Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me
Let There Be Peace on Earth
The peace that was meant to be
With God as our Father
Brothers all are we
Let me walk with my brother
In perfect harmony.
Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now.
With ev’ry step I take
Let this be my solemn vow
To take each moment and live
Each moment in peace eternally
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me
Source: LyricFindSongwriters: Jill Jackson / Sy MillerLet
There Be Peace on Earth lyrics © Mccg LLC

The song, “Let There Be Peace on Earth” was the result of a collaboration by Jill Jackson and Sy Miller.
Jackson penned the lyrics following her own suicide attempt. “When I attempted suicide [in 1944] and I didn’t succeed,” she said, “I knew for the first time unconditional love—which God is. You are totally loved, totally accepted, just the way you are. In that moment I was not allowed to die, and something happened to me, which is very difficult to explain. I had an eternal moment of truth, in which I knew I was loved, and I knew I was here for a purpose.”
umcdiscipleship.org

In John 13:34-35 Jesus says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
This love is only made possible by the intercession Jesus makes between us and God, our Father.

During this time of extreme political division and turmoil on the national stage, hate-filled rhetoric too often seems to drown out any messages we might share of love and understanding. Not only do people have opinions, a tremendous number of them are willing to tell you yours are stupid… mostly online. Instead of doing the hard work of pursuing dialogue based on issues and reasoned arguments, too many of us indulge in the sugar high social media echo chambers provide. The way I see it, as a Christian, I have a short window of time to represent the gospel message while I remain on earth. I’d like to do that by first listening and then caring enough about my fellow human to be honest. While I’m being honest, one of the things I’ll share is how the peace I know, the joy I know, comes from Jesus. So, this is my prayer, that peace begins with me. I don’t expect it to be someone else’s responsibility. And though I fully expect the world to continue to be a troubled place, I’ll remember the words of Jesus, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NIV

There’s no downside to peace beginning with me
though the world still makes me tired
though my efforts at making a difference
can seem like I’ve brought a squirt gun to a fire.

I’m often overwhelmed by the noise that assaults
and taunts and insists I’m less
still I’m safe in the knowledge
that as I am I’m loved
and I’ll never be any less.

So if you will, let peace be with you too
don’t be afraid to let it spill over
God’s in the business of healing one life at a time
even with billions the wide world over

A quiet simple song can start
a revolution of joy and peace
with Jesus at its center
ask God to teach you the lyrics and the rhyme
then watch hearts around you grow tender

©Joel Tipple 1/10/2021