My porch is my peace. Joe has planted so many beautiful flowers and plants, it is like a nice, natural haven from the world. I have some plants that are my favorite. In fact, I planted most of them. I feel a part of the better place to live in peace because of my effort:
As I study, I think of Jesus being the model of a peacemaker. He healed, he retired families and lives. He gave grace. In this we see peace. But he also tossed tables in the temple. Jesus, in this passage was also making peace. He was getting dirty, making everyone uncomfortable. The people in the Temple were cheating people, foreigners, that had come to Jerusalem to make their offerings to the temple for sacrifices the could worship and see the Father. They came to purchase poor representations of what they needed at inflated prices and were misled about the exchange rates. People, who had come to worship God, were being cheated in God's own house. Jesus restored peaceful worship by uprooting the status quo. We see several instances of Jesus calling out the religious leaders for their mistreatment of people. In the ruffling of feathers he is demonstrating what it means to be a child of God. We will have to do the same to be a child of God. We can't just sit around and watch people mistreated, allow leaders to cause harm, and most importantly, we have to begin the work of creating peace by disrupting the status quo. Our world does not resemble the Kingdom to come, the one we pray for.
I know, it is just lavender, mint and succulents. But they are all planted beautifully and artfully. Just having them around brings peace. The lavender and mint helps ward off mosquitos and the scent is delightful. The succulents are different and interesting, each unique. They are peace filled. The seventh blessing from God, in the list we call The Beatitudes, (see my previous blogs for 1-6) is: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." Here are my little peace makers.
Creating a peaceful garden is dirty work. It is precise work. It is risky work. It isn't just keeping the peace. Dirty??? When I brought home these cute little succulents and the lavender plants I made a big mess. I had to take them out of the plastic pots they came in. I had to loosen the packed dirt around the roots, carefully, so as not to damage the tender roots. I had to dig around the garage, through all of Joe's pots to find just the right container. For some of the smaller ones, I spent money on coffee cups. I then had to take a small shovel and unearth stones to make a way for water to drain. Then fill the pots and coffee cups with dirt. My hands, the table, the floor and Fin were covered in potting soil. I made a mess in the garage and let wholes in the flowerbeds. Turning these little plants into peace artwork took time and finesse and care. I had to release them from the old dirt they came with and give them a better environment to grow. Buying, repotting, and growing plants is risky. I have a brown thumb. Joe is the plant man. I had to buy my own to grow because he doesn't like me touching his plants. I usually kill them. I had to take the initiative to have my little peaceful garden. I helped to make peace.
As I study, I think of being peacemaker. It is dirty work. It is precise work. It is risky work. It requires investing. It isn't just keeping the peace. Keeping the peace means you take the environment at face value and maintain everything at status quo. You do what ever it takes to keep life the way it is. You avoid ruffling feathers, digging down deep or taking risks. Being a peace keeper is comfortable. No one has to change, grow, get dirty or take risks. Keeping the peace leaves the world Just. As. It. Is.
I have always learned there is no reward when there is no risk. The Beatitudes are the beginning of the passage that covers the rest of Chapter Five and goes through Chapter 7, better known as the Sermon in the Mount, when Jesus sat down to teach those listening. This sermon lasted over several days. *Remember that the next time you think my sermons go a little long. Jesus wasn't just telling everything everyone already knew. His message turned what the Jews knew as law, upside down. In order to be a child God; a member of the family of God, Jesus was calling the followers to live a new life, given by a life in Christ. Following the rules, or law, was not enough. Being children that resembled their Dad was what Jesus was asking of these followers. He was asking them to begin to build the Kingdom of God right in the midst of the broken, fallen world in which they lived. Building this Kingdom would require being peacemakers. Getting dirty and investing in others, all the while making others uncomfortable.
Today:
👩🏾💻 Get dirty.
👩🏾💻 Get uncomfortable.
👩🏾💻 Build a better place for worship
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