Ask for Peace on San Pascual
It was a lively one on San Pascual Street on the West Side. Monday - a car of West Side girls and a car of East Side girls clashed and one literally crashed right by the The Village apartments. Tuesday - someone takes a beating outside a local grocery mart. Wednesday - a mother comes by our sharing stories group and fills us in on her missing 14 year old daughter, who had been missing for two days (she has ultimately been found!).
We live in times of local and global war - and we expect that we will continue to do so. Should we?
The idea is challenged this morning when I hear from Psalm 46 that “He makes wars to cease.”
I join with Him in wanting wars to cease, in wanting peace, in learning to become a peacemaker.
I am concerned about us (the church) when we do not get beyond the message of our “individual” salvation. It seems that our culture has excelled in talking about our own individual salvations, and now we need to move into the mode of our community/city/world salvation. We need to expand our vision. Babies and children are concerned for their own needs and increase toys - men and women move beyond that to seek the good of others, whether it is family, tribe, community, world. We create a salvific way for others.
Salvation is a grand biblical epic - salvation of people groups in really the heart of God. I believe maturity moves us beyond thinking of ourselves to thinking of our neighbor. And salvation is freedom now and freedom coming… so we must be concerned for the salvation of our city - for the safety of the East and West Side (so that some day there will be no “sides” at all!).
The sad thing is that we do not have a corporate strategy… and so I work to develop one. Honestly, I hope to make a way in the desert - where streams of men and women will generously follow. The strategy is coming.
It comes down to “tribes” and “Tribe.” When Israel entered the Promised Land, they were “tribes” and a “Tribe.” Santa Barbara has tribes and a tribe as well. We need to learn to become one larger tribe of love, compassion, holy ’spirited’ empowerment, etc… that will believe that Jesus makes wars to cease.
There should be no more East Side and West Side. There should be no more missing children. There should be no more violence on San Pascual. I say this because it is not so in the kingdom of God, and that kingdom is promised as coming. We have to literally follow Christ and stop talking about it - for in following Him we will make the war to cease.
Christianity is not an intellectual argument, philosophy, or religion. It is a way of life.
In May you can join the peacemaking way on Wednesday Night, May 14 at 7pm at the Village Apartments community center on 524 West Canon Perdido. It will be gathering for those who want to “ask for peace” and pursue a way of “ending war.” Doesn’t matter who you are, we can pursue peace together.