May 8, 2013 (Wednesday)
“Christ came and preached peace” – Ephesians 2:17
Today is the 68th anniversary of VE Day, May 8, 1945, when Germany surrendered and the Third Reich came to a terrible end. Three months later, Japan surrendered, and World War II was over. On both days, VE Day and VJ Day, the streets of cities across the nation were filled with people celebrating victory over the Axis powers.
World War II ended, and a new war took its place: “The Cold War.” The U.S.S.R. took control of Eastern Europe and made nations their satellites. Communism faced off with Democracy and this battle of ideas persisted throughout most of the 20th Century. Even today remnants of the ideological conflict remain.
Today a new threat to peace hangs over us: International Terrorism. The promise given at Christ’s birth, “Peace on Earth,” continues to be the object of a never-ending search.
Devotional Thought: The perfect world we dreamed about looked different than expected when the war was over. During the war, we sang, “There’ll be bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover tomorrow, just you wait and see.” We also sang, “When the lights go on again all over the world, and the ships will sail again all over the world, then we’ll have time for things like wedding rings and free hearts will sing, when the lights go on again all over the world.” But then came the “Cold War,” the Korean War (“police action”), the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the Iraq War, the Afghanistan War, and the many smaller wars. Peace is elusive. Christ wants to bring us all together in Peace with God and peace with each other. “He tore down the wall we used to keep each other at a distance” (Ephesians 2:14 NIV). “Christ brought us together through his death on the cross” (Ephesians 2:16 NIV). Christ has sent us, Believers, to tell the world about Him and His invitation to find Peace.