To help us better understand shalom we looked at a new way of defining sin…

 

“The culpable disturbance of shalom.”

 

Shalom. Shalom is the Hebrew word for peace, wholeness, health, justice, salvation and blessing. Shalom is how God wants things to be. It would be a picture of God’s Kingdom. Why when Jesus came he was about the business of healing, saving, restoring, making all things new, complete and whole. His ministry was restoring the Kingdom. Re-establishing Shalom.

 

Disturbance. Things aren’t how they’re supposed to be, are they? Yes people and creation is so beautiful in so many ways but you don’t have to look very far or deep to realize things are broken. This world isn’t everything it could be. 

 

Tantalus house church said this.

 

From James we see examples of ungodly wisdom which are marked by behaviours or choices that bring about disorder, injustice, relationships all about taking rather than giving, dishonesty etc.

 

Really a breaking of Shalom is anything that causes the disintegration and breakdown of relationships both vertically and horizontally.

 

Culpable. Guilt, deserving blame, blameworthy, responsibility, and ownership - culpable is any way you and I have contributed to the disturbance of shalom we see all around us.

 

Sin is anything we do to disrupt the Shalom God desires for His Creation, including yourself, others, and the broader creation.

 

So if that’s how we disrupt or disturb Shalom, how do we bring about Shalom?

 

Shalom is an action word. So ties in with wisdom. Not just knowing BUT doing what God desires.

 

How do we partner with God to bring Shalom? True peace?

 

I am curious how this has looked in your own lives this week?

 

What stories do you have of you pursuing peace? Planting seeds of peace?

 

You see Shalom first begins with us making peace with God through Christ and us experiencing the transformational work of Christ in us; making us whole, complete in Christ.

 

That’s where it needs to begin. The heart. My heart. From there it moves outward.

 

But it’s more than just embracing Christ on a personal level.

 

From there it takes all kinds of different shapes.

 

All kinds of shapes like …

 

  • acts of kindness
  • purity
  • mercy
  • forgiveness
  • reconciliation
  • listening
  • caring
  • friendship
  • counselling
  • respect
  • valuing other

 

Interesting that this week Mr. Spock, Leonard Nimoy died. You know him as the half Vulcan character in Star Trek.

 

You might know his "double-fingered” salute meaning, “live well and prosper”. Sounds very similar to the Hebrew greeting

“Shalom aleikhem” which means peace be upon you.

 

Do you know where he got this hand gesture?

 

In his autobiography I Am Not Spock, Nimoy described this moment when as a child he attended an Orthodox Jewish ceremony where he remembers his father leading him into this worship gathering where he was told to keep his eyes closed, for what he was about to experience was a holy moment, and like Moses he was not to see God’s presence so he was told to close his eyes.

 

As he walked into the room he heard the priest perform this blessing, and even though he was told to keep his eyes closed he peaked. He couldn’t resist. This is where he first saw this hand gesture and never forgot it.

 

Want to know what it means?

 

It was performed by the Jewish Priest.

 

He saw the priest with both hands lifted high bowing down before the altar.

 

It represents the Hebrew letter Shin (?), which has three upward strokes similar to the position of the thumb and fingers in the salute. The letter Shin here stands for El Shaddai, meaning “Almighty God” as well as for Shekinah Glory and Shalom.

 

Communicates so much doesn’t it?

 

Reminds me of our Identity Statement as a church.

 

We are a network of Simple Churches, immersed in the grace of God (El Shaddai), listening to the Spirit (Shekinah), freed to live out Jesus' love (Shalom). 

 

What we desire our lives to be about.

 

Thereby being people of peace. Bringing about God’s Shalom wherever we go.