Matthew 5:1–10
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God,” Jesus says in today’s text. Two of our denomination’s peacemakers, Dean and Marianne Lewis, embodied this important “beatitude” of Christ both domestically and internationally. From Dean’s work in the 1960s to integrate schools in the American South to his and Marianne’s work in the 1990s to secure back payments from the Board of Pensions to Cuban pastors who had enrolled in the Board of Pensions before the Cuban Embargo, the couple’s peacemaking work has been an important prophetic witness, both within the church and within American society.
Peacemaking isn’t always marked by tranquility. Lewis was known for his fiery, urgent pursuit of justice, for what David Staniunas of the Presbyterian Historical Society calls an “impatient spirit.” Sometimes, working for peace doesn’t mean telling people to calm down, but rather, it requires stirring people up in pursuit of a just cause. “Justice delayed is justice denied,” as the saying goes. Peacemakers may be those who are out in front, rallying for a cause, imbuing a movement with energy and passion.
Other times, however, peacemakers must seek tranquility to stay the course. Dean’s love of Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, was surely a place of retreat and contemplation throughout his life. Peacemakers need to remain centered, too, anchored in their spirituality to be equipped to follow Christ in the world. Every moment doesn’t need to be a battle. Sometimes, peacemaking is leaning into the “peace like a river that attendeth [our] way.”
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.” Dean and Marianne Lewis understood this on a vocational level and became peacemakers as they pursued justice throughout their lives. And now, unto ages of ages, they are blessed to be called “children of God.”
Prayer:
Gracious God, thank you for the witness of peacemakers who, by your Spirit, confront the powers of injustice in this world. Give us eyes to see where we can help make peace possible and the courage to pursue peace with faith, hope, and love. Amen.
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