.
 
It seems easier to me, however, to think of God declaring the poor in spirit or those who mourn are blessed than it is the pure in heart. It feels self-righteous or even hypocritical to declare oneself pure in heart. Which one of us doesn’t have some kind of falsehood, selfishness or double mindedness inside of us? 
As Christians we are taught that all of us are sinners who stand in need of the grace of God. With all that we know about psychology today and how our unconscious urges, desires and biases shape our behavior, how can anyone say they are really pure in heart?
 
For the biblical writers however, purity of heart seemed to be attainable. This Beatitude echoes the 24th Psalm which declares:
 
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
    And who shall stand in his holy place?
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
    who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
    and do not swear deceitfully. (Psalm 24:3-4 NRSV)
 
Purity of heart might be rare, but it was possible, so it must mean something other than perfection or a complete lack of sinful thoughts and actions in one’s life.
 
For me, this Beatitude is not about getting everything right or being utterly innocent of thoughts and actions that hurt ourselves, others and God. Rather it is about being a person of integrity. 
 

• Being pure of heart means keeping one's promises and commitments.
• Being pure in heart means speaking truthfully yet lovingly to others.
• Being pure in heart means accepting hard truths about oneself and taking responsibility for one's mistakes and faults, making amends whenever possible. 
• Being pure in heart means being a person whom others can trust and who are consistent in their actions, beliefs and words without changing them for different audiences or circumstances. 

Purity of heart takes concrete form when one refuses to triangulate against a coworker just to get ahead or even to make oneself feel better about one’s own inadequacies.
 
Purity of heart takes concrete form when one chooses to be honest when no one is looking or could ever know if you were dishonest.

Purity of heart takes concrete form when one sticks with the truth of who you are and what you have done in the face of criticism, rejection and even false attacks. A person who has integrity of heart does not need to respond in kind to people who unfairly criticize them behind their backs or undermine friendships or relationships. Purity of heart means not having to lower oneself to the false behaviors of others, because you know your own truth which gives you all the reassurance needed.
 
In a world with “alternative “facts” and where truth is bendable depending on which cable news channel you are watching, it may not seem like integrity matters. In a world where those in power declare “greed is good” and “winning is everything,” integrity doesn’t seem to offer much reward. Yet Jesus declares that no matter what our culture says, integrity means everything to God. God sees and knows our hearts. God knows when we are being truthful and living with integrity even if nobody else does. The greatest reward of all--greater than getting ahead in office politics, greater than any popularity context, greater than achieving any power in this world--is our integrity allows us to “see God.” to recognize the true reality of love and grace which pervades all of creation.
 
Psalm 24 declares the pure in heart shall enter the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem temple, the most sacred spot on earth, and see God face to face. Jesus declares the pure in heart shall see God without any such restriction of location. The person who walks and lives and speaks with integrity can see beyond the lies and deceits of our culture to lay eyes on God’s work of love and justice which is so often obfuscated by human deceitfulness. This reward offers more blessedness than any half-hearted or false-hearted person can ever know.
 
Grace and Peace,
Rev. Chase Peeples

     “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to
     peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and
     admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit,
     singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed,
     do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
     Colossians 3:15-17

As the end of 2020 draws near and we plod along in this long season of darkness, it is easy to despair. Yet we know there is light. And when we lean into Christ and let Him rule our hearts, peace settles upon us. The world and despair attempt to steal the peace, but when we come together as the ‘body of Christ’, despite our differences, we discover peace flooding over us.

We are called to “let the message of Christ dwell among us”, and when we succeed in doing this, we come together stronger and more resilient against the darkness.

As we come together, we can sing in praise and joy for the graciousness of the Lord.

We are entering the most magical and wonderful time of the year and as we do let us turn our focus away from the season of despair and raise up a season of thankfulness.

Let us join together, whether in person or virtually, and share hymns and songs to our good and glorious God. Let us put behind us the fear, the disputes and the anger and reach forward to a new season.

