Luke 19:41-44
As he came near and saw the
city, he wept over it, 42saying, “If you, even you, had only
recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden
from your eyes. 43Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies
will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side.
44They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within
you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did
not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”
Our passage for today follows the preparation for Jesus’
entry into Jerusalem. The shouts of “Blessed
is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in
the highest heaven!” are resounding. The
Pharisees tell Jesus to make them stop; Jesus replies that if they don’t speak,
the rocks will.
Peace. Sometimes peace seems like such an illusive
dream. Peace, the absence of violence,
the absences of quarelling, quiet! Yes,
this is peace; but it isn’t all there is to peace. I like the understanding of peace being about
harmonious relationships. It isn’t so
much about agreeing about everything, being the same religion, political slant,
liker of the same things. Peace is about
relationships, give and take, listening, seeking to understand, looking for how
we are more alike than dissimilar.
Yesterday I attended the memorial service for Yvonne
Riggins-Thomas, the woman who directed the Neighborhood House in Saginaw. Neighborhood House is on Saginaw’s south
side. I learned this is the only
neighborhood in Saginaw without a Neighborhood watch. Drugs, prostitution, gangs, all live on these
streets, threatening. Yvonne’s dream,
Yvonne’s peace was that all are welcome.
As one person said, she said “you are welcome, leave your drugs at home,
but you are welcome!” Yvonne made
Neighborhood House a place where there were expectations, and she expected
something out of everyone who came in.
Yvonne saw who you are and who she knew you could be. She accepted you where you were, but also
knew that you could be more than you thought, or that others thought. She loved, a love that was
unconditional. She loved her community,
and she fought for her community, in peace.
One young man recalled how he wanted to play basketball in the gym, and
she told him fine, but he needed to hit the library first. The results of that instruction continues to
benefit this young man.
Where do we see things that make for peace today, in our
world? What are we doing to bring peace,
justice to our community? How do we
define community?
I have been a believer that our community IS NOT broken down
by arbitrary lines of townships. If Saginaw City falls, we all fall. If Thomas Township falls, we all fall. As a church leader, I admit pride when I
think of how Ascension reaches out to help.
Could we do more? Yes. I also know that many of our members live and
work with organizations that reach out in ways Ascension does not. We have workers with United Way, teachers,
people who coach in sports and academic endeavors, and on and on and on. We can all be examples of peace.
The true sign of peace is Jesus himself. As we live out this day, look for the signs
of peace. They are there!
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