“Share the Peace of Jesus Christ”

By President Stephen M. Veazey

Share. . . share peace. . .share the peace of Jesus Christ! That’s it! No new programs, no new goals, no new themes, no new logos…just being faithful. Being faithful to God, being faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and being faithful to the central mission of the Restoration.

After teaching all that he could, Jesus gave a culminating gift to his disciples—the fullness of his peace. Listen to his words:

The phrase “the peace of Jesus Christ” contains all of the promises, hopes, and blessings of the gospel as revealed by Christ and as affirmed by the Holy Spirit, his promised presence with us. In all of the places in our lives where we are afraid, anxious, discouraged, guilt-ridden, or alienated, Jesus Christ speaks “peace” and opens the way to peace, not just for individuals, but for the whole of creation.

The New Testament scriptures pick up and expand on this theme. From the book of Ephesians, chapter 2, we read,

Jesus Christ is our peace! Christ is the One through whom true peace is found—not through human philosophy, not through escape from the world, not through possessions, not through achievements, not through building walls (physical or emotional), not through anything of our own creation.

God’s will for human life and for creation comes through revelation, especially as revealed in the life, death, resurrection, and continuing presence of Jesus Christ, the Living Word. Through Christ, something not fully explainable, but utterly transforming, has occurred. It can best be described as the movement of God to bring reconciliation and wholeness into all dimensions of life.

We begin to experience the peace of Jesus Christ as we are being reconciled to God, to others, to ourselves, and to creation. This is the heart of the gospel as we are called to live it and to proclaim it.

And this is my testimony. As I am becoming increasingly rooted and grounded in Christ, I am finding, at the center of my being, peace—abiding peace—that passes understanding. This peace is not a passive peace. It is a peace that frees me to relate and act in ways that are counter to many of the destructive attitudes and trends so common today. It is an all-encompassing peace that assures me that in life or death I belong to Christ. Therefore, I do not need to be afraid.

And we are called, as disciples of Jesus Christ and as the Community of Christ, to share that peace—the peace of Jesus Christ—with others. Over the years, we have spoken of the Restoration movement as emerging from the call to share “the fullness of [the] gospel . . . unto the ends of the world” (Doctrine and Covenants 1:4e).

What, really, is the fullness of the gospel? Is it particular beliefs and practices to be taught and even guarded? These defining elements of our faith—such as continuing revelation, an open canon of scripture, and the various sacraments of the church, to name just a few—are very important to our identity and are to be respected and cherished. But they are not the central witness.

These aspects of our faith are the means and resources given to us to be used in our mission. And our mission is to share the kind of ministry through which people can experience the fullness of Jesus Christ as reconciliation, hope, and peace in all dimensions of their lives. This is the fullness of the gospel.

Our identity and mission must always arise from the revelation of God in Jesus Christ or we will find ourselves off on tangents that eventually lead to a rigid legalism that snuffs out life, rather than a dynamic faith that brings us to abundant life.

Now, having established first things first, let us focus on one of the more distinctive elements of our faith—the cause of Zion:

If there is one consistent theme at the heart of our journey as a people of faith, it is the cause of Zion. This phrase captures the sense of divine call to enflesh the gospel in community living, through which the physical and spiritual needs of people are to be met, and through which harmony, security, and peace can be realized.

Initially, though, we must confess that our limited understanding and zealous attempts to bring the dream to reality fell short and generated reactions that resulted in serious tensions and even violence—the very antithesis of the vision of God’s kingdom on earth. Isn’t it ironic that it was a self-defense military company, called Zion’s Camp, to whom the revelation now recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 102 was first addressed? They were headed for Jackson County, Missouri, from Kirtland, Ohio, prepared for armed conflict if necessary, when they were told to pursue a different approach:

Like most revelation, this message emerges from the particular time and context to which it initially spoke. Basically, the first part of the revelation says that getting into a fight is not a good idea! Violence begets more violence. In response to grievances, it suggests, find a way to settle differences that doesn’t erupt into more people being hurt or killed.

But the counsel does not stop there. Immediately following, there is a prophetic leap of vision and hope for the future: “…and lift up an ensign of peace, and make a proclamation for peace unto the ends of the earth.

At this point in our journey, we now understand that the cause of Zion cannot be separated from the message of reconciliation and peace brought by Jesus Christ. Jesus wept over Jerusalem because the inhabitants had not recognized the things that make for peace (Luke 19:42). Jesus said,

The cause of Zion is the ongoing call to enflesh the peace of Jesus Christ in all dimensions of life. I have heard people talk about experiences at reunions, camps, and retreats as a “glimpse” or “taste” of Zion. What was experienced? Love. Acceptance. Unity. Generosity. Peacefulness. A desire to serve others.

