Will We Ever See the End of War?
150
years ago this month the War Between the States officially ended when General
Lee surrendered to General Grant in Virginia.
But just days before the surrender, Union Troops invaded Selma burning
much of the city including this parish’s original church building. In an effort to stop the burning of the city
and this church, founding member and senior warden Robert Philpot was
killed.
While none of us were
alive during the civil war, we all know, on some level, the horror of that war
and the horror of all wars. Some of us even know war first hand. And we have all been
subjected to images on television news or movies. Even though often inevitable, war is an
imperfect solution to conflict and sometimes the only solution.
However just or right a war might be, it is always evil even if you are one of the
good guys. As C.S. Lewis once suggested,
no matter how good or perfect our solutions might be they will always be
imperfect because we live in a world that is fundamentally broken. Yes, the civil war brought an end to the
institution of slavery in the United States, an institution that oppressed an
entire people. And yes, we should
celebrate a God who worked through our struggle to bring an end to
slavery.
However, we must never call
war good under any circumstance. We can
certainly honor those who exhibited extraordinary courage in the face of war—like
Commander Catesby Jones, Generals Hardee, Forney, and Polk. We can give thanks for the brave men and
women who were on the front lines so that we don’t have to. We can rally around our veterans and wounded
warriors and support them when they return from war.
Even more, we are
called to pray for our brothers and sisters in combat. We are called to support our troops who
defend our nation’s freedom on our behalf.
Just because we don’t wield a weapon doesn’t mean we are somehow
uninvolved in our country’s wars—most of you were reminded of this truth on
Wednesday when you paid your taxes!
As Christians, we are
also called to pray for our enemies. We
are called to pray for those who wish us harm.
We are called to pray for the other team because we have faith in a God
who is making us one in Jesus Christ.
And we pray for all who are victims of war especially children and the
least among us.
So the fundamental
question for today asks, why? Why is
there still war even when we know that it is evil? Even more, how can a civilized country like
ours still participate in war? Both of
these questions are the result of what many call the myth of liberal
progress.
The myth of liberal
progress basically says that evil and war and sin can be eradicated by
advancements in technology, medicine, and government. It is a myth that says that an advanced
civilization will get beyond the need for war—that each generation is moving
toward getting it right. I am afraid
quite the opposite has been true. Just
look at all the wars that have taken place over the last century—during the
rise of Western Civilization.
The reason that liberal
progress ultimately fails to solve the problem of evil is because it does not
address the fundamental problem. In many
ways, liberal progress actually perpetuates the fundamental problem which is our
fear of death and sin. On some level,
medicine, technology, and government give us the illusion that we can evade the
power of sin and death—the illusion that we can outsmart evil and death. And when we want to escape something, we are
in essence admitting that we are afraid; we are basically giving what we are
afraid of power over how we live our lives.
Medicine has the power
to give us the false illusion of health—so we are surprised when confronted
with sickness and death. No one can out
run death; not even the best medicines in the world can save us. Technology can give us the illusion that we
can stay in touch with anyone at any time but the world is starving for
authentic relationships.
And government… For far too long we have put too much trust
in the leaders of this world to solve our problems. So, why we are so surprised when the
government fails to make good on its promise?
Even a democracy like ours will fail.
And why should we not expect our democracy to fail—it is run by
imperfect people like you and me, isn’t it?
It is not that
medicine, technology, and government are bad.
In fact, we need doctors and nurses and IT professionals and
politicians. These things are essential
to the life of our society, but when we put our hope in these things to save
us, we are only setting ourselves up for disappointment.
When we put our trust
in liberal progress to save us, we are enabling the power of sin and death to
control our lives; we are in essence creating false goods in the image of
medicine, technology, and government.
Instead of confronting the reality of sin and death, we create ways to
run or hide from the inevitable.
Ultimately, the reality of sin and death will catch up with us all.
The reality of sin and
death sets in with the disciples after the crucifixion of their Lord. In today’s lesson, we find the disciples
huddled behind locked doors in fear of the Jews. They are afraid because the person who was
supposed to save them from the Roman Empire didn’t—at least not in the way they
envisioned. The king that was supposed
to protect them from the enemy is dead.
