Blessed are the Peacemakers -01-03-2020

Today we are going to talk about blessed are the peacemakers. If you've read the Bible, you would have heard this phrase. Jesus says in the very first part of the very introduction to his longest sermon blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God. So this is what we are talking about. Today is blessed are the peacemakers in order to introduce this idea. I'm going to tell you about my friends my friends the police. Now this is not just a costume.

this my

you're not supposed to be around my neck now.

Before I left the United States, I was part of an organization called the Pennington County Sheriff's Office. Yes, the glasses really complete the look. Right? Right. I'll show you why I'm not going to wear them the whole time cuz I know it's incredibly distracting but the Pennington County Sheriff's Office. I have a couple of badges that were given to me as a gift from from my friends because I worked with I'll explain this in a second but I will pass these around so you can see them because it's show-and-tell time. Here you go Marina, you can take a look at that one and ready Charles. No, I had carrots right in the right the foot a few years ago. When I went to my church and South Dakota, which is in the middle of the United States in the middle of nowhere. I was very open to whatever God wanted me to do because honestly I didn't have I didn't have anything else to do when I got there the ministry the church that I was a part of was very small it was dying and I was given a task to either help the church die. And just close it in 2 years or see what God did and what happened was God moved and our church groom and it is one of the strongest churches I've ever seen in my entire life still now. I know it wasn't because of us. It just says what God was doing but I walked into this church. I was part of this church and I had no thoughts no plans. No no plans other than preach the Bible love the people and wait on Jesus. That's all I could do preach the Bible love the people wait on Jesus and God moved in the church. We were working with changed and it grew and it was amazing to see but something that God did in me was very unexpected. I had a few people in the church. I one person particularly a very good friend who let me know of an opportunity to serve as a law enforcement chaplain now that word is may be difficult. Kaplan most people I say that and they say what is a chaplain. Well a chaplain is someone who a chaplain is someone who is a spiritual counselor in a specific career or business. So spiritual counselor in a specific career or business there are military chaplains in the United States people who are officers in the military, but our pastors there are chaplains in some large companies. There are Hospital chaplains. There are there are chaplains in universities and some of the universities in the United States and there are also chaplains in law enforcement. I was a law enforcement chaplain and they gave me a cool badge. To scare children with which I only did twice, but we're not going to talk about that. My job is a chaplain was to be a spiritual and emotional counselor to the men and women who gave up their freedom to help other people stay safe. And so I was trained in grief counseling divorce counseling Stress Management conflict resolution alcohol and drug counseling Communication in law enforcement and I learn how to think and act and talk like a policeman. I didn't wear the sunglasses unless it was of course sunny. The group that I was assigned to was the detectives the criminal investigations Department criminal investigations department. They have code words for all of that. So it's called CID the criminal investigations department or CID was the area I was assigned to so I had to think and act like a detective which was very helpful when I had teenage children because I could ask them questions and try to get them to confess certain things and I learned how to do all of this. It was wonderful. This led to some amazing Adventures. I got to go on all kinds of crime scenes and do investigation which sounds amazing and full of Adventure until you go on a crime scene where someone has committed suicide or something like that and it's just not not fun, but I had to experience those things so I could help these policemen learn how to cope with some of the things that they had seen. And so what happened was we went on all of these adventures together, and eventually I got to take a group of detectives on a mission trip. Yes, a group of detectives on a mission trip and we went to the Philippines in order to work with bright lights Learning Academy in Kayenta and also to work with the international Justice mission in Manila in the international Justice mission is working on a global scale to help Injustice is across the globe. It was very cool. I got to hang out with I got to eat supper with FBI agents and CIA agents in people from the Australian National Guard and our national police and the Filipino national police. Here's a picture of the guys that I brought with it's a little blurry, but that's us in the Philippines. This was by far the tallest Filipino law enforcement officer we had met And what is happening in this picture is we were parked illegally and he pulled up behind us to try to give us a ticket and all of my cop friends got out and started talking to him and he just was so excited that he met American police officers. He gave them some of his badges because you buy them in the Philippines were actually out-of-market off to the left side there where you can buy law enforcement badges in the Philippines. So he gave us his badges went and bought some more and then didn't give us a ticket it was fantastic. But all of these actually interesting enough the smallest one whose over on the left. His name is Jamin. He will be here in a few weeks. You will meet him he is the deadliest of all three of those guys. He's trained in hand-to-hand combat and he knows the Israeli military tactic of Krav Maga where you can disarm you and incapacitate you at the same time very nice to have in your church when you so we had all three of these And then the guy on the far right his name is he's a captain. His name is Captain Olsen. And so all of the kids are calling him Captain America. Anyways, so we went to work in the Philippines. I even got placed on a newspaper article during one of our trainees. It was the first picture that would come up