Let us enter this season with thanksgiving in our hearts. Yes, the pandemic is still raging around us. Yes, there are fears and doubts about our national direction. Yet, there is one who is mightier.

We worship a God who is bigger than all that we have lost. Our God is bigger than the issues that separate us. Our God is bigger than the obstacles that threaten to trip us. Give thanks with a joyful heart, because our God is bigger!

Our joy, peace and freedom come through Christ who paid the ultimate price in death and then defeated death to bring us the promise of life. What greater gift could we receive.
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Together we will make it through this trying time and together, when we lean into Christ, we will have peace filling our hearts and be able to celebrate our God with loud songs of gratitude.

Kathy Hendrix

     “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.”
     --Matthew 5:7 NRSV

I’m continuing my study of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) that has been in my daily emails for the last two weeks. You can find previous Beatitudes on the blog page of the PHCC web site.

Mercy sounds like a word for another time or at least another realm. It seems like a word used on the HBO series Game of Thrones, as if the person sitting on the Iron Throne offers mercy to a defeated foe. Who uses the word “mercy” anymore?

The last time I can remember using the word “mercy” was probably as a kid when another boy would put me in some kind of wrestling hold until I would cry, “Mercy!” It was the same as crying, “Uncle!” I guess that’s not too far from the modern-day definition of the word. According to Google, “mercy” means “compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.” In other words, I don’t have to be a reigning monarch or the biggest kid on the playground to offer mercy. Any time I offer compassion or forgiveness towards someone whom I could punish or harm, I am offering mercy.

A way to misinterpret this beatitude, I think, is to understand it as some sort of transaction with God. If I show mercy to others, God will show mercy to me. This sort of “if. . . then. . .” theology is a superficial reading of not only this beatitude but the “Parable of the Unforgiving Servant” found later in Matthew 18:21-35 (which I preached on back on September 17—if you missed it check the PHCC web site or YouTube page). A similar idea exists in the Lord’s Prayer which we pray every week: “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.” Yet, to read these verses about mercy as a transaction where we show mercy in order to get mercy is to make God into a math problem (me + mercy = God being merciful to me), and God is free to give mercy or not to us anytime anywhere. For grace to be grace, it cannot be a transaction.

I believe Jesus connects the mercy we give others to the mercy God gives us in such stark terms, because for Jesus, mercy is just that important. Jesus wants us always to remember that we are people who have received mercy from God—we do not instantly get zapped for the sins we commit against God, others, ourselves and creation. Our very lives are grace because we do not have to exist in the first place. Every day in countless ways we receive mercy and grace from God whether we know it or not. Since we are supposed to live our lives in gratitude for the mercy God has shown us, our gratitude naturally translates into mercy toward others. In fact, one of the most common ways God shows mercy to us is through the mercy we give to and receive from one another.

Mercy—as in showing compassion and forgiveness towards people we could punish or harm—can be understood in what I will call “big” or “small” ways. The Catholic Worker movement founded by Dorothy Day understood mercy in what I’ll call the “big” way. They understood acts of mercy to fall into two categories: corporal and spiritual.

The corporal works of mercy:

feeding the hungry
giving drink to the thirsty
clothing the naked
offering hospitality to the homeless
caring for the sick
visiting the imprisoned
burying the dead

The spiritual works of mercy:

admonishing the sinner
instructing the ignorant
counseling the doubtful
comforting the sorrowful
bearing wrongs patiently
forgiving all injuries
praying for the living and the dead.

Another way to think about mercy is what I will call “small,” as in the everyday acts of mercy that we choose as we go about our daily routines. United Church of Christ minister and author Quinn Caldwell writes the following about this “small’ kind of mercy:

Maybe I didn't have to have such a big sigh when my partner forgot to bring home milk, even though he totally said he'd do it, and then totally didn't. 

Maybe I didn't have to lay on my horn quite so harshly when that lady cut me off on the way to work this morning, even though she was obviously in the wrong. 

