Remembrance

What causes wars, fighting and quarrelling?

St James, the brother of the Lord Jesus, is quite clear in his letter, James chapter 4 (in the New Testament).

¹Where do wars and fights come from among you? 
Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 
²You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. 
Yet you do not have because you do not ask. ³You ask and do not receive,
 because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?

• You want something but don’t get it
• You kill and covet but cannot have it
• You quarrel and fight…

James says, the solution – you do not ask God!
Or when you do, you ask with the wrong motive. To spend on your selfish intents. 

What causes quarrels? The writer of Proverbs, traditionally it thought to be King Solomon or his scribes, 1000 years before Christ…

• Pride only breeds quarrels – proverbs 13 v 10

Wherever there is human community, there will be quarrels.

• In our homes, who is in charge? … Of the dishwasher…
• In our family life, who is wanting attention? … A child… driving conflict, seeking attention
• In our political life, who chooses to spend the money and on what?
• In our churches, who is leading, and what are the priorities?

Wherever humans gather in community there is the opportunity of building team, 
and ALSO the potential for quarrelling or for pushing for control, for power…

we all have influence

Some fighting is GOOD.. or for GOOD purposes

• Resistance to coercive control
• A desire for agency, to make own decisions
• To offer a better and more compassionate way forward
• To resist the old ways and build new ways and new community

How do we decide whether we should take up a fighting stance, to resist evil, to propose good?
What does the Lord require of you and of me?
To love God – with our whole heart – Matthew 20.37-40
To love our neighbour as ourselves– Matthew 20.37-40
To do justice, love mercy (kindness) and walk humbly with our God – Micah 6.8
 

I wonder what we will take away from today?

On REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY – we are doing many things…

1. Always be thinking of those we have known, (for me it is my Father in law)… you will have people you remember
2. Always be thinking with gratitude for the sacrifice of those in the WW and others who have paid the ultimate sacrifice that we may have peace and freedom today
3. With gratitude for those serving now across the world
4. Thinking of government and leadership decisions made for the future of justice and peace
5. Always wanting to establish a better peace for our children and grandchildren 
6. And looking at ourselves in our own circles - and with our relationships … all of us have influence … how am I a peacemaker? 

We all have the potential to influence others

Is it possible to work for good and all have what they need? How can we come together in a situation of conflict?