with me playing a dead body in a crime scene. There. It is right there. And this picture got into a national paper and then got distributed all across the United States. So it's the one thing that you can search it you type in South Dakota law enforcement Philippines in this picture will come up immediately. And this is me playing a dead body. I had banana ketchup which I introduced you to last week from all over my side and there were flies Gathering and it was great and these are law enforcement students that we were training. So these these men and women some people ask me what you know, do you miss things in the United States? I would say I don't miss any of the food. I really don't I don't miss even some of the cultural pieces cuz sometimes sometimes the American Americans are weird. This is what I miss the most this is what I miss the most. I loved getting to know police officers. I love listening to their heart. I love their stories. I loved being able to hang out with them and go on high speed chases. That was one of the coolest things ever. I loved training with them. I loved running with them and jogging with them and weightlifting with them. I loved being around them. They were very very real very interesting the way I would say this very raw people. They they have a certain humor about them a dark humor in order to process all of the things that are going on in their lives. But each one of them loves Humanity so much. If you don't know where it comes from, but each one of them loves Humanity so much that they will put their life on the line in order to protect the people that are around them. So when you asked me if I miss anything United States, this is probably what I miss the most these people though are what we would call peacekeepers. This is a tough word to translate in French, but it's peacekeepers. They keep the peace. My job was to help them learn how to be peacemakers. This is what we're going to talk about today. There is a difference. There's a big difference. So today we are walking through the book of Romans and we have a key verse we have been saying each week that helps us understand what Romans is all about. Here. It is for I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes first to the Jew and then to the Gentile. This is from Romans 1:16 and what it's talking about is the gospel the good news of Jesus Christ Paul is writing this whole book because he is not ashamed of the good news that Jesus brings to this world. So each week we come to this point where we're about to read the word of God and as we read the word of God we need God's help to open our eyes and our ears and so we have been praying a prayer each week is going to be on the screen. You can pray it with us or you can pray silently, but many of you say it out loud and and that's okay and this is this is our prayer to ask for God's help God we come to Forward asking you to bless us. We ask that you would open our minds to know you are eyes to see you and our ears to hear your voice because when we do our lives will be changed. And then this is what the word of God does it changes our lives. So we will read the text and then I will talk about peacekeepers in peace making your it is from Romans. 14 says this you then why do you judge your brother or sister or why do you treat them with contempt for we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written as surely as I live says the Lord every knee will bow before me every tongue will acknowledge God so then each of us will give an account of ourselves to God so far. This is kind of a terrifying passage. Therefore, let us stop passing judgment on one another Instead make up your mind to not make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. I am convinced being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something is unclean than for that person it is unclean if your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat. You are no longer acting in love do not by eating destroy someone for whom Christ has died. That's a really powerful passage. Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil for the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness. Peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, Because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. Then this part is where we're going to camp on a lot this week. We're going to focus on let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to Mutual Mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall. So whatever we you believe about these things keep between yourself. And God blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. Now like I told you before my friends in law enforcement their job was to be peacekeepers keepers of the peace. You have them here in France to we call them. There's no more the police and if you actually do a Google translation of the word Peacekeeper, it's going to come out as cast blue. You got this everybody know the cast blue know. Okay, here comes a picture cast blue. Is these guys? the UN peacekeepers These are the guys at the men and women who come into a situation after peace has been disrupted. Okay after peace has been disrupted and they try to make sure that no more disruptions happen. They exist to prevent the piece from being disrupted to the point where it is harmful for other people. Okay, the police or the gendarme or the or the cast blue what you call them and certain times the cast blue they come in during a time when there is Great War great strife. The police or the gendarme you call them when a neighbor is disturbing your peace where neighbors dog? Or when there is a protest or when your house is broken into when your piece has been disrupted that is when you call in the peace keeper. Okay, that is what it means to be a keeper of the peace to stop a disturbance disturbance from happening. But today we are going to be looking at what it means to be a peacemaker and he was the next side of Peacemaker. A peacemaker is different in French is the word Pacifica to they are people who try to restore to enemies. They take people who are enemies and they tried to put them back together in a good relationship. That is what a peacemaker is. They are Advocates or helpers. They are there to make sure that violence isn't even possible anymore because a good agreement has been reached and these people now exist in peace with one another. They make peace where there wasn't and they bring healing and restoration in