Forgiveness Blooms

Mark 16:1-8

Here in the original ending of Mark we see the women going to anoint Jesus’ body. This is part of life; death.  It is known that all living things die.  It hangs over all of us and its reality is important to how we live on earth.  Call it survival if you want, call it thriving, but death shapes how we live. 

Fear is an important theme in this passage, but it was not fear of the dead body or of death.  I am always struck at how fearful some people are to be with a dead body, but these women were going to do the things we have professionals do today.  They were going to handle the body to pay deepest respects to the one lost.  No the fear was that Jesus was not there.

It is in this fear that Christian hope begins.  Remember Sarah laughs when she is told she will bear a child.  Yes because it is funny, but out of fear of this great possibility that can only happen because of the Divine.  The empty tomb is much more radical and hence the running in fear, not just nervous laughter.

God is the only true other.  What I mean is that because of death being part of life on earth, we are all in the same boat, or globe, what have you.  God is however beyond this as the creator.  I remember learning about Creation ex nihilo, in seminary, and questioning it like any good seminarian, for in the first verses of Genesis, there is reference to the deep, to chaos, as if something existed before creation.  Well I was studying with Dr. Rev. Joe Jones in a study group (a great theologian of the Christian Church), and he made it clear it was less about the existence of matter before creation, but that creation was not made of God’s own self.  That is nothing God created is Divine, we may see something or experience something and say “Wow that is Divine,” however I believe we are pointing to the great Divine with that experience.  God created, to have relationship with, not to simply be an extension of God.  This is however, not to support the gnostic idea that all earthly and physical is inherently evil.  I remember that God said it was Good when it was created, but it is not God.  It is physical and that with life does die.

Thus the fear of the women was the realization that God is truly the only other.  We are all invited to the wedding banquet, as the parable Jesus tells in Mathew 22.  We are all invited and we wear our wedding robe (of course the people on the street did not really have their special robe with them), but when the one not wearing a robe asked he was without word.  He did not understand, he would have stood at the empty tomb and thought “I wonder who took the body?”  He would question the angel and may had experienced fear, but not the fear that sent the women running.

Their fear was that the resurrection did happen.  It meant they would have to deal with their doubt, their sin, their shortcomings to the one that is coming with a winnowing fork.  The one that would separate the chaff from the grain with the help of the Holy Spirit.  To accept you were that loved that Jesus would go to the cross and to face him, is wear the fear comes from, and the hope begins. 

Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me. Revelation 3:20

Hope stirs when we realize Jesus does not avenge, but witnesses as the ultimate other.  The one that knows the truth is that forgiveness blooms on earth as it is in heaven. For when Jesus comes through the locked door He says, “Peace be with you.”

Powerful Prayer

Psalm 22; Philippians 4:6-9

There is a Target commercial that is quite colorful, and if I sing the first word of the song you would probably be compelled to sing it aloud (or at least in your head).  “Alouette…”  I am sure you can imagine the tune and many of the words, despite reading this post in English.  Well I must share that this popular French Canadian song, does annoy me, for it is about a lark being plucked.  However, I brought it up for the fact that everyone seemed to know this little song by heart, just as we would most nursery rhymes. Or just as we respond when we hear, “Our Father who….” or when I start saying, especially at a funeral, “The Lord is my shepherd…”  We know these prayers and psalms by heart, and we can almost not stop ourselves when we hear it begun.

This is important for us to understand to understand Jesus’ words from the cross, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me…” it was not simply a statement of angry at God for letting Him die on the cross, rather this traditional lament we call Psalm 22 today.  Dyeing of affixation Jesus had very little breath to spare on the whole Psalm, but once he started this, I imagine, that those gathered, even those who did not follow Jesus, were finishing the Psalm.  It would be part of the Jewish tradition to know the Psalms by heart, for they were sung as part of worship, part of life. 

