A new culture of peace

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THIS Psalm, a sermon or song of praise and supplication, is laid out like a symphony.

It off ers four movements from God to us, to God – movements similar to those in a service of worship where first God reaches out to us in invitation, then we respond to God through praise, confession and receiving forgiveness.

Next we listen for God speaking to us in scripture, in word preached and in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Finally we respond to God through our prayers for the world and for those in need, and through committing ourselves to the path of God’s justice and peace.

So to the Psalm. In verses 1-3, the first movement, the great power and invitation of God is affirmed: God is favourable; God restores; God forgives; God withdraws ‘hot anger.’ God’s forgiveness extends to whole nations: the path has been cleared and a new way stretches ahead – unencumbered by the past.

In the second movement, verses 4-7, having established that our God is all forgiving, we now reach out to God with a plea, an appeal for this very same forgiveness and compassion. We ask God three things: to restore us; to revive us; to save us. After a time of isolation, even desolation when we turned away from God (a kind of ‘cocooning’ or lockdown) we long to be restored, to be revived, to return – but is there a ‘normal’ to which to return?

Thirdly, in verses 8-9, God moves towards us once more and we must listen. One of the first skills in the work of reconciliation is to learn to prioritise listening over talking. In order to listen we must first stop talking. This is deep listening, with the intent to understand (not necessarily to agree). This also means stilling the voice in our own head – the voice that is often, in everyday conversation, honing our next off ering.

Whether through prayer, meditation, walking, running, mindfulness or other reflective practices, the daily exercise of stilling the soul and listening to God releases wells of wisdom otherwise untapped. In a time of heightened anxiety – or of conflict – it is these stilling practices that guide us in listening to the wisdom in ourselves, in others, and in the voice of our God. Into this still-listening space God ‘speaks peace to his people’ – a whole, shalom-peace marked by integrity and fullness.

Finally in verses 10-13 we are reminded that as God first moves towards us in grace and forgiveness, so we respond in faithfulness – and it is this movement, this dance which opens the door to justice and peace. God’s steadfastness and love are a free off ering made full and whole in the union between justice and peace (10).

Our faithfulness reaching towards God will meet God’s grace reaching towards us (12) and so a pattern, a new culture of peace will mark the way ahead for all time (13).

For weekly lectionary-based resources, prayers and sermon ideas on reading the gospels through the lens of conflict, see www.spiritualityofconflict.com

Place for Hope accompanies and equips people and faith communities so that all might reach their potential to be peacemakers who navigate conflict well. www.placeforhope.org.uk

Ruth Harvey was Director of Place for Hope until June 1, when she took up her role as Leader of the Iona Community.

This article appears in the July 2020 Issue of Life and Work

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