between two enemies. So peacemakers bring healing and restoration. This is what they do. They bring healing and restoration as they make peace between enemies healing and restoration restoration is they make peace between enemies this definition is much bigger because a counselor someone who steps into maybe to a married couple husband and a wife who can't see things like they like they did before or who can't be unified a counselor will step in and we'll make peace between the two or if there is a situation in a law Court where there is one person. And another person in there is there is a trial between the two where one is suing the other there will be often be an advocate who will try to stand in and reach an agreement between the two these people are peace. Peacemaking is something that comes from the heart of God peacemaking is something that comes from the heart of God. In fact, it is the very nature the very character of God know if you thought about that before but God is a peacemaker. He is a peacemaker. I'll give you some examples. He's the one who brings peace or in Hebrew would be Shalom to this world as in as many ways as possible. Here's some examples first God's heart to make peace is actually what move to forward to create the world the thing that you love to look at some of you have been to the Pyrenees you love looking across the mountains those things were placed there because of God's heart for peace. In Genesis, we read that the Earth was chaos, it was formless and it was empty and God brought peace to this place by creating a world of beauty that surrounds us the moon and the sun those are for periods of work and for rest the stars in the sky God uses for our calendar. Everything around us was meant to be there to bring peace to that which was once chaos and disorder.

God makes peace everywhere. And once once he does that he looks at the chaos that once was he looks at the chaos that used to be there now sees the peace and Order he has brought in and he says it is very good. That is what God's heart for. Peace. Does it brings order and good to this world, but it doesn't stop there to God's heart for peace. Also motivated him to make a covenant a promise with his people a promise with his people. The humanity was acting as God's enemy humans were not simply ignoring God. It wasn't as though they were ignorant that he was there. We read in the Bible that humans in their nature are enemies of God. We try to push him out of the creation that he dwells in but God steps into his creation and he makes a promise with a group of people. They are the children of Abraham and they are his people he is their God they make a promise a covenant marriage vows between each other with God and with his people God says he will bring blessing and peace through them blessing and peace through them the whole point of this thing. We call the Bible starts off with an agreement between God and his people saying through you I will restore. Peace. But God's people choose instead to walk in chaos, they choose to not become the peacemakers that they are supposed to be and if you want to see this clearly you can read the Book of Judges wasn't like three of you here, right you guys I've challenged if you guys to read the Book of Judges. This is exactly what it is. They're supposed to be living in peace. They live in complete chaos. God is trying to restore peace through his people he sends prophets and Priests and Kings to tell his people that the world is the world that's around them is a world where they should be bringing. Peace. But they choose chaos instead. So then God sends more profits more priests More Kings to say that there is one who is coming who will bring peace to this whole world in his name is Jesus. Cuz God sends Jesus the ultimate Peacemaker the one who makes peace between all things. Jesus calms the enters into this world and if you read the news or you listen to the news about the Corona virus or whatever else is around you or you even step outside if you're home or you go downtown on a Saturday afternoon or whatever. This place is a place of Chaos. an unrest And it doesn't have any peace but Jesus comes and he enters into that world. He brings healing and restoration in many many many areas. He brings healing and restoration. I'll give you some he brings peace to people physically you see this in the scriptures as he heals people and he pulls demons out of people and he said there are people who died and he raises them from the dead what he is doing is he is making peace between them and their mortal body that is killing them. He brings peace in relationships with people as he teaches forgiveness and Service as he teaches us not to use and abused other people but honor them and lift them up and make them more important than us. He brings peace into the society around him as he points out the places where people are being held down or pushed around or the way it was Asbestos marginalized those who are being taken advantage of Jesus has strong words for the people who are taking advantage of them. He brings peace back into bad worship practices. Is he kicks over some tables and tells people to get out of the house of prayer. Because it's supposed to be a house of prayer and he brings peace and two hearts and souls by defeating sin by defeating death by taking it at the cross and crucifying it and then inviting us to be filled with his spirit and changing us from the inside out. That is how much Jesus makes peace and there's more than that, but that's a good list to start. I hope you can see this now in a very real way in a very powerful way piece Making Peace being a peacemaker. Is that the center of the Gospel message? At the center of the Gospel message. what I mean by the gospel message is this you and God. In your nature as you are born you and God are at odds with each other you are enemies. But God sent his son to bridge the gap to say you are not going to be my enemy anymore. But as you come to Jesus, he paid the penalty for your see now, you can be welcomed in as my child. There is one thing I have seen a lot of in this world enemies becoming oh, let's say colleagues. We call those treaties or truces an end to enemies to warring countries can become peaceful, I guess. But have you ever seen two warring Nations become brothers? This is what Jesus does he says I will come I will pay I will take your sin upon my shoulders and I will give you my spirit so you can be children of God.

