June 5 – Romans 5:1-11
If you’ve ever been to a traditional Lutheran church service, chances are you’ve heard the presiding minister say these words, “The peace of the Lord be with you always,” then followed by the congregation in unison, “And also with you.” The congregation is then invited to share a sign of peace with one another. According to the ELCA, “The ‘exchange of peace’ is an act of reconciliation that serves as a transition point between the Word and Meal portions of the liturgy.”
Further, this exchange is “an announcement of grace we make to each other. This ministry we do to each other is far greater than a handshake or a ritual of friendship. Because of the presence of Christ, we give each other Christ’s own peace.”
Let’s sit in that for a minute— we have peace with God. You have peace with God.
Christ has brought us into this peace so that no matter what is happening in our lives, “we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory” (Romans 5:2).
Because of our faith, we look forward to the second coming of Christ. Unfortunately, until then, we are still witnesses and participants in a broken world. The faith we have in God does not diminish or stifle the injustice that exists in the world in the meantime, but it allows us to cling to hope that there is more than what we are experiencing. If anything, our new placement of anticipating God’s glory should loudly speak to us, saying there is absolutely no room for injustice in this world.
As we await the new creation of God’s Kingdom, we have been given a part to play. Sharing in God’s glory not only means we are now recipients of it, but this glory is now ours to share with others. We are shareholders of God’s glory.
Paul encourages us to rejoice when we run into problems and trials, as they help us develop endurance, eventually strengthening our “confident hope of salvation.” Problems and trials are never meant to be experienced or suffered through alone. The trials we run into might not necessarily be our personal trials, but instead those of our beloved neighbors in our community, or even globally.
When we partake in the problems and trials of our neighbors and community, our collective trials produce endurance, develop our strength of character, and strengthen our confident hope of salvation.
To share in God’s peace is to also share the trials of our neighbor. As long as we live in an imperfect world, we cannot have glory until that same glory is shared by all people.
Questions for reflection:
- How have you recently experienced God’s peace?
- What “trials and problems” are happening in your community? What about globally? What are you doing to be a part of those trials?
- When you experience personal trials, what do you do to share those with those who love you?