Maybe mercy is about self-control, about choosing not to use power to convict someone (even tiny power, like a disappointed sigh or an angry horn blast), choosing not to vent one's spleen just because it feels good. 

So today, I will try to be self-controlled. I will focus more on relationships than being right, more on building others up than pointing out the ways they've wronged me. Today, I will try to show the world the mercy I hope to one day receive when I find myself kneeling before the One with all the power.

Whether today your acts of mercy are “big” or “small”, may you abundantly offer compassion and forgiveness to those whom you could punish or harm because God offers the same to you.

Grace and Peace,
Rev. Chase Peeples

As I write this, our nation still awaits election results. One’s political views will determine how one feels once the outcome is known. Many people feel our society is more politically polarized than ever (probably an overstatement—remember the Civil War?) or at least as much as anyone can remember in their lifetime (still a possible overstatement—remember the 60’s?). It is probably safe to say that given the rise of social media and partisan cable news channels, people feel as polarized as ever. Throw on the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, continued unresolved conflicts over racism and potential economic woes and times seem difficult with no clear solutions in sight.

How can PHCC be church in the midst of this?

One way to be church is to stick our heads in the sand. We can just avoid talking about controversial subjects altogether among church folks. This avoids conflict but it is not very healthy. It also happens to be unbiblical. Jesus, the Hebrew prophets and other biblical writings have much to say about how communities and societies treat people, especially those with the least power and money. If we avoid all controversial topics, we risk avoiding our obligations as Christians.

A second way to be church is to pick a side. Many conservative Christian churches have equated being Christian with voting Republican. They are fewer in number, but there are progressive churches who equate being Christian with voting Democrat. Often this type of partisan Christianity centers on particular issues like abortion, homosexuality, etc. The problem with this view is saying being Christian is the same thing as voting for a certain party. Such a move is essentially making a false idol out of a party that competes with God for believers’ allegiance. Many of the most controversial issues of our day are more complex than can be addressed by a particular party’s platform. Furthermore, there are politicians in all parties that are unworthy of the support they expect from people of faith. Picking a political side and sticking with it under all circumstances is a guaranteed way to end up on the opposite side of what God expects sometime or the other.

A third way to be church is the one least tried—the way of common ground. Our culture is beset by powerful forces that have a financial interest in us staying as divided as possible. Everyone from the lobbyist to the politician to the media mogul knows the best way to make money and accumulate power is to create enemies that their supporters or audience can rally against. Nothing makes Americans more devoted to a cause than sharing the same enemy. It is much harder to find goals and interests we can agree upon. Can a church be a place where people who disagree with one another’s political parties can find things they do agree upon? There’s not a lot of evidence out there which says this is possible, but the alternative is we retreat further from one another while our churches become just an extension of the political parties.

Is it possible that people who vote Democrat and want to fight climate change and people who vote Republican and want free market economics could find common ground over finding ways to support renewable energy, control pollution and protect for wilderness lands?

Is it possible that people who vote Republican and want to support police officers and people who vote Democrat and want to overcome racism could find common ground on training of police officers, fairness in sentencing offenders regardless of their race and increased resources for people with mental health issues?

Is it possible that people who vote Republican and are against access to abortion services and people who vote Democrat and are for access to abortion services could find common ground working so all low-income women and children have access to quality healthcare, adoption services are made more affordable and our foster care system is better than its current deplorable state?

Is it possible that common ground exists in other areas too?
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If common ground is to be found among church people, a few things are necessary:

• A commitment to love one another even when we disagree;
• A commitment to remembering God is greater than one political party;
• A commitment to share one another’s personal experiences and personal stories rather than repeating the talking points of pundits, talk radio and internet memes;
• A commitment to restraint on social media so that we don’t fire off replies without thinking or post things that might hurt people we care for but who don’t share our views;
• A commitment to value the full humanity of other people, especially people who’s worth as a person has been called into question by politicians and media figures;
• A commitment to use the Bible, religious tradition and church teachings as tools for understanding and respect rather than as weapons or prooftexts to demean others.
• A commitment to sticking with our relationships with one another as church members even when dialogue gets uncomfortable and difficult.

