"Let There
Be Peace on Earth"
by Sy Miller and
Jill Jackson
Let there be
peace on earth
And let it begin
with me.
Let there be
peace on earth
The peace that
was meant to be.
With God as our
father
Brothers all are
we.
Let me walk with
my brother
In perfect
harmony.
Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now.
With every step I take
Let this be my solemn vow.
To take each moment
And live each moment
With peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth,
And
let it begin with me.
We
sang this beautiful song at my mother’s memorial service last weekend. My sister Barb chose it, remembering that my
mother had sung it often when we were children.
We decided to recruit whomever would sing it with us, even at the last
minute, and ended up with eight of us.
I
appreciate the sentiment of this song for its encouragement for each of us to
take the initiative to work for peace in our own spheres of influence, instead
of waiting for someone else “out there” to take the first step.
At
the same time, I remember that true peace begins with God, and that in a world which
often rejects him and chooses the way of sin, we will never see complete “peace
on earth” or “perfect harmony.” As a
Christian, I am looking forward to a full and lasting peace in Heaven. But that does not exempt me from working
toward peace and justice here. You’ve heard the saying, “He was so heavenly
minded that he was no earthly good.” We
should be both. Christians should not
ignore social justice issues. Christians
should work for peace. We serve a God of
peace and justice. We pray as Jesus taught
us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”
Working
for peace with people does not mean that we will always agree with others or accept
what they do. Sometimes, working for
peace means limiting our exposure to people who have a pattern of hurting
others. It means being like Jesus and
having the courage to confront and curtail those whose actions run contrary to the cause of
peace and justice, even in churches and other Christian organizations. Here is a tiny bit of what the Bible has to say about peacemaking.
Love
must be sincere.
Hate what is evil;
cling to what is good.
Be devoted to one another in love.
Honor one another above yourselves.
Never be lacking in zeal,
but keep your spiritual fervor,
serving the Lord.
Be joyful in hope,
patient in affliction,
faithful in prayer.
Share with the Lord’s people
who are in need.
Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you;
bless and do not curse.
Rejoice with those who rejoice;
mourn with those who mourn.
Live in harmony with one another.
Do not be proud,
but be willing to associate
with people of low position.
Do not be conceited.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil.
Be careful to do what is right
in the eyes of everyone.
If it is possible,
as far as it depends on you,
live at peace with everyone.
Do
not take revenge, my dear friends,
but leave room for God’s wrath,
for it is written:
“It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”
says the Lord. On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty,
give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil,
but overcome evil with good.
Romans
12:9-21
Shalom,
Virginia Knowles
P.S. #1: This post is part of my Strength in Hymn series. My most recent entry is also from the memorial service: "Be Thou My Vision" and includes a video of my daughters singing it. Two other hymns from the service appeared in the series before her death: "In the Garden" and a slightly different version of "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah."
P.S. #2: The history behind the song: "Let There Be Peace on Earth"
P.S. #3: A helpful article I found while trying to look up the above Scripture: Is Reconciliation the True Test of Forgiveness?
P.S. #4: The photos above were all taken with my iPod in my mother's garden shortly before we left for home. The floral knob on the broken down garden gate is a visual metaphor or making beauty in a place of imperfection.
P.S. #5: The stunning photo below, also from my mother's garden, is by my daughter Joanna Knowles of By Jo Photography. The day after the memorial service, she flew off to Australia for a semester, so stay tuned for some more awesome photos.
"I remember that Peace begins with God." Yes!
ReplyDelete