By the Way: Peace begins with Christ

By Rev. Shane Hein on February 7, 2026.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

Matthew 5:9

Human history is a story of remarkable achievements, especially in the realms of health, science, and discovery, not to mention moments of incredible human will, perseverance, and self-sacrifice. Indeed, there is much we can look back on with a sense of satisfaction and there is still much to which we can look forward.

That is only half of the story, though. Human history is also marked by examples of unbridled hatred, senseless conflict, greed, power-lust, and oceans of shed human blood. War, which seems to be more of a feature of the human race, rather than mere happenstance, has dominated the landscape of human development from the moment that Cain murdered his brother Abel.

Unfortunately, too many people who desire power for power’s sake are willing to sacrifice vast amounts of resources, as well as countless numbers of human lives in pursuit of their own self-centred ambitions. However, it is also worth noting that peace is often only attainable as a result of war, or at least the threat of war. The attempt to achieve peace through peaceful means is only as effective as the will to achieve peace exists in the minds of all those involved. As we can imagine, that has not been very often.

When Jesus speaks of peace and peacemakers, he is not speaking just of making every effort to avoid all-encompassing, nation vs. nation warfare. Jesus is also referring to making peace in other areas of life: within our human communities, among members of our own families, and even creating peace within each individual human spirit.

Peace within ourselves, though, is not achievable through our own efforts as our default position is always to expect and prepare for conflict. Inner peace can only come to us as a result of first being at peace with our Lord and Saviour and that can only come when we shed our vain ambitions and allow the Holy Spirit to bathe us in the waters of Christ’s peace.

Amen.

Rev. Shane Hein is pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church

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