sermon excerpts: "Advent of Uneasy Peace"

I’ve quoted Oscar Romero before in worship and that same remark is found in our Voices United hymn book, #683: “Peace is not the product of terror or fear. Peace is not the silence of cemeteries. Peace is not the silence of violent repression. Peace is the generous, tranquil contribution of all to the good of all. Peace is dynamism. Peace is generosity. It is right and duty.”

The coming of the Messiah was thought to bring peace as he delivered the people to the seats of power and conquest. It was assumed that the peace that would reign would be the enforced peace of military victory and dominion over one’s defeated enemies.

Instead we find the prophet in the desert is calling us to a profound, soul-affecting peace of right relationships and equality. What we have is a call from Isaiah, repeated again by John that this world is not as it should be, that our own self-interest has harmed the well-being of others?

Alone in the desert, reminding us again that a life of faith, of following God means moving out of our comfortable areas and into uncertainty, reclaiming our heritage, following in the steps of a saviour. But real peace is uncomfortable because we all have a part to play. And much like being environmentally responsible, we’re all for it … as long as we don’t have to give up too much.

Leveling the playing field means that we have to give something up. No wonder the underprivileged were drawn to John the Baptist, and Jesus. For the poor and dispossessed, these men called for equality and justice, representing hope and a chance to gain.
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Following in the way of peace does not mean peace of mind, but it does mean we do what we can to bring peace to others. Knowing this, we venture forth anyway to lift up valleys, bring low the mountains and hills, level out the uneven ground and smooth the rough places. We go forth down a highway for the way of peace, justice and faith.