This is why it is such a big deal for Paul In this passage and Romans to help us see that the church cannot must not and will not be a place where there can be division ringer. The church must not will not be a place where we can Harbor where we can have division or anger or jealousy or wrath or malice. Those are things that Paul says it cannot happen. We cannot be a place where we exist as enemies. both here And in the world around us. the church

the Gospel of Jesus will tell you that your job is to submit. To those who are in authority over you not be enemies with them. That we are to love one another and give ourselves up for each other. Do all the things that Jesus says if someone says walk with me a mile, why don't you walk with them to or 10 or 20 if they ask for your cloak give them your shirt as well. If someone strikes you in the cheek turn to them the other one all of these things that Jesus says is at the heart of this message be a peacemaker in the way. Paul says it is do everything make every effort to bring peace and mutual edification in the church to build up the church these things being an enemy have an anger jealousy division. It is not possible for God's people. Now here's the problem. I have seen churches and I think you have to wear this has happened where divisions and splits and anger happens. This is so this is the thing that I hear people say all of the time. I love your Jesus, but I don't like his followers. Sometimes when we get angry or we get jealous of each other or we even talked as though there is some sort of a division. This is not possible with God's people. We cannot make it possible the church must be a place where the kingdom of God rules because it is where God's people live and in the words of Jesus blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God if we are God's children, we will fight for peace. We will fight for peace. When we make peace in this place and this place is so amazing because if you do this every week look around at the people around you come on do it look around other people around you make a silly face at them. Wake up the person who's sleeping next to you. There was there was one at least then there's a jolt Ren. Look at the people around you we should buy human wisdom. We should not be together. By human wisdom. We should not be together, but Jesus makes peace. And this place already has a very special thing happening at it. But when we make peace in this place when this place becomes a place for the healing of the Nations the place for healing of relationships a place for healing in the Sin of our own life ice of healing physically and emotionally and spiritually and mentally when this becomes a place of healing because we are carrying one another's burdens. That is a powerful powerful force in this world. I have to ask a question. What would it take for us to carry one? Another's burdens well enough that it becomes a place of physical healing spiritual healing mental healing emotional healing relational healing. The goal is not to come to church and enjoy a nice worship service when we sing songs and we raise our hands and and our emotions and our hearts come out we call it worship. But what it is is it's putting right all of the things that went wrong. This week is putting back into place the things that have gotten sick the goal in this place is to become peacemakers. To be a factory of Peace place that Engineers peace. I can use a lot of different words to explain that. For our church first, this has to be a priority but it also must pour out of the church into the world around us. That is what this world's so desperately wants to see do you have any idea and maybe you can maybe you can imagine what this church would look like if we had complete and total Unity here and then it spilled out into our neighbors houses in our neighbors apartments in the restaurants around us to tell people there is a better way there is a better way a way of peace is what this world desperately wants and the world tries to answer this to they try to say this is how you have peace. You are the answers the world says by having big Wars rent. If we want more peace. What do we have to do to go conquer our enemy then it will at last be peace. Not going to work or we need more education or more rehab programs Rehabilitation programs or better systems of law. And better things better finds and better judgment and better Justice or more treaties or sending in the peacekeepers earlier or whatever, but none of this works. It just makes this world less peaceful.

