Peacemaking vs. Peacekeeping

Ephesians 2:14-22

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote in his sermon, "When Peace Becomes Obnoxious," that "peace is not the absence of tension but the presence of justice." He discussed how we was brought to say this coming from a conversation he had while riding the bus (this sermon was preached the day before the the Bus boycott in Alabama began). The thing is, Martin Luther King, Jr. is quoted all the time by folks who try to bring up "peaceful" or "acceptable" ways to protest these days! I specifically remember this coming from politicians who penned many disparaging op-eds about protestors during the summer of George Floyd protests.

I personally find this ironic, because Martin Luther King Jr. was constantly being lampooned for disturbing the peace in his own time when he was present and leading protests over segregation, voting rights, and poverty. So much so that he wrote in his famous "Letter from a Birmingham Jail:"

"First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action."

We don't like conflict, regardless how necessary. I think many of us lament our society's inability to be in community together well today. And I think all of us would welcome peace in these days. But I remain struck by Martin Luther King Jr.'s words in his sermon, "When Peace Becomes Obnoxious:"

If peace means this, I dont want peace: If peace means accepting second class citizen ship I don’t want it. If peace means keeping my mouth shut in the midst of injustice and evil, I don’t want it. If peace means being complacently adjusted to a deadening staus quo, I don’t want peace. If peace means a willingness to be exploited economically, dominated polically, humiliated and segregated, I dont want peace.

For me, I boil this down to the difference between peacekeeping and peacemaking. My family is currently mourning the loss of a matriarch of our family, my grandmother. And there are times when we are in grief where tension can run high!

In times like these we can focus on ways to keep the temperature down, or ways that we can resolve what is behind the anger that shows up in our grief. Peacekeeping is hiding from what is wrong in times like these, peacemaking is bringing the things that are wrong out into the open and resolving conflict, apologizing for past hurts, and reengaging in relationship.

One of these things is very difficult and uncomfortable, and the other isn't. One of these things has the potential to keep hidden deep hurts that will predictably rise to the surface every time something, even something unrelated, triggers that past hurt. And this is what we will explore this Sunday! I hope you will join us at Lakewood UMC at 10am, or watch us online at that time on our Facebook page to find our livestream!