Memorize & Ponder for Sunday Nov 09, 2014
The Peace that Passes Understanding
John 20:20-21 (NRSV)
After he said this
he showed them his hands and his side.
Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again,
“Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
Throughout 2014, the Christian community at Brentwood Presbyterian Church is getting to know Jesus, the Christ, in a refreshing and transformative way. We invite you to listen for what the Spirit is saying in the text, then question how those insights might change the ways you see things and act in the world. Share your thoughts during the week on the meaning the Spirit creates for you in this text by posting a comment on our website – brentwoodpc.ca.
A Provocative Pondering
Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us provoke one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together … (Hebrews 10:23-25a)
Canada is at war once again. We have members of our armed forces in the field again. Well, actually, they are flying over the field, targeting the forces of ISIL, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
This is a very different kind of war than the ones that gave rise and original meaning to Remembrance Day as originally declared by King George 5 on Nov 7, 1919. Still, Remembrance Day enables us to remember and honour what those who served stood for and sacrificed.
Presbyterians have long recognized that armed conflict is sometimes necessary – a lesser evil to counteract a greater evil. But we have always added the sentiment expressed in these words from Living Faith, our contemporary statement of Christian belief:
But the tragic evil that comes with war,
the slaughter of men, women, and children
must rouse us to work for peace. …
We affirm that God is at work when people are
ashamed of the inhumanity of war
and work for peace with justice.