Susanville United Methodist Church Weekly Messages
Matthew 5:1-12 – Peace with Justice Sunday
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Peace with Justice Sunday is one of the six special Sundays designated by the United Methodist Church to bring awareness to special needs in our own communities, our country, and globally. Peace with justice is a faithful expression of shalom in the Bible.
We believe that in loving both God and neighbor, we must pursue God’s command of justice, liberation, and flourishing for all people. We must work for the civil and human rights of every person. By following Jesus’ commandments, we can be His hands and feet in helping to establish Peace with Justice.
Read MoreJames 1 – Slow to Speak, Slow to Anger
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The key to fully appreciating James’ urge for us to be slow to anger is being able to first recognize our emotions and the emotions around us and then understand how everyone’s feelings are responses to our environment. Wrapping that in prayerful conversations with God can lead us to managing our anger (and other emotions) so that we’re motivated in a positive way to fulfill what James calls the purest definition of religion: caring for the most vulnerable people in our society (in his case, widows and orphans).
How can our anger at social injustices motivate us to be quick to listen to the needs of our community, to the cries of the vulnerable? How can we then speak out for their needs?
By listening quickly, speaking slowly, and acting with great compassion, we can be God’s loving, transformative presence for our community.
Read MorePeace and Forgiveness – John 20:19-31
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Forgiveness is the path that gets us to wholeness… to shalom (peace with God, ourselves, and others). In these handful of verses, Jesus lays out both the power we have and the opportunity at our fingertips to create peace… or not.
If we can do the culturally hard work of embracing the forgiveness that God so freely offers us and encourages us to share with others, we will naturally be happier, healthier people who will, as a consequence, naturally bring joy and peace to others. Forgiveness is a critical way we expand the Kingdom of God and bring life-giving change into our homes and our community. Isn’t it worth the effort?
Read MoreIsaiah 9:2, 6-7 and Luke 2:1-20 – Christmas Eve: Peace
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The story of Christmas, the message of Christmas IS the Good News that God loves us SO MUCH that God would make Himself into flesh so that God could walk and talk and eat and laugh and cry with us... that Christmas story and that Good News continues throughout the year when we allow God’s Spirit to fill us, to lead us, and to act through us.
Christmas has become a season obsessed with gift-giving. This year, I encourage you to look beyond the ribbons, and bows, and wrapping paper... celebrate the moments and spaces of peace in your life. And look for opportunities to share peace with your family and friends. When we do so, we will live into the beautiful lyrics, “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.”
Read MoreLuke 1:57-80 – The Advent of PEACE, Shalom
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Christmas is truly the season of looking forward to new additions to our lives that arrive as unearned gifts from others. In a nation torn apart by politics, in a community still staggering from the blows of economic challenges and wildfire recovery, in a culture that tells us we always need to have more and be more... Peace, Shalom, may be the greatest gift of all this year.
Remember, the word peace we’re using today is our translation of the Hebrew word Shalom – a word that includes the concepts of being in a state of wholeness, completeness in our relationships with God, with ourselves, and with each other. This is far deeper, far more encompassing than “have a nice day.”
Thankfully, God offers us a never-ending supply of peace, shalom, if we simply accept and participate in that gift of peace. Every day, we have opportunities to re-gift that shalom to others so they can benefit as well. During this Christmas / Advent season, I encourage you to gift and re-gift shalom freely and with wild abandon... to yourself, your families, your coworkers, your classmates, and anyone else you meet.
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