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This coming Wednesday our calendars are marked ‘Remembrance Day’.  The title begs the question: What should we remember?  I believe that most would answer the question by saying we should remember those who gave their lives in the conflicts commonly known as World Wars I & II.  And we should remember them.  They gave their lives defending freedom. For those who survived, their lives were forever changed, if not from physical injuries, then from painful emotional scaring from PSTD before it was even recognized as such. And there are of course many other conflicts with equally tradgic results.

But we should also remember that as believers we are called to be people of peace. ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ Jesus said.  The word peace occurs multiple times in the scriptures. Paul speaks repeatedly about it in almost every one of his letters.  And we should also remember that too many times in history conflicts resulting in millions of deaths have been fought between armies with their leaders claiming to be believers.  Consider the current war between Russia and Ukraine where fatalities are now estimated to be up to one million.  Both state churches are claiming to be part of the Eastern Orthodox Church.  Or consider the US civil war with fatalities now estimated at 650,000 in a war where generals on both sides claimed they were Christians.

Let us remember then that peace starts with us as individual believers.  We are called as believers to be peacekeepers; to be peacekeepers in our homes, in our families, in our communities and in our country.  

In Romans 5:1 (NLT) Paul writes: Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.

I believe that peace must start with peace with God.  That peace deal was the greatest ever brokered.  It was not achieved by our bringing something to the table, we brought nothing but a broken relationship.  But God brought everything to the peace table, his very best, his precious only son so that peace with God would be made available to us.

Secondly, it was the peace of God that supernaturally brought and continues to bring change to our unpeaceable nature.  His peaceful nature gifted us with life changing fruit of the spirit peace that progressively changes our nature causing us to realise that we as believers are called to be peacemakers.  It is our calling!  Another one of the ways we are challenged to be like Jesus!  Let’s remember this calling as we reflect on this Remembrance Day.                                                                 Pastor Dave