by Berry Friesen
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
Matthew 5:9
A new peace group emerged about a year ago in my town (Lancaster, Pennsylvania). Recently, it sponsored a community peace festival with live music, inspirational speakers and local exhibitors. The theme of the festival was “peace is practical.”
The key word is “practical.” It refers to something that impacts day-to-day living. When we say “peace is practical,” we mean a commitment to peace impacts the way we speak, the way we engage in conflict, the possibilities we imagine, the way we use our time, influence and resources.
Thus, in addition to traditional anti-war groups, the festival included groups engaged in school mediation, nonviolent communication training, anti-racism organizing, the promotion of alternative energy sources, refugee resettlement and victim-offender reconciliation. At least one Christian congregation had a presence too!
The point is that “peace work” isn’t some specialized, esoteric activity; it’s something ordinary people are already doing in our community. So begin thinking of yourself as a “peace worker” and jump in!
The peace work in which I’m most involved—through a local group known as 1040 for Peace—focuses on international conflicts in which the U.S. government is active. We learn about those conflicts—the war in Syria, the turmoil in Ukraine, the use of weaponized drones in Pakistan—and then share what we’ve learned with the public.
As we counter the hostility-evoking propaganda published by the mainstream media and deflate the moral legitimacy of war before it gets off the ground, our community experiences less fear, less support for war and global domination, more time and energy for projects that nurture life.
Such work is practical. Given the fact that our nation leads a global empire, it’s also highly impactful. Empires are proficient at capturing words like “peace” and twisting them into weapons of war and domination. As we resist this adulteration of peace, we protect the vital center of our shared humanity.
No matter how we work at peace, we would do well to ask ourselves how we are making it practical. Being a peacemaker is never about personal virtue; it’s always about caring for our neighbors. And for those of us who follow Jesus, it’s always about bearing witness to the one who showed us the way of peace.
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Berry Friesen lives in Lancaster, PA and is part of the East Chestnut Street Mennonite congregation in that city. He blogs at bible-and-empire.net
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