Why Psalm 22? It is a classic lament from an individual’s perspective, and Jesus would certainly lament as a human being crucified.  But you may notice that as the lament moves into thanksgiving for God, it becomes more communal.  By the conclusion of the Psalm the writer is admitting that God is for not only Israel, but families of the nations (gentiles) and not only for those now, but who have gone before and those yet born.  So Jesus makes it clear that God will rescue Him not to simply rescue His Son, but the whole of Humanity.

  Just as we should remember when Paul writes:

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

It is not to an individual Paul is writing.  He is writing to a community, and we know in our hearts that when we ask in prayer God does not see us as the center of the universe.  God will answer prayers for one only in community.  So if we think we are praying for what we think the church should like like as per our individual perspective, we may be disappointed that God has not answered our prayers.  However, if we understand that even Jesus while lamenting about His awful and painful emptying on the cross, knew God in Heaven was responding not just to save Him, but to save us all from this worldly way of sin and death. 

Love

Isaiah 61:1-4;; 8-11; Luke 4:16-21
I remember helping my father with the Christmas lights.  I even remember one strand that if one was out or loose the whole strand was out.  I am so glad that strand did not persist in our yearly tradition, but it was not as easy as today.  Incandescent bulbs broke easily and they needed to be clipped on the tree.  So when Mindi and I started celebrating Christmas as a married couple I was happy to buy a strand of the new LED lights.  They were easy to put on and seemed to work well for the last 6 years and they worked perfectly fine the first night I put them up this year.  The next day half the bottom strand stopped working.  I changed the fuses and they still did not light. 
I thus went out searching for similar lights and I did find something compatible at the second store.  As a son of an engineer I was searching for a strand strung in a parallel circuit, not a series circuit.  It is fine if you do not remember this information from grade school, as a son of an engineer I have to remember certain things.  I will remind you the difference between these two type of circuits.  A series circuit the current of electricity passes through each circuit element without branching, thus if one element is disconnected (for bulbs burnt or loose) the current is disabled.  A series circuit also must share the voltage of the source, while a parallel circuit will have the same voltage draw of the source for each element is directly connected to the source.  This is why a parallel circuit light strand will stay let if one bulb is burnt out or loose.
So I, as my father’s son, looked at the box of lights for the words parallel circuit, and found the trademarked term “Constant ON” with a accurate definition of a parallel circuit, including two illustrations.  However, no where is it confirmed that the circuit was strung parallel, not even in parenthesis (I do like parenthesis).  I have no problem with the company trademarking a catchy term, but if they were going to take the time to define it on each box, I feel it would be a good idea to share the official term within the definition.  Do they really think we cannot handle the term “parallel circuit”?
I bring this up to demonstrate how terms meanings can be lost and or manipulated so easily in society.  And as religious people we also let some of our important words to lose their meaning.  Take for instance the word “love,” it is of great importance to the Gospel.  We use it between, family members and friends.  We say it to our children even before they understand language, and we use it to explain the feeling we have for them.  We use it also for pizza, paintings, and presents under the Christmas tree.  We are quite aware that feeling the word love varies as per the context.  However, the word love is used only for half of its Biblical meaning.  Feeling is important, but it is also used to refer to action. 
Isaiah’s prophecy is about action for those oppressed, broken-hearted, captive, mourning and more.  Jesus correctly states that the prophesy had been fulfilled in His reading, for Jesus is the incarnation of love.  It is not that Jesus has a warm and fuzzy feeling, but came to earth as a baby to preach, heal, teach, and most of all love us beyond understanding, to the point of death.  Isaiah’s words define the action part of the definition of Love, which is known as the Good News; Gospel. 
I believe the best explanation how the definition is feeling and action is when Jesus answers what the most important law is: 

He said to him, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matthew 22:37-40)

