Understanding the Beatitudes 7 of 8, Rev. Christine Emmerling D.D. 4/6/2025

This week we are continuing with the Beatitudes that Christ Jesus gave at the beginning of his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:1-8. Today we are looking at the 7th of 8 Beatitudes: “Blessed are the Peacemakers; for they shall be called the Sons of God.”

Who are the peacemakers? The dictionary defines peacemaker as “a person who makes peace; as by settling the disagreements or quarrels of others.” At first thought one may think of leaders of countries negotiating for peace at a United Nations meeting. Many times this is only self serving for the one that has the greatest political power; money, earthly resources, or scientific inventions or weapons of destruction.

Then one may think of those meeting in the Pentagon; the military leaders of our armed forces and Secret Intelligence. Here they discuss war strategies to enforce peace. Next we have our Peace Officers, also known as Police Officers, carrying firearms throughout our cities and towns to protect its citizens from those that would break the law or do harm to others.

Is this the kind of peacemaking that Jesus was speaking of? I don’t think so, otherwise, there wouldn’t be so much violence and conflict going on in the world today. And, our jails and prisons wouldn’t be filled to overflowing. These methods revolve around giving up one’s basic God given rights and freedoms so that others may have control. This is not within principle. The principle of equality. True peace is equal freedom for all. Of course with freedom comes responsibility - self-responsibility.

When we look at how humanity has tried being a peacemaker we see that the method has always been working from the outside. Looking at the appearances and giving our power over to them. Then responding in fear, control or attack.

This kind of peacemaking is stifling to our true nature as loving, creative evolving spiritual beings. Real peace comes through freedom; freedom of mind, heart and actions. The freedom to be true to our self; to be the full and complete creative and loving expression of who we are in Truth.

We find in Luke 17:20-21, “When the sons of the Pharisees asked Jesus when the kingdom of god would come, he answered, saying to them, The Kingdom of God does not come by observation. Neither will they say, behold, it is here! Or, behold it is there! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”

Peace of mind is the one thing every person is striving for. Many people go around searching for their peace, their God in things and places, but never finding. For they are all looking outside of themself. They are looking for the world to bring it to them, but will never find it there. It is when we stop looking outside ourselves, and go silently within that we find the peace that we have always been looking for.

Its interesting that while Jesus’ message was of peace, love, forgiveness and enlightenment, that many missed the point of his message, and were disappointed in him. As they were looking for a powerful leader to make them free from the Roman rule, and to bring back their national kingdom. Yet, his message dealt with the one true battle of life, our inner battle of Truth verses illusion, our false beliefs, and all our negative and fearful thinking.

The battle of Armageddon, in Rev. 16:16, in which many people believe is some future war that is yet to take place upon this earth. But, this battle is faced daily by every single person, and this battle goes on within us as we struggle with our thoughts, our fears and doubts. Armageddon is the battle that goes on as we struggle to free ourselves from our self imposed bondage to ignorance and illusion. The illusion is that we believe power is outside of our self. That God is separate from us.

Malinda Cramer, founder of Divine Science, says that, “Love is Power; that great Omnipotence that is Omnipresent, being everywhere present is Love.” When we get that we are that – then the illusion is gone; all fear breaks down. The ego of separation is gone, Babylon is no longer. The ancient city of Babylon represents our senses, desires, thoughts, and our many beliefs that betray us.

We believe our thoughts have power, but in truth the only one power is knowing the Truth of God as Love. All those busy thoughts give no peace, but create more discord and more illusion. Truth is only discovered in the silence of our mind. True peace is in the silence of our mind. When we turn inward to our holy temple, then we find true peace, the peace that Jesus spoke about in John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you: not as the world gives, give I to you...”

The world cannot give peace. In meditation and prayer we can reach a place in consciousness where there are no thoughts, or between thoughts there is a silence while still being fully present. It is in this silence that we touch the hem of the garment of the Christ within, a great peace and joy comes from being in communion with God - the Christ Self within.

This is the Kingdom that Christ Jesus spoke of as “my kingdom is not of this world.” His kingdom, is the inner realm of consciousness where the true power and activity resides. Peace is a living, moving, intensely active power as it is the result of love which is of God and is the only true power. A person without love in their heart cannot know peace. For where there is love, there is peace. This peace is then reflected into our worldly life.

