Olympics – peace, really?
By Paul Bawden
My wife and I watched the opening ceremony of the winter Olympics the other evening. Maybe you watched the ceremony as well. It was certainly an amazing presentation of artistic creativity and beauty. The theme was peace – peace to live in harmony among all nations. A wonderful theme, wouldn’t you agree?
Shouldn’t that be the desire of all peoples and nations? That we would be able to live together in peace with respect for each other and accepting each other in our different backgrounds and cultures. When the different nations come together and compete at the Olympics, it is one of the best, if not the best illustration of man-made peace.
I say man-made, for as we live in our world, it becomes clear that it will take more than the Olympics to provide lasting peace. For peace to last, it must not just be a surface agreement to have peace, but something must happen to our inner lives so we have the ability to live peaceably with one another. Why do I say that? For we know that any desire for lasting peace is plagued by selfishness, pride, jealously, hatred, our word can’t be relied upon at times, and our actions say and do things that we shouldn’t. All called sin.
Could such be our experiences because we miss that peace is not just a horizontal experience, for lasting peace must have a vertical experience first of all? That’s why when Jesus came on the scene, He started talking about peace, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you” (John 14:27). Then He added later, “….in me you may have peace, in the world you have tribulation, but take courage I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
What was Jesus talking about? His peace for anyone would come through His death, burial and bodily resurrection, by which He broke down the wall of animosity between both Jews and Gentiles (all peoples). Now through faith in Him, the believer can receive His forgiveness and peace with God vertically, and experience peace with others who also respond in faith (Eph.2:11-19), while accepting and respecting all peoples. Why? Christ’s peace is lasting peace. His peace experienced in individual lives, in families, in the leaders of local, state, USA government and world leaders provides the basis for peace to be present in our messed-up world. How Christ’s peace is needed!!!
Actually, Christ’s peace comes to the believer because of His eternal love for everyone displayed through His empty cross and open tomb. (John 3:16; I John 4:10). Which means Christ’s peace and love are linked together. You can’t have one without the other. It’s like love and marriage, you can’t have one without the other. It’s a good reminder on this Valentine month, when love is celebrated in different ways.
As Christ’s peace comes into the believer’s life, His love also comes into the believer’s life (Rom. 5:5). Christ’s love is kind, not jealous, is not arrogant….does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth….His love is the greatest (I Cor. 13). I trust Christ’s peace and love are yours personally through faith in Christ, and you are relying on His inner power to display that to others.
Enjoy the Olympics and Valentine’s Day! May they remind you and me that true eternal peace and love are only found in Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith!
Paul Bawden is married and served in the full-time pastoral ministry for 45 years, retiring in 2011, after which he and his wife served in four interims, three in Wisconsin and one in Iowa. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.A. in Speech and attended Dallas Theological Seminary, receiving a Master of Theology. He has taken counseling courses at Trinity Evangelical Seminary in Deerfield, Illinois. Paul is a lifetime member of the Evangelical Free Church of America, as well as being a member of Interim Pastor Ministries (IPM), which serves churches during their time of transition in searching for a new pastor. He is also a volunteer writer for GotQuestions.org. Paul likes to write, read, and work in the yard. The Bawdens have had the privilege to travel to Mexico and Romania on mission trips and visited various countries in Europe. They have three daughters and five grandchildren.
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