But I will finish with this see there's a very big difference between peacekeepers & peacemakers very big difference between peacekeepers and peacemakers my friends the peace-keepers the cops these guys, I'll put the patch back on cuz it's awesome. The cops what they do is they step into a situation and they control it spray First Step you are trained as a police officer to walk in think through every scenario in a very momentary II think through every scenario everything that can go wrong and control the situation those three men you saw up in the picture with the Filipino police officer every Sunday. They would position themselves one in one corner of the church one in another corner of the church and one right by the door. every Sunday and when one came in he picked his favorite seat and then the rest would sit in accordingly and the big one Captain America. He would sit in the back corner. Because he sold the other one. He sat in the top Corner because he was in a raised an elevated position and then the scrawny one my friend Jamin the small one. He sat at the door. Why because if somebody entered in order to cause trouble Jamin would take him down and the other two would jump on him. That's what they talked about. Their whole life was about control all about control. In fact, when we went to this trip to the Philippines. We were driving a 6 hour drive to get to our airport and Captain Olsen the big tall old one. He starts padding his side and it said what's going on. His name is John said, what's up John? And he said I don't have my gun on me. I said, okay. Well, why is that a big deal? He said that's the first time in 27 years. I haven't had a gun on me. 27 years of holding a weapon that would put him in Ultimate control of other people's lives. Think about what that does to your mind. It's all about control. So please stay step in control the situation. They tell people their rights. You have the right to remain silent anything you say can and will be used in a court of law is what they say in the United States. They make judgments. They say you were right you were wrong. Then the issue penalties here have a fine or go to jail, there's consequences and they leave people to figure it all out and say we're going to take this guy away. He was wrong. We're going to leave you here. You can figure out the rest of your life and they hope to never ever ever come back. That is the job of a police officer if they have done their job, right? They came in they control the situation. They told people their rights. They issued a judgment. They gave someone a consequence They removed the offender and they hope to never ever come back. Nothing about Jesus Jesus. What he did was he entered into a situation? He gave up his own rights. He judged no one. He taught people and show them God's heart. He took consequences on himself. And then he gave people the Holy Spirit to always be with them to lead them into the truth. And he promised that he was returning in order to finish the job. Do you see how apposite this is peacekeepers come in control a situation make judgments take care of it and leave peacemakers enter into a situation give up their rights judge. No one teach people and point them to God's hard and give people push them towards the Holy Spirit as they're being led to Truth For Us. Here's how practical is. Here is how we fight for peace. Here's how you and I fight for peace. When you enter into a situation B. James tells us to be quick to speak. No just kidding. It's right. Somebody else's right be quick to listen and slow to speak. What is that do that should pause long enough to seek understanding ask questions in any situation. I don't know if you've ever noticed this how many times Jesus asked questions. It drives the Pharisees insane drives the nuts. He asks questions all of the time seeking understanding is one of the first things second give up your rights to say that you've been wronged her. You've been harmed if you feel like you have rights to to go into a situation and say no I need to be heard. I need to be listened to your not the right person to fight for peace in that situation. So enter into the situation give up your own rights then walk humbly and in full self-awareness pulling the plank out of your own eye and not trying to pull specs out of people's eyes. As Jesus says so don't judge just worship act with God's heart. Pointing people to Jesus and then bring them into a place where you can help them walk in the spirit again, and then be present as they figure this out that is how you make peace in this world so you can think about it this way and then I will finish up on this. I know it got really practical, but that's okay. Maybe you have somebody in your life. Potentially you have someone in your life that doesn't see the world the way you do. They could be a family member or loved one. Maybe somebody you just argue with all the time. Can't help yourself from arguing with them. And every time you call them or you make some sort of interaction or Utah or you talk with them it instantly turns into an argument. Here is the best thing. Have you ever thought about just asking a question that person? As in your cut here starts the argument you say instead of trying to prove what you're right you say. Hey, are you feeling angry right now?

