A Thought For The Week Of May 28

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." (Matthew 5:9) The seventh Beatitude. Peacemaking is hard work.  To try to reconcile those who on the surface would appear to be irreconcilable is risky business at the best of times, because it's easy for the peacemaker to get caught in the crossfire between the combatants. I do wonder what Jesus meant by "peacemakers" though? What kind of peace? And between whom? I suppose there could be a double meaning here. Most obviously we think of those who try to bring peace between warring factions.  God undoubtedly blessed those who brought peace between Egypt and Israel, for example, or those who built friendly relationships between former enemies at any time. But there's probably also (and perhaps primarily) a spiritual meaning to this too. As Christians we are called to be reconcilers - those who try to bring peace between individuals and between people and God. In doing that, we may not face guns, grenades and mortar, but it's still a tough job. But there is great blessing involved in finally seeing someone at peace who had known no peace - regardless of what type of peace we're talking about. Remember that God "gave us the ministry of reconciliation." It's a hard calling, but the rewards - and the blessings - are priceless! Have a great week!