“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:41-48
It is hard to be perfect. In fact, I’m pretty certain I have never achieved perfection in anything, and certainly not the perfection of God. Therefore, I am grateful to have Jesus’ love, forgiveness, and example to turn to when it comes to my failure to achieve Godly perfection.
As the Gospel of John proclaims: “Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.” No one comes to God’s perfection except through Him–his example; his forgiveness; and his love. As Christians, called by His name, our full devotion and allegiance, therefore, must be to the Kingdom of God that Jesus manifests–The perfect Kingdom of God.
It is hard to be perfect as God is perfect, as the Kingdom God is perfect. It is even harder to be perfect in times of war. There is no denying that while we are citizens of the Kingdom of God we are also citizens of an earthly nation. This, too, comes with responsibilities and obligations. But our primary allegiance, our first citizenship, is in heaven (Phil 3:20). Our responsibilities and our devotion must always be to the Kingdom of God and its righteousness, mercy, reconciling justice, accountability in divine love, and peace.
Our earthly nation is now at war (or any other descriptors being used that are just really just distinctions without a difference). In times of conflict it can become even more difficult to hold onto our primary allegiance to the Kingdom of God; our devotion to the perfect way of Jesus will be challenged. As citizens of an earthly nation at war we will be challenged to accept that the leaders of this world define what is moral–what is right. We will be called to show unity, patriotism, and support for actions that are contrary to the perfection of the Kingdom of God and antithetical to the teachings and way of Jesus. Fear and shame will likely rise to meet the Kingdom’s resistance to the false claims and authority of this world.
But our faith and our hope is on Jesus Christ alone. May we endure in his way of love and persist in our resistance to the ways of this world by striving always for the Kingdom of God. As St. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, we know that faith and hope and love abide all things. Let them rise in you to meet the challenges of this world and to guide you and keep you in the perfect way of God’s Kingdom where no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness (BCP prayer 4 “For Peace”).
As we strive to be perfect in the Kingdom of God, let us be fervent in prayer. Praying for Peace (BCP page 815 #4). Praying for our Enemies (BCP page 816 #6). For our Country and those in authority (BCP pages 820-21 #s 18,19,20, etc.). And praying for those in the Armed Forces of our Country (BCP page 823 #25)*.
*Our prayers for those who serve in the Armed Forces are particularly important. Especially as war exacts moral wounds on soldiers that form scars that are often carried silently long after the end of active conflict. As Stanley Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor Emeritus of Theological Ethics at Duke Divinity School stated so well in a recent article in The Christian Century:
“So we pray. But we pray differently. We pray as people who lament this war and the stories told to justify it. We pray for those who have died and those who will die. We pray for soldiers, not with amorphous calls for safety, but with genuine concern for their hearts and their spiritual health. And we pray for the church—that it would be a place where truth can be told, where wounds can be named, and where the peace of Christ is not just a word but a way of life.
This doesn’t mean we, as the church, blame soldiers. It’s quite the opposite. As one Christian body, we walk with them, we listen to them, we learn from them. We love them enough to tell the truth. We don’t expect them to carry the weight of our silence. We expect the church to carry the weight of their healing.”
