Prayers of gratitude and intercession

As I write these words, our world is embroiled in several struggles. First, we have been clutched by a global pandemic which has disrupted any sense of normalcy we may have assumed. Our second struggle is with overt expressions of deeply rooted racism that continues to kill and oppress black and brown brothers and sisters. Both of these – the pandemic and systemic racism – are not isolated struggles. They both highlight the inequality (racial and economic) that continues to cause suffering and pain.

These struggles highlight the realization that God’s peaceable kingdom is not yet a reality here on earth. If, however, we pay attention to the cries of those who cannot breathe – due to COVID-19 or police brutality – we can learn to respond in solidarity with those who are in pain and/or oppressed.

The biblical narrative tells us the story of a God who walks with those who are disheartened, disenfranchised and who suffer. It also invites those who believe in this God and who follow his Son Jesus Christ to see how all of humanity is interconnected: when one suffers, creation is not well; things are not as they should be. If we are interested in embodying God’s peace and justice in this world, what happens to one should also matter to others. If we seek to be a Peace Church, we must therefore recognize our interconnectedness and challenge injustice while accompany those who suffer.

Recognizing our interconnectedness, however, means calling into question the myth of “the individual.” The notion of “the individual” suggests that one is “free” or “separate” from others. It assumes that one can be “independent” from others; pushing against the idea that others may determine or affect one’s actions. Thus, the battle that rages on when we seek to emphasize “the individual” is one that seeks to be free from others.

One thing that COVID-19 has highlighted in the past few months, however, is how we are all intrinsically bound. And this is a reality that those who are oppressed and exploited could have already told us. Put simply, what we do affects others. What others do affects us. For better or for worse, we are inextricably bound. We only need to see how COVID-19 has spread to understand this reality.

In South Africa, the notion of ubuntu provides a significant philosophical reminder. Ubuntu has become the short hand for the phrase umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu which means “a person is a person because of other people.”

In South Africa, ubuntu provided an alternative logic to the history and experience of colonialism and apartheid. Apartheid, which literally manes “apart-hood,” was the rigid structure that was based on racial segregation. It emerged out of European colonization and formed a legal system that was based on and promoted white supremacy and white privilege while suppressing and oppressing those it deemed as “not-white.” Apartheid was a form of social engineering that promoted separation and fear of the “other,” thus justifying oppression and violence against those it deemed as “not-white.” 

Throughout the struggle against apartheid (which officially came to an end in 1994) and into the early years of South Africa’s democracy, the concept of ubuntu provided motivation and vision. It highlighted how apartheid and its separation and exclusion attacked not only one’s dignity, but one’s humanity! Desmond Tutu, for example, regularly referenced the notion of ubuntu as he challenged the logic and separating practice of apartheid. “My humanity,” he would remind people, “is bound up, is inextricably bound, with yours; and yours with mine.”[1]

It seems to me that this notion of ubuntu is a concept we might want to embrace at this time (if not from here on in!). It may help us to better understand Philippians 2:3-4:

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than [one]self. Let each of you look out not only for [your] own interests, but also for the interests of others.

When one member suffers, all members suffer. 

Embracing such a vision of interconnectedness, however, has consequences. What happens to someone else matters to us, and what happens to us matters to others. And this may affect not only who we are, but what we do! It offers, in other words, a social vision, not an individualistic one!

Embodying such a vision, however, takes a posture of solidarity. It assumes that we are not walking on our own but with others. There are many joys in embracing such a posture. But, it also means that we share in the suffering: when one member suffers, all members suffer.

Thus, if we want to be healthy, we must also work to ensure that others may be well. If we want a world where everyone is treated with respect and dignity – as human beings and as gifts of God – then we must ensure that the “least of these” (those who might not count in the eyes of the principalities and powers) are front and centre in the quest for dignity and humanity. At the most fundamental level, this is what it means to be in solidarity with others.

To live in solidarity, however, means that we must understand the struggles others face. In other words, a posture of being in solidarity with others means that we must also be aware of and question our constructed social realities in order to better understand why or how others are suffering.

