MAKING PLACE
Batthew 5:5
Lake 19: (leu4

bere are several very moving, almoet pathetic, ecenen
narretive. ne of them was read in the Kew Tertasent rp sapling ayes Pe
man weeping outeide a city wall — a man about to die «a age of

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dashed, be had been misunderntood and despised by hie om people. New be wae
going %o dic, ond he stood outeide the Holy City of Jerusalem with tears summing
down hie fece and thie in wheat he said: "Would that even today you knew |

that sake for peace.”

Te'e a very touching pieture, almost pathetic. It invites refleetion @
the 20,000 young Awericans who have died in Vietnam; the arvier of Ieree) that
invaded /orden last Yhureday: the barbed wire and brick walle that cttge-coone
the londeeape of the whole world. It invites reflection on a dividéd society with
both sides feverishly preparing to wage war in the summer streets; It inwilen us
to rofleet om the fact that in even the est darenas of buman interaction -
our neighborhoods, echoole, churches, men *t know euch
which ;solee for peace”. It invitee us
the entire mural of humanity and angele
men”; a the child grew to manhood and @ “leased are the peacemakers. tle
wept cuteide the city. And that moving incident invites uz to
mact oti)! be weeping.

Tet everyone is for peace. SD 55 Oh ee Se ee ae
for ponte. 4nd perhaps they are. It's difficult to mow, really, became
word “peeee"ie an enigma. Bietorians point to the middle years of Plan

«ohn

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Rapive ae the meet peaceful ef Inthe entizre bietory_of m
reas (0 ris naman und hint in Gees pan cg ek a
BRowe woe cevere and uncoepronmising.

im Ge sense we have had peace in the world ever since the Jppancee
signed en weeenditional surrender in 1945. ut men have died in more Uew
fifty ae | were in those 23 years.

‘owe sen have been committed to peace qa the absence of war and »loodehed
eo deeply that no price was too great to pay. Neville Chasberlain, Prime “inieter |
of Great ‘eitain in the late thirties was auch o man. And the judgment of bietory
has beer “eet his comduct was a drastic and terrible error. Making pesos ~w not
just of cieple as refusing to engage in conflict.

Peame remains an enigna, and whatever it is, I think we can be me Wet
4% ie wot juet the abnence of war. Peace in no more the abvence of war, Yom
love in te absence of hatred. ‘The “14 Testament word for peace comer “om he
ebrew wor’ "Ghalow". That word indicates a “wholeness” ~ a feeling of complete
fulfillment and well being. ‘Involved in “Shalom” are physical health, pro
perity, lome life. The word was used as a common greeting: "Shalom"; t© cay
that | Gother wae to wieh him the best of everything in life.

hen ee ee oe ae eee it includes al! of
thie Wo wy ef background, phuse the deeper understanding that in Jesus “uric?
ecometihing bes happened to make true peace possible. "race by unto you ond
peace.

-2-

That's how Paul began hie letters; that’s how we begin our worship. And
that o very basic conflict has been resolved: a very basic problem has nap Coats Raids
And thet because of Jesus pinainsgie Rag nigh tar Pe Rage seth gry

Te be a “maker of peace” then, has something fundamental to do with Josus
Christ. It is not just epreading cheer and good will, It ie not just
conflict at any price whether between nations or individuals, or within the con
finer of o family circle.

\@ @ matter of fact, if Jesus Christ was the Prince of Peace: if hie disciples
are makers of peace, we might come to a preliminary conclusion that peace, in the
senso in which it io used in the New Testasent, depends on a certain amount of
conflict, and that to ignore that fact - to define peace as «4 state of nivvana,
serenc, viet, without conflict, just might altogeBher eliminate any pomnibility
of peace. “That, in any case, ie how | read the New Testament, Peace cocurs after
conflict, and in that sense conflict oan be ereative ~- depending, of course, on
how it is handled.

it im a point well underpteod by those academic observers of hamem lila -
the sociologists. en of them, a very good one — Dr. James Hi. Lane ~ contends
that '....eome form of conflict, or competition, is present in all social inter
action beceuse of the nature of human institutions... conflict, or potential \

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conflict, in s part of every situation and all societies and all groups develop
some way of handling it.” Cc The Episcopal “erties:
Parish of the Air ~ 11/5/67 =1

That is to say - if we are concerned about making peace we need to bein
with our feet planted firmly on the fround, in the acknowledgmmmt that confjict
is part of being human. Conflict < as potential conflict between nations, groupe =
every institution, individuals.

There are several ways in which we can cope with conflict. We oa Ciret
of all, ignore it, in the name of peace. We can simply shut our eyes to noal
or potential conflict, hopeing that it will simply go wway. But, of courne,
it newer doom. We can refuse to confront conflict - pushing it to the book
of our minds, hopéng that if we somehow ignore it long enough, it will not
bother us.

It's a tempting way to deal with conflict, and a let of men have made a
lot of momey telling people that the way to peace of mind ~ the way 66 resolve
your conflicts, is to “think positively". That is + refuse 2% to acknowledge
that conflict existe. That ie not only naive, it can be extremely dangerous,
just an dangerous to a eociety or an individual, ee was Neville Chenberlaings
refusal to acknowlegge the conflict between his government and Narie. That is
what io wong with the ?Power of Positive Thinking” and all the ctherxtimamdle
formies for instant peace of mind. Implicit in all of them is the ides thot
the way to resolve conflict is to avoid it. I would euggent to you thet when
we do thie we deny something very bawic about our humanity: in a sense wo dabble
in self-<lecpption. That's not what Jesue meant when he talked about peace.
That's not what he did in hie life.

