“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God!”(Matthew 5:9)

On Friday just passed, many countries paused to remember. We stopped, for one minute, to remember the victims of war, and all those who have died in the struggle for freedom, seeking simply to make the world a better place to live in. But Friday also stood as a stark reminder that our world is still deeply broken and divided, because of human fear, hatred and violence. Sometimes, it feels like it is only getting worse.

The difficult truth is that our views on wars and conflicts cannot be detached from the teachings of Jesus Christ: the Prince of Peace. Jesus, the One we follow, never entered into physical battle in order to defeat the enemies of the Kingdom of God. Rather, Jesus consistently chose the way of non-violent resistance.

We see this when the time came for Jesus to be arrested, and Simon Peter attacked the slave with his sword. Jesus’ firm rebuke: “All who take the sword will perish by the sword.” These words were but a microcosm of what was to come. Jesus – God-incarnate – relinquished His own life for the life of the world. And in His last moments, His only words to those in whose hands He was crucified, were “Father, forgive them.”

In the person of Jesus, we see the perfect example of sacrificial love and life-giving peace. Jesus calls us to be peace-makers, not warriors. Jesus sends us out to be His ambassadors, empowered by the Spirit to announce the Good News of God’s peace-full Kingdom. More than that, we are called to embody peace in the world.

Yes, to be a Christian is to be a peace-maker.

Consider the words of a great advocate for peace, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr:

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction….The chain reaction of evil – hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars – must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.”

May the Prayer for Today be our prayer always, as followers of the Prince of Peace.