Paul's letter to the Thessalonians has what I think are some of the most practical suggestions for life together, whether as Christians or in society: "Respect those who labor among you and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you; esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
Paul encourages peace within the community. This peace does not mean avoidance of conflict or communication, but rather admonishment of the idlers, encouragement of the fainthearted, and help for the weak. Further, all of these things are governed by the call to be patient. This is not a community that only has room for those who are able to perfectly practice Paul’s exhortations; it is a community that facilitates the empowerment of its members to live redefined by relationship.
So often, we fall into the belief that peace is the absence of conflict and being joyful is something we do in response to good things happening. I think Paul radicalizes both of these: peace is something that happens in the midst of those whom we find difficult to engage. Joy is something that is a part of how we live, external circumstances notwithstanding.
In Christ, all of who we are is redefined. In a sense, we are invited to the world of possibility though we remain in the world of actuality. It expands our imaginations and our notions of how we live, for God becomes the source and object of our lives. This, then, governs all of who we are and how we are in the world. Whether we are the weak, the fainthearted, the idle, or whether we are those who admonish, encourage, or help, we come together seeking God's peace and God's reconciliation; we seek the glimmers of God's basileia (kingdom, reign, rule, etc. - it's a word that covers more, in my opinion, than the notion of "kingdom" alone) even as we wait for its fulfillment.
1 comment:
Your draw on the themes of joy and peace makes me think of Anne Lamott: "Peace is joy at rest. Joy is peace on its feet." Very different than peace as passive and joy as response!
Post a Comment