but flowing like a river for every thirsty heart.
These two shall be united, a mighty flowing stream,
upon whose banks we gather to work and pray and dream.
---Ken Medema, 2003
One thing I’ve noticed lately…peace does not have a very
powerful reputation. In an age where even our words are weaponized, the idea
that peace could be strong, or courageous, salvific in a world of self-made
chaos—such an idea is foreign, unsettling, maybe even a little bit radical.
Now it’s true, that there can be an uneasy peace-and-quiet
sort of peace overlaid like a coverlet on a reality of fear and hatred and
warring. That creepy sort of quiet from suspense movies, right before the
villain bounds out from his hiding place to hatch his dastardly plan on his
poor, doomed, should-have-known-better victim.
But there is a powerful peace, and it is real. This peace
is rooted in justice—justice that seeks the
good of the village, and the equitable treatment of neighbor. When this steady,
seeking justice and this powerful, persistent peace join streams, their rolling
becomes a massive force that is transformative and healing. Beside that flood
we can gather, and dream a new way to live together.
Because empowered peace can change the world.
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