This may be a tall order for ordinary human beings to accomplish, but we do not journey alone, God is with us. A church that wants to find common ground in order to work for the common good can do so if it walks humbly with God. The love, peace and grace promised by Jesus Christ is available to us, if we are willing to accept them and extend them to one another. A church doesn’t have to be just another partisan tool or a group that ignores the conflicts of our times. Instead it can be a place where we find love and community in spite of our differences while we serve others in Jesus’ name.

Grace and Peace,
Rev. Chase Peeples

​     “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
     --Matthew 5:6 NRSV
 
On the day after Election Day when our nation waits anxiously for election results, it is perhaps a good time to reflect on the beatitude: “Blessed are those who hunger and third for righteousness.” It’s worth noting that in Luke’s Gospel this beatitude only says, “Blessed are those who hunger.” (Luke 6:20 NRSV) Many scholars believe the shorter version is what Jesus actually said and Matthew added the spiritual stuff to make the beatitude not about actual hunger but a hunger (and thirst) for righteousness. Whether Jesus actually said Matthew’s version or not (he could have said it both ways for all we know), Matthew’s version certainly remains consistent with Jesus’ teachings. In the end, the kind of righteousness Jesus is talking about means, among other things, feeding those who are hungry.
 
Later in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells a parable about the Son of Man judging “the nations” and separating them into “sheep and goats.” (Matthew 25:31-46) Jesus offers the remarkable concept that whatever these people have done or not done for others is the same thing as what they have done or not done to himself. This disturbing concept of Christ somehow mysteriously being present in every person we care for or do not care for includes people who are hungry and thirsty (“for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,” Matthew 25:35 NRSV) Righteousness means, therefore, caring for the needs of others and when we do so, we also care for Christ.
 
For most of Christian history and especially in American Christianity, the kind of righteousness that meets the needs of those who are marginalized has been understood in individualistic terms. Understood this way, a Christian cares for those whom society considers “the least of these” through personal acts of charity or perhaps through a church collection of money or goods. This manner of righteousness is undoubtedly biblical, but it is not the only understanding of caring for people in need.
 
The Hebrew prophets and Jesus himself speak of societal injustices where the rich oppress the poor. Indeed, Jesus’ one arguably violent act took place when he ran money changers out of the temple. This wasn’t just about the proper use of religious space it was a rejection of a religious system that used the worship of God to exploit powerless people. That same religious establishment accommodated and benefited from a civic authority that further exploited the majority of the population. For Jesus and the prophets, righteousness meant working against the kind of systemic and complex sins that come about through the participation of individuals in a community and society. Biblical righteousness, therefore, is not merely individual virtue but communal wholeness, not only about individual choice but communal responsibility.
 
In a democratic republic that has a market economy and exists in a culture two thousand years removed from Jesus’ day, figuring out how to apply Jesus’ understanding of righteousness can be difficult. The interconnectedness of power, wealth and influence in our society staggers the imagination, so a precise mixture of public and private responses to injustices is impossible. Yet, if we wish to be Christ’s disciples in our day, simply doing nothing because the problems are too complex remains a non-option. Followers of Jesus, have no option but to try and demonstrate a righteousness that individually and communally meets the needs of those at the bottom of our society’s ladder, even as we understand our efforts remain imperfect and incomplete. How we do this is, of course, up for debate; that we must do so is undebatable.
 
When I consider whether or not Jesus’ righteousness is more of an individualistic or systemic concern, I often think of a quote by the Brazilian archbishop Dom Helder Camara, “When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.” Individual acts of charity remain relatively easy—just think of how many marches and walks you and your friends take part in for good causes. Yet, asking the more difficult questions about the inequalities that exist in our society veers into the territory of politics. When we get into politics, I feel like the debate becomes more about ideology than about the needs of real people.
 