Most envisioned that Jesus would take his place as king on an earthly
throne with sword and scepter. Left
without a king, the disciples are terrified.
But as Jesus said to
the authorities at his trial, his kingdom is not from this world. Jesus’ throne is in heaven and his weapon are
his words—words from his Father in heaven.
Jesus even said that the peace that he brings is not of this world. This world doesn’t know true peace. From the beginning of time, we have always
known war. And by now we should know
that war will not bring an end to war—war is only a temporary and imperfect
solution to the problem of evil.
But there is good news
in Jesus Christ. There is a permanent
solution. And the world first comes to know this
permanent solution to evil when the risen Jesus appears to his disciples behind
locked doors and says, “Peace be with you.”
How strange, right? Here we have
the disciples hiding for their lives and Jesus says something like, “Peace be
with you.” And this isn’t any regular
Jesus. This Jesus has endured the
greatest threat to life of all—death.
This is a Jesus who has come back from the dead. So if anyone can say, “Peace be with you” in
the face of death it is Jesus because he is alive!
In today’s resurrection
appearance, the eyes of our faith are opened when the risen Lord is made known
to the disciples. Jesus didn’t come to
protect us from the evil regimes of this world.
Jesus didn’t come to build walls and other sophisticated defense systems
to shield us from the enemy. These are
temporary solutions for earthly kingdoms.
Jesus’ heavenly kingdom gives us more.
Jesus gives us peace even when our best efforts for security fail us. Jesus gives us a confidence that says no
matter what happens in our earthly life—war, famine, pestilence, disease,
disaster, you name it—we are alive in the Lord.
Jesus gives us the
confidence to believe that evil is only temporary but love is everlasting. And we are given reason to believe that love
is everlasting because Jesus rose from the dead, love incarnate rose from the
dead, God himself rose from the dead and showed the world that evil and sin and
death are weak in the face of true love.
Sin and death and evil are all temporary and we know this because love
wins for Jesus is risen from the dead.
Someone framed the good
news of resurrection like this, “when you are strong in Christ you can put the
neurotic need for security behind you.”
I love that—the good news tells us that we can put the neurotic need for
security behind us. What a relief?! We don’t have to hide behind our locked doors
anymore. We can believe in a world where
fear of sin and death no longer has the power to hold us back from life. We can trust in a life lived beyond our feelings
of inadequacy. We can live a life that
extends beyond the knowledge of pain and evil. And we can live a life even beyond the sting
of death because Jesus Christ is risen today.
Instead of running from
pain, instead of running from death, instead of running from our sin or casting
it on someone else, we can name evil for what it is. Evil is small and weak compared to the love
we know through our risen Lord. But if we don’t trust
the truth of God’s enduring love in Christ, then of course we will run from
evil, of course we will live in fear because sin and death are permanent in a
world without the risen Lord. If we
don’t trust that Christ lives, then there is no reason we shouldn’t give our
whole trust over to medicine and technology and government and war. If there isn’t a God who lives beyond death,
then of course we should resort to worshiping earthly gods.
But the good news says
that our God lives. God is giving us
more in a life lived beyond the cross in the way of Jesus Christ. We can live a life trusting that evil is only
temporary—no matter how horrible it seems at the time. For we know that evil does not hold Jesus
back for long. Jesus Christ is risen
from the dead.
The good news of a God
who lives was first given by an angel of the Lord who said, “He is not here.
For he is risen.” The mosaic over our
altar reminds us of this truth every Sunday.
This worship space that was completed in 1875, ten years after war, is a
reminder that evil and death are only temporary. This house of worship is a reminder that God
calls us beyond ruin.
The good news that the
angel proclaims also says that God’s permanent dwelling is not in this
building. God lives in our hearts and
calls us to witness to the risen Lord beyond these walls. So when you leave this place today, may your life
be evidence that you worship a God who lives beyond the power of evil and
death. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment