“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love, He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:1-6).

I titled this blog “Getting Lost In The Weeds” because for too long, the focus on this passage has centered on the opposing sides of chosenness and predestination, an argument that has been debated by theologians for centuries. When we do this, we get lost in the weeds and we miss some richness of the text. Regardless of which side of the debate you fall on, we should remember that salvation is an act of grace by God through Jesus Christ. This was the plan from the foundation of the world.

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reminds them from the beginning greeting that grace and peace are found in Jesus. The entire letter reminds this town of Christians, made up of both Jews and Gentiles, that they are to walk in a manner worthy of their calling. Before Christianity came to Ephesus, it was steeped in idol worship. Acts 19 portrays Ephesus as a town steeped in confusion because their lives and livelihoods were being built around idolatry. What a spiritual shift to go from worshiping false deities to putting your faith and trust in a God, motivated by love, who gives salvation as a free gift of grace. Paul reminds them of this time and time again in this epistle. He explains to them throughout the letter that their walk should be different since experiencing this gift and so should reflect it. Their walk should be different and reflect the values of Jesus.

In verse 2, Paul begins with “Blessed be the God and Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.” “Blessed be” in the original Greek is eulogetos, a word with eulogia (blessed) as its base. It means to “speak well of” and you can see how our word eulogy comes from this. At a funeral, people are asked to eulogize the deceased, and a well-written eulogy will speak well of the one we are there to honor. So how do we, as Christians, speak well of our Heavenly Father? Do our actions, motivations and words speak well of our Heavenly Father? Does our walk?

The month of July was the month where I found myself sitting through a few unexpected funerals, all with well-delivered eulogies to honor godly people. Their lives, as Paul says in verse 6, brought praise of His glorious grace. I don’t know about you, but sitting through a eulogy always has me asking, “What will be said about me?” “Will I wield my power as a force of good to build God’s kingdom or will I use it to destroy?” This past year has shown me the fragility of faith, friendships, and life. It has shown me that nominal Christianity (Christian in name only) is alive and well and so is pettiness. I have realized I can continue to dwell on all of this, which is a form of idolatry itself, or I can speak well of God the Father of Jesus Christ, who gives not only His grace but His eternal peace.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Matthew 5:9).

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers” during the Beatitudes section of his Sermon on the Mount.  This got me wondering what exactly a peacemaker does, which then made me ponder about the true definition of peace.  I came up with seven possible types of peace, and I am sure someone else could add a few more.  Here they are:

So, what is a peacemaker?  I believe a peacemaker is simply someone who helps others find peace.  This can take a variety of forms and actions based on which type of peace the peacemaker is trying to bring about for the other person.

We have all seen people acting as peacemakers.  I will give you a few of my personal examples.  Every time I visit my mother at Harrison Springs, I see peacemakers – the caring staff, other family members, and even the residents.  The peacemaking comes in many forms:  a loving touch, a kind word, settling a dispute, asking a resident to join you at your table if he/she has no family members attending a family function, acting as an audience for someone who wants to share life stories, giving some reassuring words when someone seems agitated or confused, lending a hand at mealtime on days when they are understaffed…the list goes on and on.  On another note, the staff at Harrison Springs brings me peace just knowing that my mother is safe and surrounded by such caring people.

Sometimes, a peacemaker’s role can be quite stressful.  For example, when two or more people are in conflict, a peacemaker might serve as an unbiased, non-judgmental mediator.  This is a tough position in which to be, especially if the peacemaker has a prior relationship with at least one of those in conflict.  When faced with this type of situation, it is helpful to remember that the verse does NOT say “Blessed are the favor-makers” or “Blessed are the judges.”

Another difficult situation arises when we are called to bring someone peace because they are living a life of sin.  In this case, the peacemaker must gently (again without bias or judgment) guide the person to confess and repent of their sins.  The peacemaker will only be successful if he/she has a loving, close relationship with the person whom they are helping.

Lastly, we all know at least one person whose very presence brings peace and a sense of calm to whatever room they enter.  Their inner peace is contagious, and it is most certainly founded on their faith in Jesus Christ and their ability to trust that He, the greatest peacemaker of all time, will always care for them.

This brings me to my final thought, the second half of verse 9 – “for they will be called children of God.”  The “rewards” in most of the other Beatitudes are very logical.  If you hunger or thirst, you will be filled; if you mourn, you will be comforted; if you are merciful, you will be shown mercy; etc.  However, I had to ponder on the reward for the peacemakers to truly understand it.  Being called a child of God is the greatest reward of all, at least in my opinion.  So, here are my thoughts as to why this reward is given to the peacemakers.  As mentioned in the previous paragraph, Jesus is the greatest peacemaker of all time.  So, those who model Jesus’ behavior will gain a similar status of being a child of God.

Well, I have really enjoyed writing this blog.  It has made me aware and appreciative of all the peacemakers in my life.  I am truly surrounded by a lot of God’s children.