WELCOME & INTRODUCTION
WHEN FIGHTING PAUSED
[excerpt taken from Time Magazine online and History Channel online.]
The year was 1914. The first World War. There was a belief that the war would be over by December but December came and the fighting was still very intense. But at this point, the Pope had sent proclamation that he desired peace and for the war to end. On Dec. 7, 1914, Pope Benedict had implored leaders of the battling nations to hold a Christmas truce, asking "that the guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angels sang." The plea was officially ignored. Many of the battlefield commanders changed their strategy to only shoot when they saw enemies. So it was at this time quiet but war was still in play.
On Christmas Eve of 1914, in muddy trenches on the Western Front, British soldiers began to hear a sound coming from the other side.
Away across the field, among the dark shadows beyond, they could hear the murmur of voices. “Do you hear the Germans kicking up that racket over there?”
The Germans were singing carols, as it was Christmas Eve. In the darkness, some of the British soldiers began to sing back. Suddenly they heard a confused shouting from the other side. They all stopped to listen. The shout came again. The voice was from an enemy soldier, speaking in English with a strong German accent. He was saying, “Come over here.”
One of the British sergeants answered: “You come half-way. I come half-way.”
What happened next would, in the years to come, stun the world and make history. Enemy soldiers began to climb nervously out of their trenches, and to meet in the barbed-wire-filled “No Man’s Land” that separated the armies. Normally, the British and Germans communicated across No Man’s Land with streaking bullets, with only occasional gentlemanly allowances to collect the dead unmolested. But now, there were handshakes and words of kindness. The soldiers traded songs, tobacco and wine, joining in a spontaneous holiday party in the cold night.
Here they were—the actual, practical soldiers of the German army. There was not an atom of hate on either side.
And it wasn’t confined to that one battlefield. Starting on Christmas Eve, small pockets of French, German, Belgian and British troops held impromptu cease-fires across the Western Front, with reports of some on the Eastern Front as well. Some accounts suggest a few of these unofficial truces remained in effect for days.
For those who participated, it was surely a welcome break from the hell they had been enduring. When the war had begun just six months earlier, most soldiers figured it would be over quickly and they’d be home with their families in time for the holidays. Not only would the war drag on for four more years, but it would prove to be the bloodiest conflict ever up to that time. The Industrial Revolution had made it possible to mass-produce new and devastating tools for killing—among them fleets of airplanes and guns that could fire hundreds of rounds per minute. And bad news on both sides had left soldiers with plummeting morale. There was the devastating Russian defeat at Tannenberg in August 1914 and the German losses in the Battle of the Marne a week later.
By the time winter approached in 1914, and the chill set in, the Western Front stretched hundreds of miles. Countless soldiers were living in misery in the trenches on the fronts, while tens of thousands had already died.
Then Christmas came.
Descriptions of the Christmas Truce appear in numerous diaries and letters of the time. One British soldier, a rifleman named J. Reading, wrote a letter home to his wife describing his holiday experience in 1914: “My company happened to be in the firing line on Christmas eve, and it was my turn…to go into a ruined house and remain there until 6:30 on Christmas morning. During the early part of the morning the Germans started singing and shouting, all in good English. They shouted out: ‘Are you the Rifle Brigade; have you a spare bottle; if so we will come half way and you come the other half.’”
“Later on in the day they came towards us,” Reading described. “And our chaps went out to meet them…I shook hands with some of them, and they gave us cigarettes and cigars. We did not fire that day, and everything was so quiet it seemed like a dream.”
Another British soldier, named John Ferguson, recalled it this way: “Here we were laughing and chatting to men whom only a few hours before we were trying to kill!”
One German infantryman described how a British soldier set up a makeshift barbershop, charging Germans a few cigarettes each for a haircut. Other accounts describe vivid scenes of men helping enemy soldiers collect their dead, of which there was plenty.
One British fighter named Ernie Williams later described in an interview his recollection of some makeshift soccer play on what turned out to be an icy pitch: "The ball appeared from somewhere, I don't know where... They made up some goals and one fellow went in goal and then it was just a general kick-about. I should think there were about a couple of hundred taking part.”
But it wasn’t this way everywhere. Even though word had spread about this make-shift ceasefire, some used the opportunity to trick people into the neutral ground to kill them. Many of the highest in command didn’t want fraternizing with the enemy. Though there is no record of anyone being court-martialed, there was talk that some were disciplined for their part.
Eventually, the battle would resume and this war would claim roughly 15 million lives.
In this life, we are called not to war, but to peace. And this is where Jesus takes his Great Sermon next. Our next beatitude this morning is in Matthew 5:9.
MATTHEW 5:9
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
Conflict is around every corner and peace is not something easy to bring about. We see all the time the ways that war and struggle and strife come between people in our world. For Jesus to say this, he is asking a lot of the people there on that hill as he preached. Because peace is usually the thing most people, nations, and civilizations are longing for but still seems out of reach.
What I want us to see this morning is that Jesus is not just calling for peace. He’s not even saying, “I just want you to keep the peace among you.” Though this is something Paul says. Jesus says that the blessed people are the peace MAKERS. People who MAKE peace. This sounds to me like an active role. That we aren’t just out in our world being peaceful and leaving people alone but that we are seeking to make peace with those that are actively seeking to make “war” with us. And that might not be a literal war, it may just be someone who doesn’t like you in particular.
How do we as people of God make peace? I believe the Apostle Paul outlines a few ways in which this is done. We read it this morning in our Scripture reading. Turn over to Romans 12.
ROMANS 12:14-21
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
I hope you are reading what I am reading in this passage. Paul says some pretty profound things about being peacemakers here in this passage in his letter to the church at Rome. Let’s outline a few of these things.
