1. Blessed are the Peacemakers
...for they shall be called children of God

2. Steps toward becoming a peacemaker....

3. 1. Stop killing ten+ people as revenge for one death

4. Longer
Range
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5. 2. Stop killing enemies.
Thou shalt not kill
Turn the other cheek

6. 3. Trust and leave vengeance and/or vindication to God
Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God - Romans

7. 4a. Treat your enemy like a human being
Do for others as you would have them do for you

8. 4b. Or separate your human enemy from the real enemy
For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places - Ephesians 6.12

9. 5. Transform your hatred (and fear and anger)
Accept, face and work through your wounds, your fear and your anger.
(Otherwise these become the food of your spiritual enemy.)

10. 6. Know what peace (shalom) is
The consequence of justice and righteousness is shalom, an enduring Sabbath of joy and well-being. But the alternative is injustice and oppression, which lead inevitably to turmoil and anxiety, with no chance of well-being (Isaiah 48:22; 57:21).
“I would say that it’s about the flourishing wholeness of creation into the purposes of God” - W. Brueggemann

11. 7. Shalom-building: Patiently work at building communities and cultures based on right relationships with God, with the Earth and with each other.

12. 8. Shalom-building: Nurture moral imagination
“Violence is the behaviour of someone incapable of imagining other solutions to the problem at hand” (Fisas/Bettelheim)
The capacity of individuals and communities to imagine themselves in a web of relationship even with their enemies
Fed by two tributaries: taking personal responsibility and acknowledging relational mutuality
- J P Lederach

13. 9. Shalom-building: The gift of pessimism and sacrifice
Life is suffering - Buddha
Life is difficult - Scott Peck
Those who lose their life for my sake will find it - Jesus
The power of non-violence is in the willingness to suffer for the truth
Peace is hard work.

14. Follow up on Jorge Montes - Freedom after 4 years in jail

15. Association of Peasant Workers of Carare (Colombia)
“We shall die before we kill”
Faced with individualization: solidarity
Faced with the law of Silence and Secrecy: Do everything publicly - loud and open
Faced with fear: Sincerity and dialogue - understand those who don’t understand us
Faced with violence: Talk and negotiate - we don’t have enemies
Faced with exclusion: Find support in others - together we’re strong
Faced with need for strategy: Transparency - tell every armed group what we’ve talked about with every other armed group

16. 10. Shalom-building: Grace and Surprise
It’s always more than our efforts - we work, we wait, we hope

17. The Goal: Be complete like your heavenly Father -
Truly Love Your Enemies
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous… Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

18. You are the peacemakers; you are blessed