The cause of Zion is the pursuit of conditions and relationships that bring this foretaste of God’s ultimate will for creation increasingly into all aspects of life: families, congregations, neighborhoods, nations, and the world. It is grounded in the scriptural concept of shalom, or God’s peace, for all of creation. The scriptures proclaim that the ultimate will of God for creation is wholeness, balance, and peace. God’s shalom integrates a whole range of concepts that point the way to the ultimate redemption of creation, including reconciliation, justice, well-being, stewardship, generosity, righteousness, the worth of all people, and true community. This is the peaceable kingdom of God:

Jesus Christ had a full depth of understanding regarding God’s vision for creation. That is why he opposed the dominant religious and political trends of his day that were counter to God’s purposes. That is why he ate with sinners, healed the unclean, reconciled the guilty. That is why he tended to the needs of the poor, and called people from all walks of life to a new kind of compassionate, peaceful community grounded in the love of God, self, and neighbor. Jesus Christ is the revelation of what it means to live out God’s peace in the world. The cause of Zion is how we understand our call to live in the way of Jesus Christ, the peacemaker.

How do we measure our depth of responsiveness to the cause of Zion, the peaceable kingdom? The scriptures tell us that we need to be especially aware of the condition of the most vulnerable in our midst: the aged, the young, the sick, the poor, the marginalized, and the oppressed. How are they doing? Are they experiencing well-being? Do they have full opportunity to become who God created them to be, which is the heart of justice? Are they unfairly hindered by the attitudes and actions of others who have a more secure or powerful place in society? Do they live in conditions of poverty and disease that cause them fear and suffering?

Take children, for instance. How are the children doing in our families, congregations, schools, and neighborhoods? How are the children doing in our nation and in our world? Jesus blessed the little children and said that they carried within them the seeds of the kingdom of God. How tender was his love for them, as told so beautifully in the Book of Mormon, Third Book of Nephi:

If our vision of Zion does not promote the well-being of children throughout the world it is not the Zion to which God calls us. Furthermore, I believe it is essential that we pull our children back from the warring ways of our world and teach them the things that make for peace, before the seeds of the peaceable kingdom they carry within their souls become hopelessly dormant. That is why I am fully behind those ministries birthed by church members and friends that are devoted to equipping children and youth with the things that make for peace, such as the Young Peacemakers Clubs, PeaceMobiles, and the Children’s Peace Pavilion, with a growing network of satellite exhibits. These and similar efforts must be accelerated and expanded for the sake of the children, for our sakes, and for the kingdom cause.

Why is this call to the peaceable kingdom, Zion, so critical to our identity and mission? Look around you. Listen. There is a desperate crying out for peace, but there is no peace. Nations rage against nations, religions against religions, and people against people. People are living, acting, and reacting out of fear rather than hope. The cause of Zion, the peaceable kingdom, is a compelling, desperately needed vision of hope for creation that we are called to lift up and proclaim with all of the energy and resources we can muster.

There are many diluted and shallow expressions of the gospel in the world today that lead people to believe that the message of Jesus Christ is just about “me and my salvation,” apart from the plight of others. The cause of Zion is the ultimate call to repentance from self-worship. It is about growing in righteousness, love, and purity of heart. It is about learning to share generously to meet the needs of others. It is about opening our hearts and minds to new insights and understandings about others. It is about embracing hope for the earth as a sacred place where the will of God is to be done.

The Temple has a unique role to play in understanding our mission and in pursuing the cause of Zion. The Temple is much more than a building. It is revelation: God speaking to us regarding our identity, our message, and our future. The ministries of the Temple challenge the church to deepen its understanding and practice of those ministries that bring the fullness of the peace of Jesus Christ into individual lives and into the world:

If we are striving for peace, reconciliation, and healing of the human spirit, we are expressing the essence of the ministry of Jesus Christ.

Now is the time to go deeper—deeper in our exploration, deeper in our understanding, deeper in our discernment of the meaning of peace, reconciliation, and healing of the spirit, and how they are to be expressed in today’s world. We are called to share the peace of Jesus Christ, through our vibrant witness and particularly through our pursuit of the cause of Zion, the peaceable kingdom.

So what will it take to be successful in this mission? We must start with ourselves. The call of discipleship is the call to attach our lives fully and completely to Jesus Christ. Are we experiencing the peace of Jesus Christ in our heart, mind, and soul? Discipleship must be grounded in intentional spiritual formation that centers us in the presence of God, where we find inner peace. It is out of the depth and overflow of this peace that we find the capacity to cope with life and to extend ourselves in the ministry of Jesus Christ in the world.

