Start the Lawn Mower

"For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near." (Ephesians 2:14-17)

A while back, I was studying the concept of peace. My study revealed an amazing truth. When biblical writers speak about peace between God and man they present peace as something that comes with a high price tag. Peace comes via Christ’s sacrifice. They use graphic language: death, his body of flesh, his shed blood. They never speak about it in a light-hearted way. One of my favorite professors at ACU often reminded his students, “When God makes peace, he bleeds.”

In our dealings with each other, do we view peace like that?

In the movie The Straight Story Richard Farnsworth plays Alvin Straight. The script follows the true story of an event in the life of Alvin Straight, a 73 year old man living in Iowa. Alvin had been at odds with his brother for over 20 years. And, more than anything, he wants to set things right. But, failing eyesight and no driver’s license have taken away his driving privileges. His daughter offers to drive him to Wisconsin to see Lyle. “Nope”, he says. “I need to do it on my own steam.” So, Alvin goes to “Plan B”. He tunes up his riding lawn mower and sets off for Wisconsin. Almost 30 days and 320 miles later he finally reaches his destination. The last scene is a touching one. Lyle’s eyes widen with curiosity as he sees his estranged brother pull up to his house on a 1966 John Deere lawn mower! “You drive all the way up here on that?” Lyle queries. Alvin walks to the porch and extends his hand. “I figured it’d been too long since we talked and I didn’t like the way we talked the last time we wuz together. I wanted you to know that I was serious about patch’n things us.” What a story!

A. J. Muste said, “There is no way to peace. Peace is the way.

It’s easy to argue, divide and bicker at one another. Got a family? Ever been to church? Served on a ministry committee or two? You know what I’m talking about. Sometimes in the name of what’s right we forget about “what’s right”. We forget that we are created in the image of God and for community.

Mother Teresa said, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”

In Ephesians 4:3 Paul says it is our responsibility to “keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Unity comes with our baptism into Christ and renewal through the Holy Spirit. The “peace keeping part” is our responsibility.

Jesus said “blessed are the peacemakers”. I confess that its easier to sit in a room with a concept than to imagine what it looks like put into action. Who among us hasn’t done that? Anybody can analyze peace. We can talk about it. We can load our minds up with scriptures about peace. But Jesus said “peacemaking” is where the real action is. It’s what really counts. The Hebrew writer says we are to “pursue peace” ( Hebrews 12:14). Why? I think it’s because forging the kind of ties within community that reflect the presence and reign of Christ is something you have to “want”.

Jesus wanted to establish peace between us and God. So…he entered human experience. I think that’s the message of the text in Ephesians 2. “He came and preached peace.”

Have you ever thought about what our lives, relationships and congregations would look like after thirty days of concerted efforts at “peacemaking”? What conversations are “out there” waiting on us? What breakthroughs are just around the corner? When we lay our lives in the context of the gospel story, we hear God's call to make our peace with living as conduits of peace. It sends us into the world and into our relationships with other believers as people “bent on making peace”.

Can’t find your car keys?  No problem. Start the lawnmower.

O Father, may the peace of Christ so rule in our hearts that we surrender our wills to your will, our view of people to your view of them. Awaken us to the expectation and promise of peacemaking as a way of life. Keep us from running from the hard tasks that come with making peace. Strengthen our hearts for the challenges that Satan puts in our way to keep us comfortable with thinking and habits that are less than what the gospel calls us to. Thank you for Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Amen.

Randy Daugherty
Stephenville, Texas