Peacemakers, Not Bystanders: Creating Spaces of Shalom for Our Trans Neighbors

 As we approach the end of 2025, I want to draw our attention to a principle found in a bible passage best known as the beatitudes.  In the Gospel of Matthew as Jesus is describing who will inherit the Kingdom of God He states: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9, NLT). 

This calling to be a “peacemaker” is not a meaningless suggestion or a poetic flourish; it is a defining characteristic of those who belong to King Jesus. Every Beatitude offers a job description for God’s people, and peacemaking stands at the center of that identity. The call to become a peacemaker is needed in our deeply divded world.

Let me begin with a question: Have you ever been called a peacemaker? Are you someone who brings peace into your relationships, the rooms you enter, or the conversations you are engaged in? Or have you slipped into the traps our culture sets for us—believing that winning at all costs is the goal, or that relationships must rest on total agreement, or that conflict avoidance equals peace? If we are honest, we often assume we are peacemakers simply because we don’t think of ourselves as the problem. But Jesus invites us to look deeper, to examine our own hearts and habits, and to rediscover what real peace means.

For Jesus’ original audience the word, shalom or peace meant more than the absence of conflict. Shalom painted a picture of wholeness, fulfillment, serenity, and freedom from whatever hinders the joy of a person. Wishing someone shalom was wishing them God’s full presence and blessing. Numbers 6:24–26 expresses this beautifully: “May the Lord bless you and protect you; may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.” 

Biblical peace is always tied to justice and righteousness. Where justice prevails, peace can flourish. Where justice is denied, peace is fractured. This matters profoundly in our world today, especially when we consider those who face mistreatment, exclusion, or rejection—such as many of our transgender neighbors whose lives are often marked by hostility, misunderstanding, and real danger. If peace is tied to justice, then Christians cannot claim to be peacemakers while ignoring the suffering of those who are marginalized or mistreated. Christians cannot fight against the dignity and/or rights of our trans neighbors and call themselves peacemakers.

To understand peacemaking, we must first be clear about what it is not. Jesus did not say, “Blessed are the peace-wishers” or “the peace-dreamers” or “the peace-talkers.” Peace does not simply happen. It must be intentionally pursued. A peacemaker is not someone who avoids conflict or who seeks to keep people happy at any cost. They are not people who ignore injustice or pretend everything is fine. In fact, sometimes the work of peacemaking creates tension because truth spoken in love unsettles systems of harm. A peacemaker refuses to look away from suffering and is willing to step into difficult spaces—including conversations about trans people, who in many communities bear heavy burdens of rejection, discrimination, and even violence.

The life of Jesus was saturated with peacemaking. He brought peace between God and humanity, but He did it by standing with the marginalized, challenging corrupt power structures, and restoring dignity to those society despised. 

Jesus chose fishermen, tax collectors, and outsiders—not the religious elite—to reveal what the kingdom of God looks like. As I learned from Misty Irons at the Revoice 2024 Conference, “The best place to experience the power and blessings of God is found among the marginalized.” If Jesus centered the marginalized, then His followers cannot ignore or dismiss the lived pain of trans people today. 

Peacemaking demands that we step into places where shalom has been shattered and bring the compassion and courage of Christ. Peacemaking requires that we stand with our trans friends, family, and neighbors. 

On a personal note: I am a safe space for ALL of my neighbors. As a peacemaker bigotry, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and opression of any group will not be tolerated in the spaces I inhabit.