Just stop and ask that question. Are you feeling angry right now? Why are you feeling angry right now? Did I do something to make you feel angry? Is there a reason why this why we're getting into an argument that first step right there. If you ask a question that will diffuse probably 90% of your arguments. Then the next thing giving up your rights oftentimes. I have sat in a counseling situation where I tell someone we are going to have an awkward situation happen. We're going to have a very awkward conversation. I'm going to feel strange you're going to feel strange and when I do is I lower myself on to their level saying this is going to be a tough conversation and it is not easy for me either and so I know it's not going to be easy for you, but can we have this conversation together? And as we meet 1/2 as well as we meet together the conversation tends to open up a little bit more and you can walk down this list but these are the things that they don't work every time but if you walk into a situation where you have to fight for peace, this is the biblical method seek understanding give up your rights worship don't judge act with the heart of God people to them help them walk in the spirit and then be present with them as the conflict continues moving forward Matthew 18 says this this is how to discipline works. All of this is the way that Jesus has shown us to start working through conflict in fighting for peace. Seahorse video at the end of all of this. I want you to know that we don't have to solve The World's problems. Your job is not to solve The World's problems. Jesus didn't come in here and tell you don't why don't you just go fix everything, you know, just take care of it all I want there to be no more problems. When I return I didn't say that what he says is make every effort to fight for. Peace.

We need to be people who will make every effort to fight for peace and push people to the King of Kings the Lord of lords in the Prince of Peace. This is what we do as Christians we fight for peace in a world that doesn't have any So today, I don't know how God is dealing with you. I don't know who he's bringing to mind. Maybe you have someone in your life that you really need to go talk to you really need to send them a note or to ask for forgiveness or you need to ask them a question and just seek understanding. Most of the conflict in this world comes out of people's insecurities. It's all I have to do is ask about that. Maybe there's someone you need to talk to you because on the way to church you fought. And then you came here and you had to put the nice face on when you got to church and everyone was seven. Maybe you need to just say look. I'm so sorry. That was stupid. I was stupid whatever you need to do. This is between you and Jesus. But the reason I bring this up is because we are about to take communion together and in the book of 1st Corinthians Paul lays out the instructions on communion and he says to make sure that you are judging your body correctly that you are looking at yourself correctly. We hear Jesus say in his word that if there is any tension any argument any disagreement amongst you take care of that before you come before you come Our relationships with each other are so important that they can they can actually affect our relationship with God. In fact Peter says Peter says that for husband if you are in a disagreement if you are at odds with your wife, God may not listen to your prayers. You can check it out since I can Peter. The very divots give me 1st Peter. It's a very very interesting thing that God has arranged this world in our relationships with each other directly affect our relationship with him. So today we need to be peacemakers first, but also we need to remember that Jesus has come to make peace to make peace through the whole world. This is what the cup is. This is what the bread is. This is Jesus body broken for us so that we don't have to be broken anymore. This is his blood spilled for us so that we can be children of God making peace. So today as we play music as we take communion, we we will practice open communion here. That means you do not need to be a member of this church. But what I what I asked actually think that's what the Bible asks is that you come before the Lord asking him to reveal anything inside of you that might be sin and to deal with that immediately and then come and freely take freely take Of the things that represent two is Jesus. So we will praying the worship team will come up. We'll see if you guys can pray for Benji's going to figure out all this sounds stuff. And anyways, we will we will continue in worship as we sing in as we pray Jesus we come before you Lord. They come before you asking that we would be peacemakers, but Lord I am completely aware of my own faults. And I know that I am not the best Peacemaker. Lord I will often run away from conflict or run through it or turn it into tasks or whatever Lord help me to slow down enough to worship you and make peace with my brothers and sisters in Christ. And Lord help my friends hear my brothers and sisters to be people who run after who make every effort to pursue peace in their relationships. Whether it's their relationships with their brothers and sisters in Christ, or if it's there and if it's their relationships with their family members Lord help us to make every effort to bring peace into this place and let us trust you that as peace comes here. People will feel it. They will see it and they will be changed by it. Lord You Are The God Who made peace you made peace with us you made peace for us help us to live like you because you are ultimately The Peacemaker we love you and we thank you for everything that you have done and shown us in your word in Jesus name we pray. Amen.