When the apostle Paul wrote the Church in Rome, he often got to the basics of the Christian experience. In chapter fourteen, he has written about some of the things that divide the faithful, such as what to eat (Romans 14:2-3), which holidays to observe (Romans 14:5), what is clean or unclean to do (Romans 14: 14 ). What is to be done when one lives in a community of such division? (And what are our dividing issues today?)
Paul answers such queries in verse 19. We are to pursue eirene and oikodomeo. Those words get translated as "peace" and as "build up." Literally, the word for peace comes from a root that means "to join together." Literally, the word for "build up" comes from an architectural term for "building a house."
In The Message, a biblical paraphrase by Eugene Peterson, verse 19 reads: "So let's agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words; don't drag them down by finding fault."
Resolutions for a fresh start often come at New Year's, but could we not resolve now-the first Sunday in Advent-to practice these blessings for our life together?
What would peace mean in your congregation? What would peace mean in your denomination? What would peace mean in your daily life? How can you build up new strength in your congregation? How can you build up new strength in your denomination? How can you build up new strength in your own life?
Paul is a realist. His appeal for peace and mutual upbuilding (v. 19) is in the context of naming some of the things that divide. Peace is not the absence of fighting; it is joining together. Let's not pretend that all is well when there are broken places in our journey. Yes, Paul names them (vv. 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 13, 15, 21). Maybe that is a first step toward the goal of peace and mutual up building: naming the broken places.
What Someone Else Has Said:
In Who Cares About the Middle East? Poems for Reflection and Conviction (Resource Publications), ST Kimbrough, Jr. has written: "If you pursue progress and peace, you'll find they have no end. The quest for both can never cease; they on pursuit depend .... Their errors and successes few, or manifold they be, require them further to pursue with full capacity."
Prayer:
As you prepare this lesson, let your prayer begin: "Holy God, as we begin this journey to Bethlehem, travel with us that we might touch peace and we might strengthen others ... "
