Sunday: The Mastery of War
WEEK 45
SUNDAY
THE MASTERY OF WAR
Psalm 46:8-11
We move a step forward in our study of the mastery of life—to the mastery of war. The early Christians mastered the central plague of life on our planet: war.
As we read the history of the early Christian centuries, there is an entire absence of war, of preparation for war, and deeper, of the dispositions that produce war. They mastered war. How?
By a very simple method, so simple it is breathtaking. They renounced war and, deeper, the attitudes that produce war. They went out armed only with love, love for everybody, including enemies. They had no enmity; hence they had no enemies. It was a simple way to get rid of enemies; have no enmity, and you have no enemies!
“Yes,” but the reply is made, “you have no enemies as far as you are concerned, but the enemy still has enmity, and therefore will wreak that enmity on you whether you have enmity or not.” True, but the Christian still has this answer, “Do your worst; I will overcome your hate by my love, your evil with my good, your world by my cross. I will match my power to suffer against your power to inflict suffering. I will wear you down by my spirit—my soul force—against your physical force. I will conquer by turning the other cheek, by going the second mile, by loving my enemies.” That sounded absurd, and it was, except that it worked and against the most brutal military empire of that day, the Roman Empire. They conquered Rome, by love! They were thrown to the lions, nailed to crosses, soaked with oil and burned as torches to light brutal festivities. But all the time something was happening within the souls of their torturers; they were being tortured by an awakened conscience. And they succumbed; Rome not only ceased torturing Christians; it adopted the very faith it persecuted. Love was stronger than hate, and soul force was stronger than physical force. A new power was loosed in the world, the power of Christian love. And when that power of love was kept pure, it was invincible. It swept everything before it, and would do the same everywhere, even in this age, if it was kept pure and if it was really tried.
O Christ, we thank you that not merely are you the Prince of Peace; you are the Plan of Peace. Your way works if we dare work it. Give us faith in you. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: I may not be able to get rid of war, but I shall create peace in my surroundings.