Last Night: Honk For Peace

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

Every Wednesday afternoon a group of protesters gather at the intersection of Providence and Broadway, two of the busiest rush hour routes in my city. They stand on the corners carrying signs:

NO MORE WAR

GROUND THE DRONES 

and their favorite:

HONK FOR PEACE

I used to take one of my foster sons to the library every Wednesday evening, which always took us through that intersection on our way. The first time he saw them, he wondered why they were there and I explained it to him.

"What good does it do to honk? How does that make peace?" He wanted to know. Good question.

As the weeks went by, we began to brainstorm alternative signs for them to carry:

Honk for Pizza!
Honk for Pete!
Honk for Peas!
Honk for Peeps!
Honk for Grease! 

And my favorite, prompted by noticing the lack of racial diversity among the protesters on one particular Wednesday:

HONKIES FOR PEACE!

I have no doubt they are well intentioned, but it does make you wonder what would be their definition of "peace."

To the world, peace generally means whatever results in a lack of conflict...which is why we have things called peacemaker missiles.

True peace is usually something much more complicated. We tend to learn this lesson the hard way, like when we went to war to bring peace and stability to Iraq. Just getting rid of the people who were causing the problem hasn't resulted in lasting peace. There's always another group of people with their own agenda, who will likely be willing to disrupt the peace to achieve their goals.

When violence erupted in Ferguson, MO, this past year, police in riot gear and the National Guard were sent in to keep the peace. Instead, their militarized presence did as much to antagonize the protesters as it did to calm the situation.

The scriptures speak frequently of the need for justice, relief from oppression, and an end to wars. Jesus champions the cause of the downtrodden, the sidelined, and the poor.

But always, the peace Jesus promises is first and foremost an internal peace. It's a peace that comes from knowing God and from having the Prince of Peace within us, in the person of the Holy Spirit.

If the people involved in the various Middle East factions all shared the inner peace of Jesus, resolving conflicts would be much easier.

If the police officers, politicians, and the residents of Ferguson - of all races - truly shared the inner peace of Jesus, solutions to their conflicts would be much easier.