Listen

Finally, brothers and sisters, good-bye. Put things in order, respond to my encouragement, be in harmony with each other, and live in peace—and the God of love and peace will be with you.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

2 Corinthians 13:11, 13

Think

In our current political climate in the United States, this passage may seem out of touch or even laughable. However, the writer of this letter to the Corinthians is speaking to a community in significant conflict over their beliefs about God and their practices of worship.

The writer appeals to them to “agree with one another” and “live in peace,” so that God’s love and peace will be with them.

I find this encouraging because we are empowered to be initiators and participants in the process. We can help bring the peace we seek. And we don’t have to force or fake agreement. We can start by finding common ground and having an attitude of peace and goodwill rather than hostility or antagonism.

At times, we may even feel called to peaceful protest to call attention to injustice or stand in solidarity with those who suffer. And even this can be done in peace and love as we’ve seen beautifully demonstrated in recent months and throughout history.

Chad Senuta

Question to Ponder:

How might you find common ground and live in peace with a person or group with whom you disagree?

Pray

Loving God, at times it feels impossible to live in peace. Help me find common ground with those I disagree with, and by your grace, bring peace to where it may not already exist. Amen.

Go

Go in safety, for you cannot go where God is not.

Go in love, for God’s love alone endures.

And go in peace, for that is God’s gift to those whose hearts and minds are in Christ Jesus.