BE PEACEMAKERS
1. BLESS THOSE WHO PERSECUTE YOU.
The apostle Paul writing to the church in Rome calls on the believers to bless the people persecuting them. There was a lot of pressure to be a follower of Jesus in Rome and to remain pure to only the teachings of Jesus. The syncretism of adding on local customs and practices was rampant and it would be difficult to ignore what was happening around them. Many were giving in.
I see that in our world today. It’s hard to live in this world and not be influenced by outside forces. Owning a cell phone now exposes us to so much. It’s hard to have a cell phone and not see the influencers—what they share, what they post, what they buy and support. To not feel like an outcast, many of our kids are seeing this and adopting these lifestyles. Did you know that the makers of Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, and other social media platforms hire experts and creators of casino and gambling machines to mimic the repetition that addicts people to their games? They do this so you’ll scroll just one more time…just one more time…just one more time…until it sucks you in. If you keep scrolling, you’ll see the sponsored content and ads and they make more money. At the same time, you see the terrible things people are posting. There’s a documentary on Netflix called The Social Dilemma. It’s one I actually would recommend with a clean conscience you watching when you have time. Very revealing film.
But back to the matter here, Paul encourages these people and us that instead of just knocking everything we see and hear. To argue with or be at odds with our enemies, our persecutors. Instead, we seek to bless them.
This is actively looking for ways to bless the people you are at “war” with to where you are no longer at “war” and I use this word war not literally, because I pray that we don’t lift up arms against our enemies.
But what does Paul say to do to bless them? Later in this passage he gives a few examples. He says, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink…Overcome evil with good.”
What would this world look like if all of Jesus’ followers did this? Think about your enemy right now. Who is it? Is it someone you know? A neighbor? An acquaintance? Or is it someone you don’t know but are at odds with? The opposite political party or the state government? The president…What can you do to bless them? Paul says, go do this. “so far as it depends on you.” Are they in need of something? Help them. Give them food or a drink. But you overcome their evil by doing good.
It is difficult to imagine that someone would continue to do evil to you if you were blessing them and showing them the love of Jesus.
2. ASSOCIATE WITH THE LOWLY.
Paul says to spend time with those who are less than you. Another way to put this is Paul says to give your life to humble tasks. In our world, we are all trying to get a leg up on everyone else. Maybe it is this attitude that creates a lot of our enmity and strife with others. But if we devote our time to the jobs and service others really don’t want to do, we are reaching out with the love of Jesus AND accomplishing blessing for the lowly.
We don’t necessarily like taking out garbage, wiping tables, stacking chairs, etc. But if we do these jobs, we are not just blessing everyone else, but we are also setting the example of making peace. I love the way this congregation was able to come together to do some real cleaning of the building and we did it together. There were no jobs that were shiny and gave anyone glory over another. Every bit of the work was work and we were able to accomplish something positive together because of it.
Paul also says to never be wise in our own sight. Not just pretend to not be wise while showing off your brilliance…but he says NEVER be wise in your own sight. Now, he is not saying don’t have wisdom…but what he means is be humble and don’t always be first to step in front of everyone with the “right” answers. It’s hard, but the smartest person in the room is sometimes the most difficult to endure. We are glad we have smart people in our lives and do appreciate the wisdom that comes out from those people. But the “know-it-all” is usually seen as arrogant. Not humble.
Associate with the lowly because you will find that when you are lowly, you are like Jesus. Remember the beatitude from a month ago, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5
3. NEVER AVENGE YOURSELVES.
Paul is full of absolute imperatives. Here Paul says NEVER avenge yourselves. So much for the Marvel team the Avengers…they aren’t so noble now, are they? Jokes aside…
This is difficult in a culture that thrives on wanting and receiving justice when we are maligned. Our nation began with documents that enumerate our rights and tell us what we get as citizens. Yet, the Apostle Paul before all of this says that vengeance isn’t for us. Vengeance is “mine says the Lord.” Paul’s letter quotes Moses in Deuteronomy who was speaking on behalf of God’s proclamation.
We have to leave these things to God. When we are treated unfairly, we are told to leave it to God. That means we may NEVER (another imperative) witness the outcome.
Are any of these things easy for us? Blessing those who persecute us? Associating with the lowly… NEVER avenging ourselves…
YOU SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF GOD
What if we live this way? Jesus says, “you shall be called sons of God.”
Jesus, the Son of God tells the people that if they will be peacemakers, they too will be called sons of God. Live in such a way that you are being like Jesus to your enemies and God will bless and honor you as one of His children.
That’s a promise.
ROMANS 8:16-17
16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Yes, this is hard. What did we just read? Provided we suffer with him. We will suffer. But we will be glorified with Jesus.
Peace is not easy to bring about. As Jesus was preparing for what was coming, he told his disciples in John 14:
JOHN 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
Jesus, the Prince of Peace, let us know that these things would be painful in the temporary, but in the eternal, it will be but a blip and forgotten before we know it. Until then, he leaves HIS peace…not the kind the world typically gives which is half-hearted, tolerance, an afterthought. Jesus’ peace is made. Jesus was a peacemaker for those that needed to know what God was all about.
CONCLUSION
May we all be peacemakers. Not just peace keepers. Not just war avoiders. But let us MAKE peace. I want to encourage you to find the areas in your life where you need to be making peace. It may be in things you cannot control. Giving those up to God. It might be in something you COULD have a say in, but you choose to be silent to MAKE peace.
I recently made some comments to some of my long time acquaintances from college that we have allowed our political stances and our faith commitments to overstep our love of each other. I chose in that moment to be a peacemaker and tell everyone of them that I loved them and I miss them.
I challenge you to think about this this week and do the same. Find ways to be a peacemaker this week.
INVITATION
