What's Going On? Practicing Shalom

At the beginning of October, one elder and three staff members participated in a guided conversation about shalom.  Shalom is often translated “peace”, but many thoughtful people have said that shalom is more than the absence of conflict, it is the deep harmony of people in healthy relationship to God, others, themselves and creation.

In preparation for the conversation, we read three books and an article.  Some of the reading was deep, heavy, even complicated.  Understanding shalom can be all those things.  And our take-home task was to figure out how to infuse some shalom into our Mountainview community.  A big challenge.

Or maybe not. 

First, we should pay attention to the fact that God is at work, Jesus has won the victory, and the Holy Spirit is moving.  Shalom happens when we are in tune with God:  when people worship from the heart, when relationships are going deeper, when someone understands themselves better, when brokenness is met with kindness and generosity.

Would you be willing to look for or remember an instance of shalom?  Would you write in and tell us about it?

Second, we also are aware of what shalom is when we pay attention to the places where there is a lack of shalom:  when there is tension in relationships, physical brokenness, situations that are just not fair to everyone, or lives that feel and show hurt.

Would you be willing to share a specific time that you have experienced the lack of shalom? Would you write to us about that?

This is a first step in a journey.  Let’s begin together to consider the status of shalom among us.  Then we can wonder what God is calling us into next.

So, if you would, please reply to this blog and share what you are seeing.  Nothing sent in will be shared further without your permission.

Pastor Erick Schuringa

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