Herein lies the significance of lament. To understand lament – someone’s cry, someone’s pain, someone’s time of anguish – is to recognize that things are not as they should be. And this animates us (or should animate us) to investigate why some are suffering and explore how we might confront the issues that cause such suffering. Lament offers an opportunity to shape our social vision; it challenges us to recognize what is not right, where harmony is not yet a reality and what needs to change so that everyone may experience God’s shalom.

This creates an invitation to be the church –the “called out ones” – today. It offers an opportunity to embody the vocation of the church in solidarity with others: struggling to ensure that everyone has the medical care, food, economic and social security and the dignity they need.

When we respond to the invitation to be the church, we can participate in a vision of hope: that God is with us, works through us and has not forsaken us. It also stirs us to action to embrace our particular vocation in and for the world and to witness to Christ’s way of peace as we participate in making God’s manifold wisdom known for the world.

May God help us respond faithfully.

Amen.

—Andrew Suderman, secretary of the Peace Commission. He lives in the USA where he teaches at Eastern Mennonite University.

This testimony is part of the Peace Sunday worship resource for 2020. Click here to see more.

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[1] Desmond Tutu, No Future without Forgiveness, 1st ed. (New York: Doubleday, 1999), 31.

Background to the Letter

The Writer

This is a profound letter written by Paul. Rarely do we take the time to think about the conditions under which this letter was written in Philippi, but it is important to analyze the context of the author a bit in order to understand the why and the intentions behind the words.

Paul is sent to prison, not for a crime like endangering public safety or slandering a fellow citizen, but for preaching the gospel. His faithfulness to his calling and vocation lead him into an extreme situation that results in a prison sentence. His stay in prison while awaiting trial and a verdict creates such uncertainty about the future for him that it comes through in his words, “dying is gain” (Philippians 1:20-24). Just as death is a preferable outcome for any prisoner under extreme conditions, the challenge becomes to remain alive and make sense of suffering. Paul’s conviction about his mission and purpose in life enables him to overcome the situation and go beyond himself so that the mission can be accomplished in spite of the circumstances (1:12-14).

Paul refers to two people who are accompanying him during this difficult time. One is Timothy (Philippians 1:1) and the other is Epaphroditus (2:25) who is sent as Paul’s representative to the church and from whom he received help in his hour of need.

The Setting

There are a number of first-century literary texts that speak about ancient prisons. They were cramped spaces, with little air movement, over-crowded, dark, gross and unsanitary. Prisoners were subjected to physical and mental torture, chained up with irons about their hands, feet and neck. They were under military guard and sometimes even chained to a soldier. Execution was often delayed in order to torture the prisoner more, allowing them to live with uncertainty as to when they will be condemned (Philippians 1:20). Prestigious prisoners had it better since they were free of chains. However, according to the testimony in Acts (16:22-24), the imprisonment of Paul and Silas was not that of the privileged classes. So, this gives us an idea of what kind of experience Paul was living through as he wrote this letter.

The Recipients

This letter is written to the church in Philippi, mainly addressed to the bishops, deacons and other interested parties. The use of words like bishops and deacons indicates that the Church was already fairly organized with some kind of established structure. It is possible that this organization was influenced by the structure of other Greek groups (1:1-2). It is a church that was founded by Paul and to which he feels very close (4:1). The letter is full of compliments and words of love and friendship (1:3,12). Something that stands out in the letter is the invocation to rejoice which makes us ask: How can Paul invoke joy and urge his readers to rejoice while being in the predicament that he is in? Another question that arises is: What difficulties have led this church, which has provided so much satisfaction to Paul, to lose their joy so that Paul must call them to recover or maintain it?

Loving another with whom one has a history full of experiences, satisfactions and mutual growth is what can urge one to put one’s self aside and think about the other even under hurtful and risky conditions, as was the case with Paul. This is one of the reasons why Paul is not thinking about where he is, or his possible death, or the daily suffering of this terrible place. His concern for others is what motivates him to write and encourage them to continue growing until they reach their goal (3:12-15).