I have been in conservative churches and liberal churches (and churches in between), and whenever the larger questions of injustice in our society are raised it’s not long before people stop listening to Jesus and start listening to whatever partisan news source they prefer. When that happens, it’s not long before Jesus starts sounding like a cable news pundit. Then the discussion is not about correcting injustices in society but deciding who is wrong and who is right, as well as labelling whoever is considered “wrong” a fascist, communist, or whatever.
 
On the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., his daughter Bernice King wrote in The Atlantic about the kind of righteousness her father spoke about, a righteousness drawn from the teaching of Jesus and the prophets. She wrote that we must “serve as a force of light” and explained what that means in the following way:
 
My father stated, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.” This is often quoted, but I’m concerned that we seldom realize he was expressing both a physical and a spiritual truth. When we show up as light in dark places, the darkness must depart. If we become darkness in response to darkness, then we perpetuate a descending spiral of hate and hopelessness. Each of us must decide whether it is more important to be proved right or to provoke righteousness.
 
During this fraught political climate, we must choose “whether it is more important to be proved right or to provoke righteousness.” We can spend our time name calling on social media as we retreat to our separate bubbles, or we can get to work creating the kind of righteousness that meets the needs of those most in need of help. We can become as bad as the people we say we oppose, or we can choose to work for a more just world. Too many Christians believe following Jesus means proving they are right and others are wrong instead of provoking the kind of righteousness that Jesus calls us to create.
 
Grace and Peace,
Rev. Chase Peeples

     “35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get
     anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High,
     because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is
     merciful.”
     Luke 6:35 – 36

The English writer G. K. Chesterton noted:

     “We make our friends; we make our enemies; but God makes our next door neighbor.”

And how true this is. Last week we looked at loving our neighbor, no matter who they may be. Often our friends can be our neighbors, but sometimes the neighbor may be our enemy. So, when John told us to love our neighbor, as we discussed last week, we are to love everyone which if we read between the lines would include our enemy. So why is it so important that Luke add his verse of loving our enemies?
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Perhaps if we look at love as God does as ‘Agape’ we can learn the truth Martin Luther King, Jr. taught:

     “Agape is disinterested love. Agape does not begin by discriminating between worthy and
     unworthy people, or any qualities people possess. It begins by loving others for their sakes.
     Therefore, agape makes no distinction between friend and enemy; it is directed toward both.”

Agape love is an all-encompassing love like God’s love for His creation. But what does “disinterested love” mean?

It is a love that holds no strings, which has no boundaries. As noted, an all-encompassing love that finds grace for everyone.

When we love with Agape, we learn how to “do good to them”. It is so much more than kindness. It involves a forgiving grace that allows for the enemy to be who they are without our judging them.

When we look with Agape toward our enemy, we no longer see an enemy or fear them. In fact, we find it easier to have faith in He who is the Creator of all. When we look through the eyes of Agape, we are seeing through God’s eyes and we see His creation. With this view we then, as King says, “makes no distinction between friend and enemy”.

Luke tells us to “lend to them without expecting to get anything back”. This lending is not just in the form of finances as one might suppose it is in being honest and faithful, caring and trusting, friendly and kind, even loving them.

We are to give to our enemies without the expectation that any action we take will change them. It is not our place to judge them, but to be understanding of who they are and to work to be examples of who they can become. We do this with the understanding that we may pay the ultimate price, but we do not dwell on that, but eagerly step out in faith that God’s justice will prevail.

Further, Luke tells us that we have a reward as the children of God. When we step out in faith and trust that our God is mightier than even the vilest enemy, we are rewarded.

God looks on our enemies with kindness because He is a merciful God. After all He sent His Son for the salvation of all mankind. Even the wicked and evil are God’s children and when we look at our enemies with Agape, we open ourselves up to be merciful, just as our Father is merciful. This, in the end is our reward. This is our mission. This is our role as the children of the Most High.

Kathy Hendrix