We also must recover our passion for sharing the gospel with others in those parts of the world where the spirit of evangelism has waned. How do we do that? Again, it comes through spiritual formation. If we deepen our experience with Christ through creative prayer, scripture study, worship, Sabbath keeping, and life in community, we will discover the love and joy of the gospel bubbling up in our souls and flowing naturally into the lives of neighbors and friends. The key to evangelism is joyful, loving disciples who are constantly inviting others to come with them to the source of true life.

Furthermore, I believe it is essential to the witness and mission of the church for us to stop defining each other in divisive ways. So easily we are tempted to categorize people by terms like “liberal” and “conservative,” “progressive” and “traditional,” “right” and “left,” “more spiritual” and “less spiritual.” Why? Because categorizing people means we don’t have to get to know them. We can simply hold on to assumptions and stereotypes that reinforce our views. Here’s a novel idea: How about referring to each other as “brother” and “sister” in Christ as the beginning, middle, and end point for all of our relationships in the Community of Christ? What a witness to the world that would be!

We could begin right now by confessing that we have all done something to hurt or offend others. Sometimes it is inadvertent; sometimes it emerges out of the heat of conflict that naturally occurs from time to time. We need to confess that we all have participated in behaviors that have marginalized, offended, and wounded people to the point that they wonder whether they have a place in the Community of Christ.

Last January, while at a winter reunion, I heard an American woman of African heritage share her testimony of how she came to be a member of this church. What struck me most about her testimony was the prejudice and lack of understanding that she and her family had experienced in the church, including an “official decision” from church headquarters that had been made decades before that they should form their own group and not meet with white members because of the disturbances being caused in the congregation and in the neighborhood.

As the impact of what she was sharing sank in, I felt deep regret and shame. Following her testimony I was to preach, but I could not proceed as planned. Prompted by the Spirit of Christ, I stood and told my dear sister that I was sorry, and that, on behalf of the church, I apologized for what she and her family had endured. I also shared with the congregation that too often the church withdraws from its prophetic role in the world, reflecting biases and prejudices of the larger society, rather than impacting society with a vision of the gospel and the values of the Restoration, such as the worth and giftedness of all people. Following the service my good sister came to me and said, “I sure wish my grandmother could have heard that.”

In order to be the prophetic community of peace, reconciliation, and healing of the spirit, we must first examine our attitudes and behaviors. One of the greatest challenges facing the church today is that we are allowing the same polarization so common in many societies to prevail in our own church relationships. We place a higher premium on being “right” than on being “in right relationship,” truly reconciled in Christ.

The walls of hostility and division that Christ has torn down are being rebuilt by us because of our suspicion of others who are different from us. Here is the truth: We are much more alike than we are different; our destinies are intertwined. Why, then, do we focus on the differences rather than on the fact that we are all children of the One God who created us, who, despite our rebellion and shortsightedness, has made us of one household in Christ Jesus?

In Doctrine and Covenants 162: 4b and 6b, we read:

So in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the reconciler and peacemaker, I want to begin to tear down some walls of separation.

To all those who have been offended or injured—by words or by silence, by actions or by inactions, by whatever has not reflected our highest aims emerging from our vision of the peaceable kingdom—I am truly sorry, and I apologize on behalf of the church and myself. This includes those who have experienced any type of attitude or behavior that diminished their sense of worth as a child of God. This includes those pushed to the margins and beyond because of divergent views in the church around various social and moral issues.

It also includes those brothers and sisters who have felt it necessary to separate from active participation in the church because of differences over theological and sacramental issues, or who have found it necessary to form independent branches and churches. We know that such differences are real and that they are not resolved by simply ignoring them. The Community of Christ is committed to being an active partner in ongoing attempts to seek the level of reconciliation and healing that is possible.

As that work continues, let us affirm that we are neighbors in this community and in the world. Unless we can live as good neighbors, who love and care for each other, and who help each other out in times of need, then the Zion for which we all yearn and work, will not find its full expression for the salvation and blessing of humanity. Let us acknowledge that we have all fallen short of the highest ideals of our common heritage and faith, and that we are sorry for the hurt that has resulted in the lives of people we love.

In this spirit, let us also recognize that the ministry of reconciliation is ultimately the responsibility of individuals. It is not by accident that we will conclude this Conference by partaking together in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. Let each of us examine our lives as we prepare to participate in that sacrament, to discern where we have fallen short in our relationships with others so that we can come to the necessary attitude of humility and repentance that will release us to embrace the gifts of forgiveness, reconciliation, and hope that, in turn, free us to reach out to others in the peace of Jesus Christ.