I would like to highlight three important ideas that this letter shows us are of concern to Paul:

1. To be careful of religious people who impose rituals (the Jews) as if this were more important than following Jesus (3:1-10);

2. To continue to be joyful in the Lord (3:1); and

3. To demonstrate his gratitude for all the support that they have given him during these difficult times by sending them Epaphroditus (2:25-30).

It is through these lenses that we can enter into the text for this year that invites us to review and find important dimensions of the peace that surpasses all understanding.

Philippians 4:6–7

Introduction

What crisis situations exist in life that will lead us to experience the peace of God?

Reina is the name of a Cameroonian woman who braved the journey from her country, as many others do, in order to pursue the “American Dream” that she believed would result in an abundant life and well being. The first country where she landed was Brazil. Here she could stay for a year and one half, working and saving money so that she could continue her journey towards the USA. She tells how difficult it was because she could not speak Portuguese. But she learned it and her will and dressmaking skills enabled her to work as an upholsterer. In this way she was able to earn a bit of money and also make some friends.

She started her journey through Latin America, suffering hardship, hunger and dangers. Soon her money was up and she asked a Brazilian friend to lend her $100 USD that she promised to pay back. In this way she was able to continue. The journey was long and filled with danger. She says that in Panama she was given only one hour to cross the country, and she was deported many times before she managed it. She says that the most dangerous country for her was Colombia. It was risky passing through guerilla zones and crossing abandoned places and she saw many people around her die. In Nicaragua, she was robbed and was given only a handful of rice when someone had compassion on her. There were many good people in Mexico who helped her, but there were also places that had to be traversed very carefully.

When she finally got to the border, she applied for asylum and was taken to a detention center where she stayed for one year (GEO Detention Center in Aurora, Colorado). 

There she had everything she needed. She learned more Spanish and some English. Even so, relationships were difficult because she had no family and no future. She couldn’t keep her process going because she had no identification papers. She thought that they were stolen from her along the way. But, her faith increased and she had hope that God would help her. A stranger by the name of Maria, who lived in the USA, offered to help her and be her support, but for that she needed identification. 

Reina didn’t have any and she asked only one thing, that Maria call her friend in Brazil to tell her that she has not forgotten her debt and that when she leaves the detention center she will work to pay back what she owes. It is in this way that Maria called Brazil, explained Reina’s situation and to her great surprise discovered that Reina left her identification in Brazil! A miracle! This enabled the process to continue and allowed Reina to be released to continue her political asylum process. At every turn in the story, the phrase “Only God” would come out of her mouth. With every situation that she mentioned she would say, “Only God saves, heals, cares for, loves and frees.” She said it with such conviction and firmness, and her eyes shone with the joy, surprise and admiration that goes with seeing the miracle in every situation where God intervened. There was no human explanation, only the sincere faith in the One in whom she believes.

How can there be so much peace in the midst of so much suffering?

And not just in those who experience it, but that they are also moved to inspire and motivate those around them to live and experience that peace that only comes from above? But, how is does this peace come about?

I. A call to experience this peace that passes all understanding.

Paul is in prison, in chains, under conditions that probably most of us have never experienced. In any critical situation two ways of living with the difficulties can be observed: a) Be the victim: only look at yourself, suffer for yourself and tell all those around you how much you are suffering so that they see your condition. Be a victim and wait for others around you to move because of what has happened to you, or b) Take care of yourself and get to work. Another way, be concerned about yourself while always thinking about those around you and those who are left out. 

A crisis situation creates uncertainty and pain about the future (it could be physical or emotional). However, love for others, be it for family, friends, church, etc., enables the person to overcome the situation and leads to deep reflections on their own behalf and on behalf of those around them. It is the presence of God that nourishes and orients, producing a peace that can be felt, making the impossible possible; a peace that allows the heart to trust, be secure, be saved and be well, in spite of the circumstances. 

The chains, the military watch, the physical space of prison, the uncertainty about the sentence – whether life or death – do not prevent Paul from lifting his eyes and seeing his beloved brothers and sisters in Philippi and being concerned for them.