In Matt. 10:34, Jesus says, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace but a sword.” This statement is very confusing because we think of a sword as a weapon to kill. But, instead think of it as a tool that divides and separates as in cutting a sandwich. Metaphysically, the sword is used to cut the false from the truth. Christ Jesus didn’t come to make the world of illusion more peaceful, but to wake us from this falsehood, and thus the sword is the Truth to awaken us from our hypnotic sleep.

In Matt. 21:12, It is during the celebration of Passover, or Holy Week, we have the story of Jesus entering the temple showing anger towards the merchants and money changers. He turned over their tables and kicked them all out. When we look at this metaphysically, symbolically the temple is our inner holy temple of Christ consciousness. The money changers and merchants are our worldly thoughts, concerns, fears, unresolved relationships that have taken over the entrance to our inner sacred temple.

Prayer then becomes a pleading or bargaining, such as, “God, please heal me, help me.” Or “If you make me rich, I promise to give to the poor.” Jesus is telling us that we can’t take these problems into our prayer or meditation. The heart and mind must be pure, undefiled with anger, guilt, resentment, or filled with problems; for the mind will not be still. Instead our thoughts will rehearse over and over the seeming injustice – a battle and war is going on in our mind. And, it is also true that what goes on in the mind, is extended or projected into our world of experience – adding to the great illusion.

Imagine for a moment that the Christ consciousness within you is speaking to your many thoughts: “Get out, You have no place here - get out. There is no place here for your problems - only love resides here. Put aside all concerns, forgive, and bring your love. Be fully present here and now. Be still and know, in the silence my peace I give to you.” So it is!

Now we are being a true peacemaker, as was Krishna, Buddha, Christ Jesus – all teaching the path of harmlessness and helpfulness. Gandhi too gave a message of peace through the practice of nonviolence. He inspired great change for his people without the use of war or violence. Martin Luther King, had a dream for his people of equality, freedom and peace. His too was a path of nonviolence. And today includes the Dalai Lama who spreads his message of love and peace.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” Now for the last part “for they shall be called the children of God.” In some Bible translations the word “sons” is used in place of children. In Aramaic, “Children (or sons) of God” means “Children (or sons) like-God.” Another name for God is “Peace.” Thus when we say the “children or sons of Peace” is being like-Peace.” Now this beatitude can read as, “Delighted are those that are peacemakers for they shall be called the children of peace.”

What is to be our experience as the peace of God? Because we are in harmony with all the powers and forces in our environment, everyday is transformed, made new, a rebirth. We are set free from the crippling emotions of hostility, resentment, and jealousy. We are released from limiting attitudes of lack, death and disease. We live in an abundance of life, light, love, joy, wisdom and peace.

As peace of Infinite Spirit we are identified with a spiritual family. Infinite Spirit, God, the Creator, Power and Source, and is the head of our Spiritual household of mind, body and soul. Infinite Spirit expresses in through and as us. This Presence is our peace, our Power, and Source. We are one in spirit, one with our Power and Source. Just as Jesus the Christ knew his identification with the one Source of All. So we too, as spiritual beings have a Divine Heritage. Paul expressed this when he said, in Romans 8:14, “Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.”

As spiritual heir to the fullness of God, we now live our life with purpose, peace and joy. God, Infinite Spirit, we are filled with rich knowledge that Spirit is all around. and is us, and is all life everywhere. Like a flower traveling through its phases of budding, blooming, and decay, we know, as a light of God, that we travel through life in conditions that are always changing, but the Infinite Spirit of God in us is eternally fresh and vitally alive.

Let us now take a few moments to go within. Be aware of our breathing as we prepare to enter our holy temple; we clear our mind of worldly thoughts and concerns. I now enter my holy sacred temple. I am ready in full presence of mind, to be in the conscious awareness of the Christ Light and Love that fills me, and radiates forth as peace - healing transforming peace... I am a light unto the world, and I let my light so shine. Thank you, God! Amen!

I shall now rewrite today’s Beatitude from “Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God” to “Joyful are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of Peace.”