August 2007

Peace Sabbath Defined and Applied In Northwest Yearly Meeting As An Expression Of Peacemaking

When I first encountered the Friends some twenty-two years ago, I was impressed with their vision of discipleship. Not only could a person intimately know Jesus Christ, but they could obey him in all things. I marvelled and wondered that, in my fledgling experience as a follower of Christ, I had not run across another Christian group with that much chutzpah. This was the group I had longed to find.

Peace Testimony Defined
To my amazement, this collection of Jesus’ followers spoke of a peace testimony—a radical commitment to embody the sacrificial love of God and to bear witness to an eternal Kingdom that did not rely on weapons of war. Under Jesus’ reign, all human divisions—race, gender, economic status—are to be broken down to form an international coalition of disciples whose primary allegiance is to Christ our Lord.

Much more than a political strategy, I read the Quaker writings as a profound vision of discipleship and an invitation into the life and power of God that makes these things possible beyond weak human efforts. Indeed, it seemed to me, the Friends truly believed that God’s will can and should be done on earth just as it is and will be in heaven.

As I came to find out, this vision of discipleship is easier said than done. In a world that sadly opts for war and violence at seemingly every turn, this vision tests our resolve to live up to and into this life of faith. And, yet, in the midst of much gloom over the direction of the world and frustration over humanity’s ongoing addiction to violence, it may be that our willingness to be Christian peacemakers is more important than ever.

Peace Testimony Applied
This past Valentine’s Day, churches from across Northwest Yearly Meeting (NWYM) joined together in a Peace Sabbath. The concern for such a day rose out of the conviction that the world desperately needs to see an alternative to the warfare and violence waged around the globe. More importantly, we saw this as an opportunity to communicate the life-changing love of Christ to people who often hear Jesus’ name attached to military interests.

On a day usually reserved for flowers and dinner dates, Friends opened their meeting houses for prayer. Some held workshops on peace and reconciliation themes. Others invited members of the community for a free meal. At least one church joined in a fast for several days and used queries we furnished to examine all of their relationships in light of God’s love. Another took gifts of friendship to neighbors.

Friends were encouraged to take the day off work to spend the day in prayer, service, or creative witness in an effort to show that Quakers are not just against war. Rather, we are for Christ and for the peace he offers us as individuals and for all of creation.

Active peacemaking is in no way passive. Unfortunately, pacifism has sometimes been confused with a cowardly lack of engagement in real and deadly human affairs. Friends, at least in most of our history, know no such way. Instead, we have been called to be in the world as active and courageous instruments of righteousness and ministers of reconciliation.

The Call to Peacemaking
As followers of Jesus Christ, we have been reconciled to God and have been called into the ministry of reconciliation. We now live in the life and power that has freed us from guilt, sin, and shame, and has taken away the occasion for all wars and all violence. As ones who have been overwhelmed by God’s mercy and grace, we commit ourselves to loving others with the sacrificial love of Christ and we invite others to commit their lives to him and to become members of his Beloved Community. In this community, we will study war no more. More positively, we will commit ourselves to learn how to love and serve each other and to share with those who are in need.

In this community, we will base our lives on the values taught and modeled by Jesus and on the clear teachings of the Bible. As his people, we will be model citizens in our homelands, but our true allegiance will only be to the Kingdom of God. Believing that Jesus, not dictators, presidents, or kings, is truly Lord of all, we will speak his Truth and carry out his Kingdom ways in every sphere of life and in every tribe and nation.

In the case of warfare and violence, we will work actively and creatively as peacemakers in areas of conflict and injustice. In doing so, we will rely on the armor of God rather than the weapons of this world. Instead of opting to fight or flee, we will seek to apply the practical and powerful love of God—the only power truly able to overcome evil. And as we seek to be faithful in our own lives, we will act in the hope that others will respond to the Truth. When they do not, we will not respond with anger or surprise, knowing that not everyone is ready or willing to follow the way of our Lord. And when we are ridiculed or abused for our witness, we will gladly receive it for his name’s sake.

This way of life, of course, is not reserved for a special day or conveniently scheduled event. It must be lived every day in the joyful hope that Christ truly is at work in the world reconciling everything to himself, and in doing so, he uses even us.

—Colin Saxton

Colin Saxton has served Northwest Yearly Meeting as General Superintendent since 2004. He and his wife, Janine, have four children and are members at North Valley Friends Church in Newberg (OR). He enjoys beating his 13-year-old son at basketball while he still can.