Advent Is...Peace (Part 3)

Romans 15:4-13

Often while in conversation about the problems in our world - poverty, religious ideological extremes, political disagreement, the decay of global resources such as air, water, and earth - the point is made that these things are nothing new to our societies. Almost as soon as that point is made someone will ask, "Why don't we ever learn from our mistakes?"

Why don't we?

War over ideologies and domination over other nations, wide gaps between rich and poor, more opportunities for one group of people over another, taking more than is needed for human consumption, and other such things have been around for as long as history has been recorded. Why, then, do we not learn from the stories of our past and find a way to live in unity with one another and with creation?

Today's passage has Paul asking the same question, sort of. He makes the point that humankind has been taught from the beginning of written communication that unity under one love brings peace. As a Christian, I firmly believe violence or punishment is not the answer. If people need a hand up to make ends meet and put food on the table, as a community we should help. If a nation's people are not being treated fairly we should not take over their government but rather encourage the people and the government of that nation to find a way to make a better way of life for all. If science shows that the earth is undergoing drastic climate changes which will intensely alter our way of life and survival, maybe we need to start changing our way of life now in order to try and reverse the damage.

I remember hearing in high school social studies that we study history in order not to make the same mistakes over and over. Yet, we continue to make the same mistakes over and over. Peace comes through the understanding that we are all one people; different in many ways, but the same in one love. When poverty, war, and earthly destruction are a thing of the past we will know peace. Until then, we can do our part to share the peace we have within, the peace in the knowledge that our words and actions are truly Christ-like: sharing the one love of the one Creator.