The Shalom of the Lord
Thank you for making it through to the Friday edition of these Daily Devotionals. As the General Election gets closer and as we appreciate the fractures within our society more clearly, we have tried to reflect on selected Biblical themes to inform our take on the 'good society'. What characteristics does God want to see?
To end the week I would like us to think about a word that is used throughout our English translations of the Bible; that word is 'peace'. Think how regularly we use this word in our liturgies. What do we think it means? For many of us it is the 'peace of mind' that comes from God.
The Hebrew word is 'shalom', a word with an incredible depth of meaning.
Shalom is what God intends for us as the fruit of salvation in his Kingdom. Shalom 'passes all understanding' as the total well-being God wills for all he has created and will re-create.
The concept is personal, implying a balanced life with health of body, heart and mind, open to God and others. It embraces mutuality in relationships, demonstrating active sharing and loving. But it also describes the society that God intends. It is society where there is justice, dignity, freedom, harmony and reciprocity.
The next time we share Holy Communion how about using the following words as a means of expanding the blessing that we give each other, a blessing that is personal, social and political?
'The Shalom of the Lord be always with you
and also with you.'
There are many factors that influence our thinking about politics, about the election, Brexit and our fractured society. May our reflection, our discussion and our prayer be captured by some of the themes we have looked at this week – Sabbatical, Jubilee and Shalom.
May we 'Recover the Lost Bequest'!
Richard Farnell
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