by Dr Kate Tyler
My 6 year old daughter was recently examining my set of keys, and asked me what the word “shalom” meant, because it is on one of my keychains. I gave her the simplest answer I could, which is that it means “peace”. At the same time, I was remembering a core idea from the biblical narrative course I have taught this semester, where shalom is defined in relation to God’s creative work as, “the rich, integrated, relational wholeness God intends for his creation.”[1] Shalom is more than lack of conflict – it describes God’s design, and the right ordering of creation.
Despite peace being God’s intent for creation, it seems unattainable on many different levels. On a global level, news websites are filled with headlines about war and conflict, about business disputes, family violence and the exploitation of natural resources. It is incredibly ironic that the Nobel Peace Prize has become enmeshed in geopolitical conflict. Lack of peace is also seen on a more micro level in our daily existence which increasingly takes place in an overscheduled world. Peace is a victim of hustle culture. Lack of peace is also present for each individual, in the sense of whether we are at peace with ourselves. Do we truly believe we are known and loved, or do we spend our days wondering if we need to be more, do more, or somehow upgrade our existence.
This loss of peace can be theologically explained with reference to the Fall in Genesis 3. Sin is the reason why humanity experiences relational disruption, resulting in a lack of peace with God, with each other, with ourselves, and with the rest of creation. Whether we find ourselves constantly on the move, questioning international power dynamics, or simply wondering why it can be so easy to miscommunicate in a friendship, peace is hard to hold onto.
But – thanks be to God – peace with God is the incredible gift that we receive through Jesus. Through his incarnation, life, death, resurrection and ascension, we are justified, saved and reconciled to God (Rom 5). This reconciliation is not something we can earn. It is only something we can receive, and as we do so, it will begin to shape our existence. Peace is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22) and is a characteristic of life in the kingdom of God (Rom 14:17). Reconciliation with God is an act of sheer grace, as God gives us his peace.
Against the demands of our culture that tell us to be better, do more and work harder, we are invited to embody this peace in the power of the Spirit. We are invited into peace with one another, as we seek and expect reconciliation and the healing of broken relationships. We are invited into peace with the world around us, suggesting that we stop trying to overachieve, to acknowledge our limits rather than striving to reach beyond them. And, most importantly, we are invited to acknowledge our identity as those deeply beloved in Christ and to find our peace in him alone.
[1] Craig G. Bartholomew, The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story, 2nd ed. (Baker Academic, 2004), 40.