II. How this deep peace comes about

Accompanying with love and friendship

Paul is accompanied by Timothy, and he tells us about this in different moments and circumstance, including now in prison. It would seem that the condition of prisoner allows him to have the presence of Timothy. He also received Epaphroditus (3:25-27) who represents the beloved church in Philippi. They send resources to meet Paul’s needs and through Epaphroditus he receives the affection that the church sends to him (4:15-17).

Reconciliation (4:2-3)

Paul pleads with his loyal companion (whose name is not mentioned) to be a mediator for two women who worked with Clement and others in forming a group to preach the gospel. Now Euodia and Scyntyche have their differences and are separated. Paul in prison knows about this and sends these lines to promote reconciliation. He understands the importance of people living in the peace of God through dialogue and reconciliation.

Rejoicing (4:4-5)

The situation in prison does not stop him from rejoicing as he remembers the church that he loves and he asks them too to rejoice in the Lord, insisting: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” This insistence is a call to pay attention and do it. The chains cannot limit the joy that our memories of close relationships with people far away produce.

Do not worry but pray (4:6)

Paul could be communicating worry in this letter, but it is the complete opposite. The letter reflects a Paul who trusts fully in the Lord in the midst of his adversity. Even though the circumstances are difficult and the future is very uncertain, he trusts and has faith in the Lord.

With all of the above we can experience that deep peace that surpasses all understanding.

III. The surpassing peace

Verse 7 begins with an “And”, the purpose of which is to show what it means to experience the peace that surpasses all understanding.

“And”, means: Accompany in love and friendship, be reconciled, express joy, don’t worry; rather, pray. All of this leads to an experience of the peace that surpasses all understanding.

This declaration comes out of extreme conditions like: the prison of Paul, the route Reina traveled through Latin America while facing the threat of death, the 16th-century Anabaptists who could sing in the face of death and historical figures near and far who, through their life and witness, demonstrate the peace that passes all understanding.

Conclusion

Today, extreme situations can be found in every land and context. This beautiful passage echoes in our lives again calling us to live the peace that passes all understanding and guarding our hearts in Jesus Christ, who is our Lord.

What extreme situation do you live with in your context when this profound peace of God is felt?

May you bear witness to your experiences of the peace that surpasses all understanding in the midst of crisis and conflict that life produces.

—Rebeca González Torres (Mexico)

This article is part of the Peace Sunday worship resource for 2019. Click here to see more.

Colombia is in the early stages of a peace process signed in late 2016 between the largest guerilla group and the national government. Even though many of us had high hopes that the peace agreements would bring a turnaround in the country’s history of violence, many armed actors remain and proliferate cases of political corruption and assassinations of social leaders and human rights defenders – all of which hinder our human rights and divine calling to peace. Colombia’s context of violence impacts our whole society, including church communities, especially those in rural areas caught in the crossfire of armed groups (legal and illegal) and abandoned by the state.

The passage in Philippians 4:7 encourages us to trust in the promise of the peace of God, a peace that transcends all understanding. One church community I visited in the southwestern region of the country during this post-agreement stage embodies trusting in God’s peace. The town’s residents have been witness to armed clashes since the 1960s. The latest clash between two insurgent armed groups lasted six days. When I got to the community, about three days after the clashes had ended, I met various church leaders of the area. Some of these leaders included an indigenous campesino (peasant farmer) couple who had come from the side of the mountain where the clashes had occurred. I greeted them and asked them how their week had been, they responded “Very well because of the grace of God.”

Upon further discussion they shared that the clashes were deeply affecting their community. Many people were afraid to leave their homes since curfews had been installed by the armed groups. Several members of the community were being asked to leave their land. That land is what the armed groups fight to have control over: rich and fertile soil perfect for illicit crop cultivation.

Yes, this couple’s church community up in the mountain was facing the real effects of war once again, yet they remained faithful and trusting in the peace of God. They organized community prayer nights from seven at night until three in the morning several nights that week, trusting God with their fates. They also kept encouraging the members of their community to keep growing food and vegetable crops and not to submit to illicit crop cultivation. They were also organizing with other church leaders in the area to plan nonviolent methods of resistance. They were not going to be displaced; this was their land.