Yes it is important to have a wonderful feeling for God and simultaneously love your neighbor as yourself.  As this is recorded in Luke, the neighbor is the Good Samaritan.  It is clear that we are not simply to have nice and warm feelings, but to do compassion and merci to express this love.  Just as Jesus tells us in Matthew 25 what we do to the least of these we do onto Him.  The one that loved us so much he went humbly to the cross.  This love is equally action, and we participate in the action of love we are in touch with the feeling for God with all our heart, soul and mind. 
As church, we are to love each other, as Jesus told Peter when Jesus asked him three times if Peter loved Him.  Peter would respond with affirmation and Jesus responded with a call to action; “…feed my lambs…tend my sheep….feed my sheep.” (John 21) And as a church we are not strung in a parallel circuit, we are strung in the old series circuit.  The light of Christ is more than powerful enough to light each one, but if one is burnt out or loose we are all affected.  Jesus is the strand itself, as He says He is the vine (John 15), but God does the pruning.  We must love one another and the neighbor for we are all interconnected.  God will fix and/or replace the burnt bulbs and loose ones, but we must realize we are strung together by God’s grace and love, and thus we shine Jesus’ love by our action of love, for Jesus fulfilled this prophecy and we are called to do the same:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
   because he has anointed me
     to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
   and recovery of sight to the blind,
     to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (Luke 4: 18-19)

God, Self, and Neighbor

Matthew 25:31-46

If you saw someone with a backpack on you may assume they are backpacking, but they also could be homeless.  Sure it may be easy to guess which by the quality of the items or where you see the individual, but you might be wrong.  The real difference between the two is there is a planned end to the hike and no certain end to one who is homeless.  However, when I hiked I did not take each step with the end in mind, it was assumed. 

Jesus reminds us that we are to think eschatologically; that is about the end.  In this passage He tells us the end will be like separated goats and sheep.  Well when I have been on farms where there are these animals, and I spooked them they would run in their respective groups.  At the end it will be easy to separate the two, but the judgment is less about then than it is about now.  For we have received unconditional boundless grace which we do not deserve, so I believe Jesus is not making salvation based on one’s action, yet rather is reminding those that do believe this would be their reaction.  They will run with the sheep.

For when Jesus adds himself as being part of the least of these, He is reminding us that love we do is to God, Self, and Neighbor.  We realize we receive this grace we do not deserve and feel very unworthy, but Jesus wants us to take care of those that are considered unworthy'; the least of these.  We are therefore to respond with love to ourselves, God and Neighbor as He states in  Matthew 22:37-40:

He said to him, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’

This is the Law, according to Jesus and thus is where one would place judgment.  However, it is all wrapped in grace, so it is not what we do that saves us, but we respond as if we would be running with the goats.  We live as Christians doing what God commands for we do not live wandering, we live with the purpose of God.

‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

We know there is a final victory over all evil, and we live that way not simply with the feeling of “love,” but acting on love to God, Self, and Neighbor, for we know what fold we run with. 

God’s Prerogative

Jonah 3:10-4:11; Matthew 20:1-16

Jonah was the most efficient prophet. Well once he actually started warning people and stopped trying to run from God.  Many of the other prophets never saw the people turn toward God, but Jonah did, and he was not happy about it.  Jonah wanted the people of Nineveh to suffer for their bad ways.  Jonah tells God, that he was aware “…that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing.”  It seems that Jonah wanted to determine who actually would receive such a wonderful God of mercy.

The Gospel parable is one of my favorites and when I say favorite, I mean difficult.  (And there are many I call favorite.)  This is one though that I was trying to teach to a group of fourth graders over a decade ago when I was their Sunday School Teacher.  That spring we were learning about parables and I had it organized so we would end the spring semester with this parable.  I told the class that I award those that brought their Bible to class.  I had a chart with their names and each week I checked not only their attendance but if they had their Bible.  Well the girls did the task remarkably well each week.  The boys, including the pastor’s twins, were not doing so well.  They all remembered the first week, but it was clear after a few weeks they had given up. 

