Reflections by Keith Funk

"He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." (Isaiah 2:4 NRSV)

Shalom. Here is the life to which God invites us and calls us. The Hebrew word, "shalom", is most often translated, "peace", in the English language. And while this is accurate, shalom means so much more. Biblically speaking, shalom speaks to the state of completeness or well-being of persons, relationships, situations and circumstances. It is at the heart of the originating scene in Genesis of Eden. It is the vision of the "new heaven and new earth" in the concluding chapters of Revelation. In sum, shalom is God's intention, from beginning to end, for all of creation and for all of us.

In coming days, I invite you to join with me in this blog to reflect on the meaning of what I am calling, "The Shalom Life." In so doing, I want to explore what it means to be a people of shalom as followers of Jesus Christ. I am convinced that when Christians speak of having or knowing the "peace of Christ" it is often understood as a personal inner feeling that comes with one having placed their faith in Jesus. Now this is a wonderful thing, but I believe there is so much more to this peace of which we are to know and live. Here I want to explore shalom as vision, perspective, awareness, and practice. In other words, in our life with God, shalom is where we are being led in how we see and interact with the world about us. Shalom is deeply relational and is to be lived relationally toward all persons and all things. As such shalom is both the gift and calling of God for all who receive and follow God's Son.

So, may I extend an invitation to you to join with me in a journey into the shalom life? I will weekly offer some thoughts on what a shalom perspective and lifestyle might look like. Please understand, I do so not as one who has attained a goal or as one who has arrived. Rather, in my own journey as a follower of Jesus, in the spirit of being on that journey with others, I want to share with you of this life to which God has gifted to us and called us. I very much look forward to being with you. So, until then, Shalom.