The couple shared with me that they were very thankful for God’s protection that week since no one from the church community or the general community had been caught in the crossfire (although there were some deaths from either side of the armed groups). “All we can do,” they said, “is to share the message of God through Jesus so that this violence and war may end.”

This is exactly what they do. This community embodies the promise of God’s peace, which surpasses all understanding. It does not make sense to pray, to take care of the land, or to organize to keep a community rooted when there is a war that is seeking to tear people apart, to destroy crops, and to displace communities, yet these are the actions of peace this community understands as following the way of Christ.

The clashes between the two insurgent armed groups have ceased for now, but the armed groups and their dispute over control of the territory remains. The church community also remains, demonstrating that God’s peace is active and alive even in the middle of strife and uncertainty, even in the crossfire.

—Andrea Moya 

This testimony is part of the Peace Sunday worship resource for 2019. Click here to see more.

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Like the chambers of a heart, the four MWC commissions serve the global community of Anabaptist-related churches, in the areas of deacons, faith and life, peace, mission. Commissions prepare materials for consideration by the General Council, give guidance and propose resources to member churches, and facilitate MWC-related networks or fellowships working together on matters of common interest and focus. In the following, one of the commissions shares a message from their ministry focus.

“If we want to be a Peace Church,” says Garcia Pedro Domingos, “we must also respond to and offer other alternatives to those who need jobs and financial stability.”

Domingos, who comes from Angola, made this comment during face-to-face Peace Commission meetings. He shared stories about some of the challenges of his country and how it continues to be a highly militarized society due to its long civil war which ended in 2002. One of the ongoing realities, Domingos says, is that the military is one of the most stable employers in a country that suffers from high unemployment rates.

“This affects the Colombian context as well,” says Jenny Neme, a member of the Peace Commission (2009–2018).

As Neme shared some of Colombia’s and the Colombian Mennonite church’s story, Domingos displayed both surprise and relief to hear how others also struggle with similar realities, even on different continents.

Despite distance and difference, there is a connection in the challenges that confront our common quest to work toward God’s peace.

Sometimes, within our local context, our view of the church can lead us to feel isolated. We may not know the struggles that others also face; struggles that may be similar to ours.

Our churches may also seem quite homogeneous. We do not see the diversity that we may want. This, of course, is truer in some contexts than others.

When, however, we only look to our local context and our expressions of church there as the foundation of our church, we fail to recognize how other churches from around the world offer a glimpse of who we can be together – sharing in each other’s challenges and burdens as well as gifts and differences.

What’s more, with a narrow local focus, we fail to recognize the multicultural beauty that has become reality within our global communion as Mennonite World Conference. This broader perspective provides an encouraging glimpse that can feed our drive for local congregations to embody this multicultural mosaic in our own contexts.

This mosaic of diversity offers a beautiful and hopeful reality. It demonstrates a church that is truly global. People from all over the world, representing different countries, socio-economic realities, races, ages and gender all come together as one family.

It provides an opportunity to share our lives with one another.

This does not, however, mean that tensions, differences, and/or challenges are not present. Like in any family, disagreement is part of the richness of relationships. It does, however, offer opportunities to learn from one another, experiencing different ways of doing things, and becoming more aware of the different challenges from around the world.

In expanding our perspective to the realities of other global sisters and brothers, we learn about the challenges of witnessing to peace.

Our world continues to suffer from the effects of an addiction to violence, greed and self-centredness that prevent us from living in right relationships with others, the world and with God. And yet, when we come together to worship, build relationships and share about the struggles we face, we open our lives and worldviews to the presence of the Holy Spirit who transforms us through these experiences.

Such experiences provide ongoing opportunities to explore how we can walk together, witnessing to God’s peace in our world.

—A Mennonite World Conference release by Andrew Suderman, secretary of the Peace Commission. He serves as Assistant Professor in theology, peace, and mission at Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, Virginia.