09/11/2009

I live in Belfast, on its North side. It is an area known for its so-called 'peace lines'. These lines are sometimes marked by walls, sometimes marked by streets or parks and have often been the focus of unrest and violent conflict over the years. Even in these relatively peaceful times, these geographical locations can still be the focus of conflict. The most offensive of these locations are the ones where towering walls have been built which darken the windows of homes built at their foot. They have become a part of our lives, they do provide some sense of security to the communities on either side but they are a constant reminder of the divisions that still have to addressed by a society coming out of conflict and endeavouring to create a community marked by mutual respect.
The Berlin wall was opened twenty years ago today and families long divided made their way to the other side. The sinister division imposed by that wall had to give way to new freedom for those who’d been separated by it and a new harmony between them. We all, wherever we live, need to realise that divisions caused by racial, religious or social factors are not what God intended for humanity.

As the writer to Colossians put it, saying we were once divided from God Himself:

… God made peace with you, and now he lets you stand in his presence as people who are holy and faultless and innocent.