08. The Hard Work of Peace: Why Peacemaking Isn’t Passive

In the wake of recent election tensions, The Hard and Holy Podcast takes on a timely and challenging topic—peacemaking.

Cass dives into the significant difference between simply keeping the peace and actively making peace, especially in a world where true peace can feel elusive. Through personal stories and the powerful teachings of Jesus in Matthew 5, we explore the transformative, often messy work of becoming peacemakers in our own lives.

This episode invites listeners to move beyond surface-level harmony to the deeper, active work of peacemaking that Jesus modeled.

Together, we’ll unpack how real peace requires courage, empathy, and a commitment to truth, grounded in a sense of true community, or koinonia. Here, we discover practical ways to engage with the people around us in a way that reflects God’s shalom—His wholeness and healing.

In this episode we chat about:

• Understand the Difference: Learn why making peace involves active engagement, not just avoiding conflict or keeping things calm.
• Embrace Jesus’ Call to Peacemaking: Discover how Jesus’ radical call to be a peacemaker challenges the status quo and offers a vision of wholeness and justice.
• Practice Empathy and Listening: Explore how listening with empathy and compassion can create spaces of true connection and understanding.
• Seek Reconciliation, Not Just Agreement: Discover how reconciliation values unity over conformity, building stronger, more authentic relationships.
• Pursue Peacemaking in Community (Koinonia): Find out why true peacemaking requires a Christ-centered community where we are safe to confront and be confronted in love.Ground in 

The episode closes with a liturgy-inspired prayer, inviting listeners to embrace this holy calling through God’s guidance and strength.

Join us for a heartfelt discussion on the hard, holy work of becoming peacemakers who embody God’s shalom in every relationship and interaction.

Links and Resources

Connect with Cass:  https://www.cassandraspeer.com

Follow on Instagram @cassandralspeer

https://www.instagram.com/cassandralspeer 

Join the conversation using #hardandholypodcast