Matthew 5:1-12 – Peace with Justice Sunday
/Lectionary Readings for July 17, 2022 6th Sunday after Pentecost, Year C
Amos 8:1-12 A Vision of Summer Fruit
Psalm 52 v8-9 I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever. I will thank you forever because of what you have done.
Colossians 1:15-28 v15-16 15 [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible…
Luke 10:38-42 Jesus Visits Martha and Mary
But this week Margie Meserve helps us celebrate Peace with Justice Sunday which is one of the six Methodist “Special Sundays” of the year.
Peace through Leadership Quotes
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
“In matters of truth and justice, there is no difference between large and small problems, for issues concerning the treatment of people are all the same.” ~ Albert Einstein
“The dead cannot cry out for justice. It is a duty of the living to do so for them.” ~ Lois McMaster Bujold
As members of God’s family, we cannot turn a blind eye to conflicts and injustices. We are called to offer comfort to the wounded and outcast while we work to address the causes of their pains. This is the difficult and necessary work of peace-making. And we can approach this good and worthy work knowing God works with us.
Today’s Message from Margie Meserve, Chair of Church Council
Let’s open our ears, minds, and hearts as Jesus calls us to put our faith into action so that others may experience peace and justice.
Read Matthew 5:1-12 .
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.
I have learned a great deal from researching this program. I never really paid too much attention to Peace with Justice Sunday. An envelope was provided for a special offering which I may or may not have filled and returned. I did not understand the importance or the basic needs that this ministry is involved with.
So, what is Peace with Justice Sunday?
United Methodists relate to this special Sunday by seeking peaceful solutions, creating and supporting peace-related ministries in their conference and learning about peaceful, just efforts around the world. Our Social Principles call us to love our enemies, seek justice, and serve as reconcilers of conflict. We insist that the first moral duty of all nations is to work together to resolve by peaceful means every dispute that arises between or among them.
The United Methodist Church, with its historic commitment to peace and justice, can and should provide leadership to this social transformation. This ministry is administered by the General Board of Church and Society and benefits peace with justice ministries in the Annual Conferences and around the world.
You probably have never heard of this board. So want do they do?
The General Board of Church and Society Church holds a non-governmental, consultative status with the United Nations. This status allows us to participate in UN meetings, consultations and conferences. Addressing more than 30 social issues on which The United Methodist Church has claimed a position, Church and Society communicates with policymakers and leaders around the world with the mission of transforming the world.
We recognize and renew our call for social transformation, for the quest to open the doors of opportunity for all, to distribute resources more equitably, and to provide better care for persons in need. Donations for this special Sunday support programs and ministries to educate, equip, and mobilize actions in support of the following five identified areas:
Poverty – Economic Justice.
Climate – Environmental Justice.
Health and wholeness issues.
Civil and Human Rights which include but are not limited to race, immigration and migration, and gender equality.
Peace with Justice.
We achieve peace with justice efforts by working with the World Council of Churches, interfaith and ecumenical bodies, and secular organizations for social-justice policies and programs that seek the wholeness of shalom for all of God’s people. Your gift, joined with the gifts of others makes a significant impact in the lives of individuals and communities. Each Annual Conference has a Peace with Justice Coordinator who helps develop local social justice ministries. Fifty percent of your offering remains in our annual conference to support this ministry.
Peace with Justice Sunday offerings also support grants for social justice programs and education.
Our donations allow the agency to disperse funds in the form of grants to ministries that are doing the important peace with justice work in many places around the world. They award three different grants to United Methodist congregations and organizations. The grants support Ethnic/Minority Local Church ministries and programs related to the denomination’s Special Sundays for Human Relations Day and Peace with Justice. In the past some of these grants have supported immigration reform; helped develop leadership skills for native Alaskans; trained clergy in the Congo to monitor and observe the election process; and held an Ecumenical youth conference in Europe.
General Board of Church and Society works to connect with conferences, agencies and other networks to educate, equip and mobilize actions in support of identified Economic, Health, and Gender Justice Priorities. Last year $328,463 was donated to fund a variety of these ministries. Our donations are one way to help provide justice to those who are denied.
Working for justice can cost us something, not only financially or with our time, but socially. We can be rejected, be hated, or face physical harm. In Matthew 5:1-12 Jesus teaches his disciples how it will be to serve others. It will not be an easy path. He gives them a code of ethics and a way to treat other people which is in contrast to the way the world treats each other. Hate, greed, and envy do not have a place in the kingdom of God. Jesus called his disciples and us to action: to be advocates and agents for those denied justice. Without justice there can be no peace.
Jesus teaches us how we are to work for justice. If we are to achieve peace with justice we must work through peaceful methods to achieve that goal. Martin Luther King Jr., Ghandi, and Mother Teresa are just a few examples of this type of action. Each in their own way brought about social justice through peaceful methods. Jesus taught of a justice that would result in peace, not the old “eye for an eye” type of justice. When Jesus returned to his disciples after He was crucified, did he seek retribution on those responsible for killing Him? No! He came back to spread the Word of God’s love and the Kingdom of Heaven. There is no justice in retaliation. Martin Luther King Jr. was a voice for peaceful protest. He followed Jesus’ commandment. He realized that fighting back would only lead to more violence from the local community and a loss of support from the larger community. In recent incidences involving police shooting of black men, the families have called out against violence and asked for peaceful demonstrations.
Today we can see injustice everywhere. People are discriminated against for who they are. For example, last year a new teacher was hired for Susanville’s school system. Soon after moving into her home in Susanville, she placed a statue of Buddha in her front yard. Her neighbors came over, not to greet her, but to tell her that they did not want a Buddha statue in their neighborhood and that “her kind” was not welcome. She quit her job and moved out of Susanville.
Every week at our Hope Food Pantry, we serve people who face numerous economic barriers. We are seeing more and more seniors and larger families, especially those with young children. Our missions is not just to feed people, but also to give them hope and to share God’s love with them in a manor they feel safe.
How can we address injustice?
There are numerous ways. You can write our government officials to let them know how you stand on an issue. We can attend city and county government meetings. You can join in peaceful protest. I believe Debbie did that regarding the Supreme Court’s recent Roe v. Wade decision. You can exercise your right to vote. You can volunteer at the Food Pantry or another organization that needs your support. You can support our church missions with Lassen Family Services, Crossroads Ministries, Adult Teen Challenge, and Lassen Community College. When you shop, you can show the people who serve you God’s love by treating them with respect and a smile. God’s want us to help break down the barriers that exclude people.
As United Methodists, we believe that God has given us principles for how to live. In Matthew 22:35-40 Jesus gave us two commandments: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind”. And second, love your neighbors as yourself. You don’t have to like them, but God requires you to love them and show them respect.
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.
Amen!