"Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." (Hebrews 3:19)
This verse is the end of the appointed Epistle for today. In the passage, the author of the letter to the Hebrews exhorts the people to encourage one another daily, so that they "are not hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." I think a lot of times we pay more attention to the first part of this passage, the part where we are supposed to keep one another from falling into sin, than the last part, our own responsibility to pursue peace and holiness. We are supposed to be living examples of the light of Christ, the light of God's love on earth. But that is not to shine the light upon ourselves, to veer off the course of righteousness to self-righteousness. There is a line between encouraging one another to live authentic and holy lives and dictating that an authentic and holy life looks only like mine.
Part of the reason I love to travel is that I treasure difference and diversity. I am curious about other cultures and wonder what truths they know that I have not yet encountered. While I travel, I hope that I am shining the light of Christ wherever I go, loving people as they are and respecting their lands and cultures. And I am also alert for signs of God's reign, for people caring for one another and working to make their communities healthier.
My heart breaks when I see hateful graffiti, and lifts a little when I see that a city cares enough that it is someone's job to erase it quickly, or when someone spreads a message of love (although I don't recommend you spray paint it).
That last one says, let us love one another.
Or, as Jesus put it, love your neighbor as yourself.
Here's the thing. You have to love yourself and know yourself to be loved before you can love another. Part of what I like about Lent is that it is a time to devote myself to deepening my relationship with God, that one relationship in my life that is always only about love and peace and wholeness. From that foundation and love and peace and wholeness I can go into the world as a holy peacemaker.
My prayer for each of you is that you open yourself ever more fully to the source of love, that it may flow into you and through you and around you, filling up all the hurting places and empowering you to pursue peace with everyone.
It's the journey of a lifetime.
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