A second wayd to cope with conflict is to exprese it violently; that is
more honest thatm the firet approach, but it ie hardly creative. It seam to be
the hue aud cry of the revolutionary who would solve every problem by scoen~
tuating the areas of conflict. And inevitably conflict becomes an end in it~
self. Violence breeds more violence ~ until there is no redeeming possibility
in sight.

A thivd way to cope with conflict begins with the @ifficult acknowledement
that it existe, and procends to try to manipulate it toward a creative and

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peaceful conclusion. Wineéon Churchill kmew a lot about conflict, and in (October
ef 1940 hed the sensitivity to understand that if the Imglieh people didn't
with the conflict they would perish. ‘Specifically, the
in their basements ae the incendiary bombs fell, «1 their

was alowly being destroyed. ‘To the basewents!", wrote Churchill, “muct
be replaced with to the kroofel' Many became adept and thousands of fircs
were extinguished before they took hold. The experience of remaining an ‘the
roof, might after night under fire, with no protection but a tin hat, goon bos
Came habitual. That wae a creative maneuver, and it was that ability of “mrehill's
which mode him « creat man. The conflict was there: the Londoners were ~ aymbolically
and literally - hiding from it. And it would not be resolved until thay got into
it and ea it through. So it is with conflict on any scale. Peace ia not accom
plished by ignoring conflict.

‘es basic as that is, I think it ics terribly important that we be romindgéd
of it. it ie a difficult time to be a Christian. We are called to be malers
of pence im a day when there in no peace, internationally or within our om nation.
As Cheieotiens we have a role to play: a job to do — and it is neither simple nor
easy. ‘© live in a time when great changes are taking place in our society:
changes that have been brought about an the reeult of conflict. 4nd the job of
making peooe is certainly something other than denying and ignoring the conflict.
in fact, cometimes the job of making peace means provoking conflict =< or ot
least cotting the existing conflicts into the open, where they can, at lonst,
be discuswed. Thies is not easy: there are riske: there ic always the possibility
indeed the probability, that the peace maker will appear to be « trouble saker.
That wae aid ies the charge leveled at Christians who have involved themeclver in
the pressing and conflict—ridden social problems of our day. They have ai teted

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Thet, after all, ie a very basic human principle. In our bodies, virus may

yun unchecked and we will be ill. There hae to be conflict, in the form of
medication ~— perhaps some pain in the form of on injection. And then there will
be pence,

\ Wip to the psychiatrist involves, not ignoring our conflicts, tut opening
up old wounds, dragging out old hostilities, looking honestly at them and coping
with thom, and it is likely to be painful. Sut it may be the only way to pense,
or wholencas.

A® @ Ration, as « church, and as individuals, we need nothing #0 much as te
acknoviedge that we are beret with conflicte. ‘When and if civil disturhences occur
need to keep them in perspective: to see them as outbreaks of very docp seated
long term conflicts; we , of all people, ought to be demanding, not that the
be ignored, not that it be euppressed in ways that only magnify its
tensity, but that our society begin to cope with it ereatively. Now, I mm
in oy violence. I am suggesting that we ust try to under
tand i, more importantly that we do not interpret peace in thie #itustion
simply absence of gun fire. Peace means sore than that. And making that
© of worewarding, risky business.

Making peace the world means acknowledging conflict and working

to evils which cause conflict to express iteslf ciclently. I+ means
can breathe easily as long as discrimination of any form éxiete.

Christian can talk glibly about peace while poverty oatinmes te

om the underprivileged. Making peace in the world seane getting

in the world's probleme and conflicts and working to resolve thes

‘s risky business, but it is the business of Christians.

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‘The same applies in interpersonal relationships - one of the most destructive
in marriage ie not conflict ~ but umexpressed and weresolved conflict.

mont important function of a marriage counselor, many times, is just to get

th each other - to express the conflict. When that is scoceplished

omy group — even the family - there are conflicts - and they will be
Gestructive until expreesed: until nome way appears to deal with them oveotively.
in

Of course, it's impossible to discuss peace without looking at ourselves,

the church, Christians have never been good at getting along with each

no visible conflicts ie not necessarily a peaceful church: it is probsbly o«
dishonest church. Here, of #11 palces, we cought to be Bhle to express our

the
quite a viek by expressing a dif€erence of opinion with him. If, however, we
different. I am free to bo me.
And he io free to be himeelf. That ie the difference that ought to characterize
the life of every congregation, en man pute it thie way: "Unless there
is some conflict, reconciliation has no work to do."

ve heave thought about peace and conflict in very general terme, au’ whet
I have eaid thie morning could well have been said anywhere. “r at leant thet ie how
it may coom. Sut I have said these things beneath a crors. It adorme this
senctiuay, perhaps aw a handsome piece of furniture, but in reality it apbolises
the deepost conflict of all =— the conflict between the will of God and the will
of man.

That conflict has been going on since the berinning of time. It in the
theme of the Old Testament = fod's will and lman's will in conflict. God didnt
ignore thet conflict: he got deeply involved in it. He got right in the middle of
it in the life of Jesus Christ. God and man in conflict ~ and that eare Jom

.
the Gedd, and redeeming of the Gospel ie that that conflict hes bamn
exprenmod to ite fullest. God became a participant in it. Beonuse of the croeg,
because the conflict is cut in the open, because Sod took it upon himeolf, there
i hia

expressed. it's all over. God has already acted to take
Theat is the peace of Jesue Christ. ‘nd that ie what he has called us to
be making in the World,
Amen,