Apparently the idea of "Peace on Earth" is too offensive to some people. Recent news stories have reported about Lisa Jensen from Pagosa Springs, Colorado who hung a Christmas wreath on the outside wall of her home. The pine boughs were arranged into a peace sign because she "wanted to put a message of peace out there," Jensen said. But Bob Kearns, the president of her homeowner's association, ordered her to remove the wreath on the grounds that "flags or signs that are considered divisive" are not allowed, and subject to a $25-per-day fine. "The peace sign has a lot of negativity associated with it," Kearns claimed. "It's also an anti-Christ sign. That's how it started," he said, calling the peace sign "Satanic". Jensen refused to remove the wreath, and Kearns fired the other five members of the HOA after they refused to force Jensen to take it down. After a local -- and national -- outcry, Kearns backed off. He apologized and said the wreath could stay... chalk one up for the peace-loving Satanists I guess.

Apparently Christmas is too unpatriotic for some people. How can we celebrate a Prince of Peace when our nation is busy fighting unprovoked wars? My goodness, where are our priorities... Jesus may have said "love your enemies", but that's just going to have to wait until we've finished securing our oil "spreading democracy" and defeating the terrorists.

Okay, sorry for the sarcasm. I just find it really interesting that Jesus' words in Luke 12:51 keep being proved true: "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division."

But the angels told us that Jesus did come to bring peace on earth, and Jesus himself often did preach a message of peace, so what can he mean by saying he came to bring division? I think this news story illustrates exactly what he means. Peace itself is a divisive message. Whenever people start preaching peace and seeking to be peacemakers, there will be others who will feel threatened by that and seek to oppose it. Those who speak up for peace will quite often be fined, jailed, watched by the authorities, shunned by neighbors, or even killed. "Love your enemies" is still a subversive message, even after all these centuries.

Labels: politics, theology