So it came time to give out the reward, and I did it before the lesson on the parable.  I said I had prizes also for those that brought their Bible once, as each child did remember at least once.  I gave the boys a small nice gift each, and they said “thank you.”  Then it was the girls turn (why the response was clearly marked by gender, I do not know and honestly don’t care), they received the same gift as each boy, and they said “thank you.”  I was expected grumbling from the girls and teasing from the boys over this “injustice.” However, there was none.  I went through the lesson about the parable, and eventually one of the girls did say, “Like we all got the same gift even though some didn’t bring their Bibles.” I learned children seem to understand the message better.

It was not unlike the children’s moment prior to this sermon, while some kids were asked to do something for their candy, they all got candy and did not grumble.  For when the children saw the candy bowl they knew they would all get candy.  Adults need to realize when we see God we all receive grace, equally.

Yet I know it is difficult sometimes to keep that realization of God’s grace before us.  We as adults will take it too legalistically, and therefore reject it fully in areas where life is unfair or feel guilty for feeling that way.  We may simply apply the grace to the transhistorical salvation we know as heaven, and forget that people who are hungry today need salvation from hungry.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 25 that our salvation has to do with helping those that are not able to help themselves.  Yet we see people abusing the system, I know I do, and I feel awful for even having that thought.  I try to help them but I have a lot to learn from the children.  Life isn’t fair but grace abounds.

I remember reading an article by Eugene Peterson, where he talks about brining his daughter to visit in a nursing home.  In one room there was a patient with Alzheimer's who repeated a story to the girl over and over again.  When they were in the car he apologized to his daughter, and she said something to the effect, “that is who she is.” Eugene shares that he learned about pastoral visitation from his daughter.

This scripture is easy when we simply analyze it.  Yes God’s grace is for everyone, even if they confess on the death bed.  And God’s grace of life today is for everyone, so we support and help charities, but it gets difficult when we see people with nicer cars at the food bank than our own.  This is where we become more like Jonah.  Perhaps not as bad, but we desire to hide from God’s compassion or we take no joy in seeing it.  I believe it happens to us all because we are not as keen as children to hear who God is through these scriptures.  We approach it as if it is a law, “The last will be first, and the first will be last.” We squash our own feelings about working so hard for our food, for our church, because we feel guilty about being like Jonah.

As James Alison challenges us, we must be ready to relax into orthodoxy.  He suggests it is like listening to a conversation where you have a hard time hearing, lets take the bedside of someone with dementia.  If you try to listen carefully only to the words and what she is saying you tense up more and miss most of the meaning.  If you begin to relax you may not even hear every word but you get the meaning. 

We need to learn from the children and relax into this wonderful grace.  Then we will know we too deserve it when we feel the world is unfair. Thus we will know God and all receive grace, equally.

Law of Love

Exodus 12:1-14; Romans 13:8-14

In the Exodus passage God is telling Moses and Aaron how to prepare for the first and essential Passover.  God does tell them that this is a day to be remembered as a festival of the Lord.  Even today Jews celebrate the Passover, and they remember the events as if they were there.  Not unlike when we remember Jesus at His Table, for we remember what He did for us at the cross, and we remember His presence throughout our entire lives.  Jesus’ Table was set while He was celebrating a Passover Meal, remembering what God did on the first Passover.

The first Passover was a life and death observance.  God heard the cries of the Hebrews, the descendants of Abraham, through Jacob.  The Hebrews did not have the Ten Commandments, they did not have the law yet.  They did not have anything that made them Jewish except for their family relations.  They were not Egyptians.  Pharaoh used the Hebrews as slaves and as scapegoats.  They were oppressed but Pharaoh was also worried about their numbers and thus took actions against them.  Actions that united the Egyptians as well.  We do this to this day.

Why were the Hebrews in Egypt?  Did God not give the land of Canaan to Abraham and Sarah?  Jacob came back to this promised land with his family, and after wrestling with God receives the name Israel.  And then we have the story of Joseph.  The eleven other sons of Israel was jealous of Jacob’s love of Joseph.  They were angered by Joseph’s dreams.  They banded together and scapegoated Joseph.  They were going to kill him but decided to profit from this awful violence upon the out casted brother, and sold him into slavery. 

