“The Son of Righteousness appears with healing in hIs wings” The Prophet Malachi

“And He sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to perform healing.” Luke 9

I had intended to tell you about a couple of people in need of healing that I met at Iona.  But considering the ongoing war in the Ukraine and the senselessly horrific shootings in the United States, I felt compelled to address the need for healing on a larger scale.

I will begin by stating the obvious:  Christ was not violent.  Christ was not a proponent of war.  Christ was not in the business of kingdom building.  Christ did not call His followers to be revolutionaries, but healers. He made that abundantly and repeatedly clear throughout his life, and especially in His death, when He did not call for revenge or retribution, but rather humbly, peacefully, and forgivingly died. 

His followers got the message. Loud and Clear. They were sent out, as the Gospel of Luke (written by a physician no less) makes clear, to be healers, not warriors.  They were sent out not as an army, but as companions. Theyu did not carry swords or spears but were instead carried by The Spirit of Love and Grace. The Prince of Peace was their leader, and they were proponents and proclaimers and practitioners of peace.  They honored Christ above Caesar. They recognized that their citizenship was first and foremost in heaven, not on earth.  They refused to serve as soldiers in the Roman Army, seeing themselves as humble servants rather than proud warriors.  They were the first to care for the sick as pandemics and plagues wreaked havoc on their populations.  They welcomed the homeless, fed the poor, and comforted the mourning.  They cared for one another, and others, even if that “other” was their enemy. And they died doing it. They did not, I repeat DID NOT, take part in any form of violence.  And as a result, they were persecuted and martyred.

But at some point, and I believe it was with the conversion of Constantine in 318, things changed.  And the followers of the Way of Christ became members and leaders of The Holy Roman Empire. The kingdom of God was confused with the Kingdom of Man.  And the cause of bringing people into the kingdom of God through love and peace was exchanged for expanding the kingdom of man through hate and war. 

I was repeatedly reminded of the wars conducted by the Kings and Queens of Scotland and England during my recent trip.  They are not only remembered but revered.  Westminster Abbey is more of a mausoleum, than a church, adorned with the tombs of monarchs, many of them, like Edward I, murderers.  The fact that these rulers claimed to be Christian can’t be ignored.

And I’m also reminded of my former life as a member of the Lutheran church, and the irony that the man who himself proclaimed the importance of following Christ instead of the pope, and faced persecution and possibly death because of it, simultaneously called for the persecution and killing of people who were Jewish, or who held to a different perspective on reformation (like the Anabaptists for example) than he did. 

And I’m also reminded of the confusion among many well-intentioned Christians today concerning the importance of maintaining an idea of a nation or defending certain beliefs through violent means.  It just doesn’t mesh with the basic message of The Prince of Peace.  “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives.”  Those are the words of Christ to His followers.  And that includes, I’m assuming, you and me.  What does this mean in practical terms? What does it mean for us to do our part to bring about healing to our families, our communities, our country, and our world?  What part do we have to play? Do we simply sit on our hands, shaking our heads in disbelief, passively waiting for the next terrible tyrant or violent tirade? Or do we take seriously the call to be healers, and to practice what He preached?

In the U.S. this is Memorial Day weekend.  I can’t help but remember my father who served in World War II.  As a child we used to go to numerous cemeteries, as he was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and conduct ceremonies in honor of the fallen soldiers.  It’s a good memory of my dad.  But on this Memorial Day weekend I’m also remembering the violence that is plaguing this nation and the world.  And I’m remembering that I am a citizen of another kingdom, a heavenly one, established through a violent death by the One who was all about Peace.  And as I ponder the senseless war and violence that surrounds me, I ask you the question I’m asking myself: “What it means to be a follower of the Way of Peace, and what responsibility do we have to answer the call to be healers in, of, and for the World?”