Sermons on Peacemaking
Blessed are the Peacemakers, Not the Peacekeepers
Minister Lea Gilmore explore the Beatitudes reflecting on Matthew 5:9. We’ll explore how Jesus calls us beyond simply keeping things calm to the deeper, riskier work of peacemaking—telling the truth, pursuing justice, and seeking real repair in our relationships, community, and creation. Together we’ll consider how Christian peacemaking can include protest and civil disobedience, especially where racial and environmental injustice wound our neighbors and God’s world.
Christian Responses to War
How should Christians respond to war? We will look at the teachings of Jesus related to nonviolent resistance. These teachings call us to do the hard work of studying and practicing nonviolence in our every day lives. If we aren’t doing this foundational work we will find it impossible to discern an ethical course when war is on our doorstep.
Christian Responses to State Violence Against Its Own Citizens
How are we called to respond when the State uses violence against its own citizens? When Jesus was wrongly convicted, tortured, and executed by the State, does that inform our response? We will consider ways we as individuals can respond and ways we can advocate for meaningful change in US policing.