Joseph ended up in an Egyptian prison, and eventually demonstrates his capability to interpret dreams.  Not only does he find himself in Pharaoh's court, Joseph saves Egypt from the horrific famine.  Joseph becomes Pharaoh's right-hand man.  The famine was felt back in the promised land as well.  Eventually Joseph’s brothers come to Egypt looking for assistance.  They do not recognize their brother, but he knows them.  Joseph finally reveals himself when the entire family is in Egypt.  And Joseph believes that God used his horrific experience to be able to save the entire family.  This is repeated with the Passover as God uses a people that were violently oppressed and scapegoated to establish God’s Law, starting with this ordinance that did save them that night.

What is clear is that the one true God can and will use our own systems of violence to save us.  With the Passover it was salvation from slavery, with Joseph it was salvation from famine.  Now Jesus enters as the lamb.  No longer is the blood to show God who is to be saved, but that we see His blood on our system of justice.  We understand that God brings us salvation from sin.  From this system of violence and scapegoating for everyone.  “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” (Revelation 19:9)  Through this the laws still stand, yet they are fulfilled by the love Jesus showed us.  God used our own violence so we could see that the only law is Love.  We all can follow Jesus to our salvation by following that law.

Jesus is the Way

John 14: 1-10

I lived right near the Woodcock Nature Center growing up, and I would explore the trails with a few friends or alone.  I knew the trails within the boundaries of the park, like the back of my hand.  Well one summer day, when I was under the age of 10, I found myself with a group of kids, many were older than me.  We went beyond the boundaries of the park and found ourselves in a new area of the woods.  We ended up on the far side of a large fenced field with horses, which was very exciting and occupied us for a while.  We then headed back on the this new trail but missed the trail head back into the nature center.  We went back and forth on the trail looking for where we originally turned but could not find it.

I was getting scared especially as the sun lowered.  However, I was even more frustrated that the older kids were not listening to me that I believed the turn was further down the trail, for when we came back I could not get them to go far enough the second time.  I was tempted to go out on my own, but I was taught to not leave the group when lost in the woods (a good idea).  I knew where to go, but I was limited by the group to wandering around lost.

In this scripture, John tells us about Jesus’ pastoral statement about the place He has prepared for us in the Father’s house.  This wonderful pastoral statement is a scripture very appropriately shared at death beds and during funerals.  There is nothing like hearing the promise of Heaven.  Then Jesus goes on to tell them they know the way, but the disciples don’t get it once again.  So Jesus states another pastoral statement,

I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him. (John 14:6-7)

Jesus is making it clear they are to continue following what He had shown them, they are to continue following Him even after He is in Heaven preparing our rooms.  Even before believers in Jesus where called Christians we were called followers of “The Way.”

How does Jesus show the way?  Jesus healed many people and even commissioned the Disciples to do likewise. 

Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. (Luke 9:1-2)

Thus we are to heal people as Jesus did and that will be in many forms.  Jesus also speaking of when He will return to judge in Matthew 25 that we must also help others.  We are to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the prisoners, if we want to be in the Father’s house.  The way includes healing and helping.

Jesus also notes during John’s account of the Last Supper, He gives us a new commandment.  It is given after He tells them He is with them only a little longer.

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34-35)

So the way of Jesus is to Heal, Help, and Love.  These are what Jesus wants us to do and then teach others.  Commanding us to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..” (Matthew 28:19).  Jesus shows us the way and opens it up with His laying down His Life and the Father resurrecting Him from Death. 

The Prophet Micah says it best,

He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
   and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
   and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6: 8)

To do justice is to heal and help, and to love kindness with humility is to Love one another.

