September 20, 2020 Shick Shack Meditation by Pastor Hines “War, This Is What It’s Good For.”

 

September 20, 2020 Pastor Hines “War, This Is What It’s Good For.”

 

Matthew 5:21-22 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Max Lucado tells the story -- A boy once asked, “Daddy, how do wars begin?”

 

“Well, take the first world war. It began when Germany invaded Belgium.” Immediately his wife interrupted him, “Tell the boy the truth. It began because somebody was murdered.” The husband yanked his head toward her, “Are you answering this question or am I?” She walked out of the room in a huff- the dad sat and scowled. The boy interrupted the silence, “Daddy, you don’t have to tell me how wars begin. I think I know how.”

 

We all know the answer for how wars begin. War begins with our less than loving attitudes with one another. War makes our lives a living hell.

Several days ago, a Bethel youth asked me about war. “What is God’s take on war?” I probably shared that God intends that we be trained to fight and defend ourselves. Like good American soldiers, Christians, soldiers of the Lord need to exercise discipline and self-control. Random and raging killing is not justified in the eyes of our God. God has a purpose and a plan and it is a plan for peace and prosperity.

 

When Christians are willing and available, God trains us and we become good soldiers of the Lord. Under the direction of the Holy Spirit, we learn to do the things that get us in good condition, enabling us to protect ourselves and those around us, which is our responsibility.

 

We study God’s word and learn the strategies for keeping the peace, for developing holy attitudes and operating on the golden rule of doing to others what we want done to us, which is the fair and just thing. We exercise our faith with regular worship and prayer so that when the enemy approaches we are covered from head to toe, wearing the whole armor of God. We sing songs of praise to God and speak the truth in love to bless the God who loves us and to support and comfort other Christians, and whoever else God leads is to.

 

Even on a good day, battles and wars and rumors of war, like storms can be predicted and at times they come with little or no warning at all.  At times I wish God had created us as robots and programmed us to always do good and never do evil. It is too much to imagine, so I will settle with living life the way it is, filled with the good as well as the evil. At least we know that God is able to deliver us. We know that God will guide us and be with us to comfort and strengthen us in times of our most strenuous struggles, daunting wars as well as times peacetime.

 

There is an old 70’s song that asks the question, War What Is It Good For? The song answers the question saying ‘war is good for absolutely nothing.’ It means destruction to innocent lives, War means tears, To thousands of mothers' eyes, When their sons go out to fight, And lose their lives. War, it ain't nothin' but a heartbreaker, Friend only to the undertaker, War is the enemy of all mankind  The thought of war blows my mind, War has caused unrest, In the younger generation, Who wants to die? War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing!

 

War is “Hell” as one passionate scribe once scribbled on a wall.

War is good when war purges. God uses war to bring out the best in us as well as the worst in us. War helps us to see our limits and encourages us to kneel before the throne of God’s grace, to humble ourselves and pray. It can never be said of Christians, they haven’t got a prayer.

 

War is good when war purges and also when war punishes. Unpunished evil is, itself, evil. Silence is violence. Yes, there are enemies we must confront and kill – figuratively and literally. Not many of us could stomach being a soldier on a bloody battlefield. God bless those who can because we need them. God calls them.

 

War is very complex and very confusing. There are losses and gains on both sides.  God ultimately decides who is being punished, who wins and who loses. We may decide what is what when we write our history books and when we tell our war stories, nevertheless, if we read between the lines, we see so much more about what God is doing.

 

As I mentioned last week in a sermon about forgiveness, if you’re happy about something unpleasant that happens to someone who hurt you, then you’re not getting the message that God is sending. We should be no happier about God’s judgment or someone’s reaping the trouble that they have sown than we should be happy when we find ourselves in trouble.

God uses war for good. War purges, war punishes, and finally war proves God’s presence.

 

There was a study done with couples who were engaged to be married. They were asked to play a simple game in which there would be a winner and a loser. In the end, it was determined that if one couple dominated the other, the relationship was not sustainable. Success could be predicted for couples who could negotiate, cooperate, and fight in a way that was fair. War helps us to see who needs help, who is being hurt because that is where we can find God’s presence bringing strength and guidance.

 

You may have seen the BBC news story of a young refugee Nujeen Mustapha who escaped a Syrian war zone. She was born with cerebral palsy and crossed Europe for 3500 miles in a wheel chair with her sister’s help, arriving at the border of Hungary, while her parents were marooned in Turkey. Hungary would not let the immigrants in. After spending five years in a detention camp in Slovenia – near Italy, she was able to get to Germany. It seems to me, God was with her all the way. Now she is an advocate for refugees with disabilities.

 

We think of war in terms of winners and losers, leaders and followers, top dogs and underdogs. There is talk of what some call the Alpha Male. Often the idea of the Alpha male is thought to be a bully. However, researcher Frans de Waal, who initiated the label Alpha male in his work with chimpanzees, indicates that there are indeed bullies and aggressors who may also be Alpha males, but the majority of Alpha males are actually the keepers of the peace. They are the consoler-in-chief of their community. They are a defender of the underdog, even if the underdog is being accosted by his friends. Alpha males display remarkably empathetic behaviors. Even though most empathy comes from females, Alpha males exhibit nearly twice as much empathetic behavior as any female.

 

In times of conflict and war, the Alpha male is not an aggressor or a bully, but is so popular, so loved and respected because he makes everyone feel safe and secure by protecting the least, the last and the lost.

 

Often as Americans, we hear that our soldiers are on a peacekeeping mission. It is still a time of war, but calling it a peacekeeping mission affirms God’s ultimate purpose of war…to purge, to punish, to prove God’s presence so that we can live in peace. Amen.