Our ability to pursue our mission is also highly dependent on the preparation, attitude, and response of the priesthood of the church. I consider ministry in the priesthood a sacred privilege that is to be expressed through a deep sense of devotion and willingness to provide servant ministry, in the likeness of Christ. It is one of the highest forms of stewardship of life and involves not only initial response to calling, but ongoing growth, development, and accountability.

Priesthood should never be a source of pride or a way to manipulate or control others. It is not a platform from which to assert one’s viewpoints. We are well reminded of the counsel in Doctrine and Covenants Section 11 that no one can assist in this work except they be humble and full of love, having faith, hope, and charity (4b). The way into the future includes the call to shape a body of ministers who are known for their humility, integrity, and commitment to effective ministry in today’s world. It is imperative that there be renewed efforts focused on training, mentoring, and leadership development to equip the ordained ministry—lay and professional—for the mission of peace, reconciliation, and healing of the spirit throughout the world.

It is also essential that we apply additional energy and resources for support of congregational pastors. Nothing is more vital to the revitalization and forward movement of the church than congregational pastors who have not only the heart for ministry, but also have a firm grasp on the skills needed to lead congregations into vibrant, healthy expressions of the Community of Christ in the twenty-first century. The Co-Missioned Pastors Initiative (CPI) is off to a great start and shows signs of true success in this regard. I would urge congregations and pastors to take advantage of the remaining slots before they are all filled.

Beyond this, we are aware of the need to take the most effective elements of this pilot program and make them available to pastors and potential pastors throughout the world. Can you envision what would happen in countless congregations if there were pastors leading them who were motivated, trained, resourced, supported, and committed to long-term service in pursuit of our mission?

At this point, I must speak plainly and clearly regarding a vital matter. All of this talk about identity and mission is for naught if we do not have the financial means to support and expand the ministries of the church locally and globally. Stewardship, discipleship, and mission cannot be separated.

During the course of this Conference we have seen the figures that reflect our current level of stewardship response. It is not difficult to see that the World Ministries tithing projections we approved for the next several fiscal years are significantly less than this year’s projected tithing income. This, in turn, tells us that there will have to be a corresponding reduction in vital church ministries and services. Those figures reflect the future that is most probable if something does not change.

However, that future is not inevitable. If, by our individual and corporate choices, we begin to lean in faith toward God’s preferred course for the church, a new future will begin to dawn with increasing brightness. So in order to mark the beginning of our preferred future, let me say emphatically that the current direction of stewardship response is not acceptable! The real issue here is not just about numbers and budgets. It’s about attitude. How much does the mission of sharing the peace of Jesus Christ and the cause of Zion with a world in need really mean to us?

When I consider how God has blessed me with hope and purpose in life, my heart overflows with love and gratitude in response to God’s grace. As a result, my heart’s desire is to generously share my life, my witness, and my resources to support the ministries of the church and affiliated organizations that take the gospel to others, including those beyond my reach, but certainly not beyond my concern.

Generously sharing to help others is one of the primary ways we grow spiritually because it roots us out of self-centeredness and the incessant need to have more. Peace grows as we let go of that which is contrary to peace—individualism, consumerism, competition—and as we lay hold of the things that make for peace: sharing, generosity, and cooperation in a common cause.

As for me and my house, we will increase our tithes for local ministries and for world ministries in the days ahead, according to our capacity, not because we expect to be blessed with more in return, but because we feel it a blessing to give as we grow in Christ, and we consider it a joy to support the vital ministries of the church in our hometown and throughout the world. I urge each of you to do the same, and then to watch in amazement as the impact of the Community of Christ is unleashed for the benefit and blessing of humankind and creation.

So here we stand at a pivotal time. And there is really only one question for us to answer: Do we have the courage and conviction to be who we really are? We stand on the edge of greatness—not as the world measures greatness, but as God measures greatness—in terms of wholehearted participation in bringing to pass divine purposes in creation.

And, we are called! We are called to deepen our discipleship through spiritual formation that centers in the Spirit of the Living Christ, who continues to redeem and restore people to life in community. We are called to share the peace of Jesus Christ, the fullness of the gospel, with all who will hear and respond. We are called to bear witness, through word and deed, of the cause of Zion, the peaceable kingdom, the vision of hope for this desperate world. We are called to reveal Jesus Christ in the world through finely honed ministries of peace, reconciliation, and healing of the spirit, making the ministries of the Temple manifest through our lives.

We are called to shape a diverse family of peace in Jesus Christ from among the cultures and nations of the world, for the blessing and salvation of humanity. We are called to give of ourselves and our resources generously so that our witness of Christ and Zion can increase, not decrease, throughout the world. We are called!

I am ready to respond to the call to share the peace of Jesus Christ. Are you?