December 2, 2007

Why American Baptists Promote Peace

by Rev. Dr. Jim Carlson

Isaiah 2:1-5

Shooting death of Sean Taylor – Pointless violence.

Two men on Rte. 83 in Mukwonago. Fought over following too closely.

Violent world. Peace is seen as weakness.

Dream of many is a world without war and violence. Most people think that’s a fantasy.

Oracle from Isaiah 2 must have sounded like fantasy. Probably set within a period when Judah was under threat by Assyrians.

Judah had watched destruction of Israel by Assyria. Refused an alliance. Trusted in God’s protection.

People probably still lived in fear. Oracle reflects hope for new era of peace.

Prophet envisioned all nations acknowledging God’s presence in Jerusalem – Seeking divine guidance for life in Law of Moses.

God - international conflicts settled – vague on how and when. Contrast specific way in which conflict is being settled in Israel today.

Result – People will no longer see need for war. Resources used for war will be used to raise food.

Reaction at Bible study – “It will never happen”. War will never end. Opinion of most people.

Question of hope. We hope for things that we can reasonably envision happening. We envision the way something good should happen and hope it goes that way.

Different kind of hope. Not the same as hoping the Israelis and Palestinians will finally forge peace. Not hope that Iran will give up its quest for nuclear technology. Not hope that our leaders emphasize diplomacy over intimidation and violence.

Hope in God does not presuppose what peace will look like. God’s fulfilled the hopes of the people of the world at Christmas through the birth of a child to a poor couple in an impoverished area of the Roman Empire.

Those who hope in God trust in God’s justice and sovereignty over the world.

Whatever peace looks like, we know it is rooted in God’s goodness. That is enough.

But we do not drift aimlessly because God is mysterious. Passage says people should walk in the light of God.

We don’t do what’s right because we think God will repay us with something great. We live godly lives because our faith in God changes us so that we can participate in that hope, even if we don’t know what it will look like in the end.

Final Illustration – Non violence doesn’t envision a specific solution. It stands up to violence and forces an oppressor to look at himself. Violent rebellion envisions a specific set of outcomes, costs many more lives, and more often than not only leads to more violence.

Slide – Why War is Not the Answer

We have genuine hope, not unrealistic fantasy. We are faced with a choice each day. We can put our ultimate trust in the goodness of God and hope for the day when people don’t need to kill each other anymore, knowing that God is going to bring justice to the world.

Or we decide what we think God’s justice looks like, we try to enforce it on those over whom we can exert some control, and eventually lose hope when we realize we’re never going to get everyone to see things our way.

It’s always better to put our trust in God. It’s always better to have hope. God saved the world in a way no one expected. The hopes of the oppressed people of Israel were fulfilled, even if they didn’t recognize us. And the same God is working today to bring this world to a day when nation will no longer lift up sword against nation. And we will no longer learn war anymore.