So when we finally found the path back into the nature center, I knew I would be home shortly.  When I got home I was happy, but I was ecstatic when I climbed over the fallen tree I knew so well.  For when I knew I was back on the right path I knew the promise I would get home.  We must follow Jesus, “the Way,” so we might know the promise of Heaven. 

Peace

Luke 2: 1-20

Luke and Matthew both write that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and emphasize that Joseph was of the house of David.  Why was it important that Joseph and thus his adopted son Jesus be of the house of David?  Those awaiting the Messiah were taught that the anointed one would be from the House of David.  David was the idealized King and it all began when he brought peace to the land with one sling.  David brought many other military victories for Israel, and why wouldn’t a people oppressed by Roman occupation, dream of such a King, such a savior.  The Chosen People celebrated being freed from Egypt which included the Red Sea swallowing up those in pursuit, and they attributed God being on their side when they took the land they were promised by God from all the inhabitants.  Yet Matthew and Luke knew by the time they recorded these Gospels that Jesus did not come as a military leader.  All the disciples did not realize it until the resurrection, but they did eventually.  So is it still important that Jesus be linked to the House of David?   And the answer is found in the prophets that wrote of this new David, for they understood that it was not going to be the same type of kingship, or the same type of peace.  I share three prophets and five texts to make my point:

Amos 9:11

On that day I will raise up   the booth of David that is fallen, and repair its breaches,   and raise up its ruins,   and rebuild it as in the days of old;

Jeremiah 33:15

In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

Jeremiah 23:5

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.

Isaiah 16:5

then a throne shall be established in steadfast love in the tent of David, and on it shall sit in faithfulness  ruler who seeks justice and is swift to do what is right.

Isaiah 9:7

His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom.  He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onwards and for evermore.  The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

These prophets make it clear that the new David will bring peace through justice and righteousness and not through violent victory.  This is clear from Jesus’ time on the tree, as He did not call down the Heavenly Army (the Heavenly Hosts), rather he triumphed over sin and death through the resurrection.  A peace that surpasses all understanding as it is tied to the hope and faith we have in God’s inevitable victory over evil.  Jesus’ victory and peace are tied to the eschatological Kingdom we have one foot in as we live in this world, as well.  His peace is not simply about no war today, but no violence or death forever.

“Divine, Son of God, God, God from God, Lord, Redeemer, Liberator, and Savior of the World” (Borg & Crossan, Location 928).

These are terms used a generation plus before Jesus was born for Caesar Augustus.  These terms we would think were unique to Jesus were exactly what people would call the victorious Octavian, who ended 20 years of civil war, to earn the term Augustus, which in Latin is One Who Is Divine. (Borg & Grossman, Location 904)  Thus it was Augustus’ victory and actions that lead to his “divinity” status.  That is even evident in his ancient biography as his “divine” conception was recorded not in the chronological beginning, but after the accumulation of his victories, while of course the Gospel writers make it clear of Jesus’ Divinity from the beginning, despite knowing it through the resurrection.  Augustus followed “…the four successive elements of Roman imperial theology—religion, war, victory, peace.  You worship the gods, you go to war with their assistance, you are victorious with their help, and you obtain peace from their generosity.  …For Augustus and for Rome it was always about peace, but always about peace through victory, peace through war, peace through violence.” (Borg & Crossan, location 949) This is his claim to peace.

When the Gospel writers call Jesus Divine, Son of God, God, God from God, Lord, Redeemer, Liberator, and Savior of the World, they were committing high treason.  We too are also to commit high treason to peace based only on violence.  Peace based simply on the absence of fighting is not the peace Jesus brings.  Jesus brings us a peace that surpasses all understanding and is based in righteousness and Justice.

Peace through violent victory is not real peace.

Peace through Justice & Righteousness thus gives us

Victory through Peace

Work Cited:

Borg, Marcus & John Dominic Crossan “The First Christmas; What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus’ Birth”  HarperCollens e-books Kindle Edition, 2007.