Big difference between being peacelovers, peacekeepers, peacemakers.
Everyone loves peace, 
some get thankless task trying to keep peace
but fewer accept task of making peace.

Example in yesterday's Daily Telegraph
another dispute between neighbours ending up in court
over 30 years of wrangling, of verbal abuse and harassment
Marks out of ten for peacemaking? Not many
The neighbours have a legal restraint to keep them apart
but they are unlikely to become friends
Marks out of ten for peace keeping? 8 or more,
there is a good chance that a contentious person will be restrained
Marks out of ten for Peace loving? Again not many.
There may be quiet but a sense of unease, will it happen again?

I was in North Main St recently and heard a man shouting.
He was hurling abuse at a couple of black men who wisely ignored him.
There was not much peace in the face or the heart of the man shouting>
Marks out of ten for Peace loving? Again not many.
I and everyone else around 'passed by on the other side'
We didn't want to be involved and were glad when the shouting stopped.
Marks out of ten for peace keeping? 2 at the most.
Maybe a quiet word of rebuke from one or two of us
would have made it clear that this man's behaviour was unacceptable,
Maybe he would think twice about doing that again.
But we were afraid of having his anger and craziness poured out on us.
Marks out of ten for peace making? Even less.
What would it take for peace to come to that man
and his feelings about the people he was shouting about?
Someone to sit down with him maybe over a cup of coffee
and hear his story
and maybe help him to see that other people have a story too
an that there could be a way of easing his fears and concerns
and the fears and concerns of others too.
But that's too costly for most of us.
We love peace, we want a quiet life, but not so much really to make peace


Peacelovers want a quiet life. But do they really find peace?
Take tranquillizers to calm your nerves, 
travel to Killarney for calm of hills and lakes,
put your feet up in front of fire with a good book.
Such peace is so temporary superficial, 
so easily shattered by phone or ghettoblaster...
Jesus could sleep in boat when storm raged and disciples panicked. 
Peace within him before calm came to waters, peace which world cannot give.
John 14:27.

Peace is shalom, harmony, peace in relationship to God and others.
Sometimes peacelovers will do anything for peace: 
appease enemies, pay the blackmailer's demands sacrifice justice,
take easy way out for no hassle; 
we withdraw from conflict, avoid facing people "for the sake of peace" 
How often have we refused pain of difficult meeting
and refused to enter a loving confrontation with a possibility of a solution
Appeasement, fearful avoidance is not peace:
They have healed the wound of my people lightly crying "Peace! Peace!" where there is no peace. Jeremiah 6:14
a band aid over a boil, an aspirin for a tooth abscess

Peacekeepers whether in Bosnia Somalia, N Ireland - N Main St
have a necessary, difficult, and thankless task -, 
need to be political changes to sort out lasting settlements
needs to be popular desire to accept changes. 
the peacelines in N & W Belfast keep people apart
and stop even worse violence
but they cannot make peace

We keep peace
by sending children to different rooms or separating communities
but whether in our homes or internationally
we can only make peace
by sitting down and talking through underlying problems.

The world needs peace makers
not turtles or teddy bears, hiding away or being soft, 
not even referees and guards keeping people apart
but mediators - people who will be go betweens, in the middle, ready to get hurt

Jesus is ultimate peacemaker 
Ephesians 2: he himself is our peace 
Gentiles once far off without God and without hope
brought near through the blood of Christ. 
Jesus' death broke through barrier
between God and us and between each other. 
We are forgiven our sin against God
we can forgive our sins against each other
where Jesus is, no-one can be superior to another, a threat to another.
Picture of people living in terrace houses, sharing a middle wall with neighbours.
To be Christian is to live in house where dividing wall broken down 
because Jesus Christ is there to reconcile vertically and horizontally 
peace with God and our neighbour 

It follows that Christians are to be peacemakers, our family likeness 
4.1 live a life worthy of the calling you have received... make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace 
You believe that Jesus is your peace now show it in your lives. 
Church at Ephesus no more than in Cork was not perfect. 
People insecure defensive suspicious immature... 
Paul called them and us to become what we are by grace
a united, peaceable, holy, loving fellowship truly the body of Christ 4:16

HOW? SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE 
"truthing in love" living and speaking the truth with love. 
We tend to divide truth and love. 
Some of us delight in speaking our minds regardless of reactions of others. 
Truth that destroys not truth in love. 
However factually correct it does not bring wholesome peace
… "they make a desert and call it peace" 
Others cover up things that were better brought out into open. 
Avoidance is not love, 
but a recipe for repression creating long term confusion and conflict. 
How hard we find it to go directly to person with whom we disagree, 
so we keep it to ourselves which poisons us
or we tell somebody else which spreads poison.
We need to learn to disagree with people without demolishing them: 
eg express how you feel about what they did /said NOT you were wrong to ..." 
BUT "I feel sad/hurt that you ..." f

Truth helps us have the right notes to sing or play
Love helps us to sing or play harmoniously, in time with others,

Can we model peace of Christ first and foremost in own lives?

Peace lovers are selfish
Peace keepers are limited: 
Peace makers are the true representatives of Jesus Christ 

Thank you our Father for the wisdom of the old Chinese proverb
There will be peace in the world when there is order in each nation
There will be order in each nation when there is harmony in the home.
There will be harmony in the home when there is beauty in the character
There will be beauty in the character when there is righteousness in the heart .
Make this crystal clear to us
that for the fruit of peace and justice among humanity to flourish
there must be the root of peace with God in a right relationship with him.
Give us peace, Lord, give us 'Shalom', wholeness in all our relationships.
May we not desire peace in the world and neglect righteousness in our hearts
May we not be complacent of having your peace within
and yet be indifferent to making peace with others.
May there be neither a barren tree nor artificial fruit 
but lives in Christ that know peace and grow peace

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant, 
brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus,
that great shepherd of the sheep,
equip you with everything good for doing his will, 
and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, 
through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever            (Hebrews 13:20)