“Peace is the
Way”
Micah 4:1-5
Luke 24:36-48
Introduction. (Dave Hedgepeth read the first quote in each set; Jim Dennison read the second, bold quote in each set)
There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the enemy. (George Washington)
There never was a good war or a bad peace.
(Ben Franklin)
If there must be trouble let it be in my day, that my child may have peace. (Thomas Paine)
In peace the sons bury their fathers, but in
war the fathers bury their sons. (Croesus)
We make war that we may live in peace. (Aristotle)
There is no way to peace. Peace is the
way. (A. J. Muste)
Those who beat their swords into plowshares will plow for those who don't. (unknown)
Those who live by the sword, die by the sword.
(Jesus)
I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. (John Adams)
Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical
infants. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing
than we know about living. We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected
the Sermon on the Mount. (Omar Bradley)
War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. (John Stuart Mill)
I have seen war. I have seen war on land and
sea. I have seen blood running from the wounded. I have seen the dead in the
mud. I have seen cities destroyed. I have seen children starving. I have seen
the agony of mothers and wives. I hate war. (Franklin Delano Roosevelt)
(http://www.taphilo.com/history
http://www.spiritualityhealth
Move 1. Most people hate war. People
wonder how wars get started, and wonder if there's anyway for wars to
cease. They dream of peace between people everywhere.
Thousands of years ago, the people of the Bible
dreamed of peace, too. Jesus spoke to his disciples, after he had been
resurrected; he appeared among them and said “Peace be with you.” He said
this while they were in Jerusalem, which was then, and still is today, one of
the most tension-filled places on the planet. Nevertheless, Jesus dreamed
of peace, and shared it with his disciples--“Peace be with you.”
Even before Jesus, the great prophets of the Bible
dreamed of peace as well. The prophet Micah said that in days to come,
people “shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning
hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn
war any more.” Micah and his people lived in the shadow and under the
threat of the powerful empire Assyria, but he dreamed of a day without
war.
People continue to dream of peace, and yet seem not
to be able to enjoy lasting peace. The people of the nation of Chad,
hoping for peaceful elections this week, have recently had to put up with a
corrupt government on the one hand, and violent rebel forces on the other.
The Palestinians, tired of poverty and promises not kept, have elected a
government now that says it can help the people of Palestine, but which also has
a desire to wipe Israel off the map. Americans are just now learning of,
and some are beginning to protest, U.S. government plans not only to conduct a
simulated nuclear weapons test in Nevada in early June, but also to keep
open the threat of a nuclear strike against Iran.
Most people, military and non-military alike, don't want war. Many believe it's necessary as a last resort. Others propose that there's almost always a way to avoid bloodshed. Yet humans continue to see blood shed, wondering if it can be stopped.
Move 2. Suggestions for stopping violence are
difficult, because power and politics complicate matters greatly. Yet in
this country, and all countries, ways must be found to seek peace. Though
there are many ideas for this, three are given here today as food for
thought. These come from Glen Stassen, a Southern Baptist professor of
Christian ethics:
First, “affirm…common security…with our adversaries,
and build an order of peace and justice that affirms their and our valid
interests.” This is all fine and good, but what about common security with
terrorists? It's hard work enough with other nations, but how can
common security be found with terrorists? Of course, the answer is not
easy, but part of it involves the United States and other countries determining
what it is that increases terrorism, and what reduces it. For example, the
torture and abuse of prisoners, being done by certain agents of the U.S.
government, is beginning to be widely reported throughout the world. Such
torture not only happens in defiance of world-wide agreements made on these
matters, but it also becomes a recruiting tool, serving to fan the flames of
anger against our nation. (Rick Ufford-Chase, http://www.pcusa.org/peacemakin
Second, talk with our enemies. “Seek
negotiations….” This method is often thought of as being weak. And
yet this is what former Minister of Defense for Israel, Moshe Dayan, once said:
“If you want to make peace, you don't talk with your friends. You talk to
your enemies.” (http://www.wisdomquotes.com
Third, instead “of judgmental propaganda,
…acknowledge to others that we have caused hurt and want to take actions to do
better.” Judgmental propaganda is something that nations can throw around
worse than kids in a playground. “The Great Satan” is what the United
States has been called by leaders in Iran,” and “the axis of evil” is the phrase
that has been used to characterize not only Iran, but also Iraq and North
Korea. These characterizations are unhelpful, especially since at various
times in the not so distant past our country befriended and armed the
governments of both Iraq and Iran. Acknowledging the truth of national
policies and actions, good and bad, is important if we intend to seek
peace.
Affirming common security interests, talking with our enemies, ceasing to use judgmental propaganda--these are some of the key components if our world is ever to stop turning plowshares into swords, and realize the peace envisioned by so many over the years. It's time to move in that direction, rather than the other way around.
Move 3. What can we do? As individuals,
what can we do, really, to impact the policies and actions of our own
government, much less those of other world players?
We might recall the saying that was on our offering
cards for last week's “Creation Sunday”: “I can make a difference. I am
like a small stone in a big pond. Drop me in, and despite my small size,
the waves I create will cover the whole pond.” We never know the effect we
might have, not only on those around us, but also on a larger scale.
Rather than throw our rocks in violent ways, we can create ripples of peace that
can extend in wide circles around us.
We might start these ripples by acting on Jesus'
words--“that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed…to all
nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:47) We often think of
repentance in negative terms, like “a preacher pointing a finger and shouting
'repent, or else.' Yet, repentance is a wonderful, positive opportunity”
for a new beginning. Through repentance, we can start over, leave the past
behind, and begin a new journey. We hear Jesus saying that the message of
repentance and forgiveness should be proclaimed to the whole world, beginning in
Jerusalem, a place of so much discord, and like a stone in a pond, rippling
outward. We know of many places that need this message, starting with our
own hearts and minds, and we are challenged then to proclaim it in difficult
places. (The Clergy Journal, May/June 2005, p.
110)
We also might reduce our study of war, and instead
begin continue our study of peace. We hear from the late Five-Star U.S.
General Omar Bradley: “Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We
know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know
about living. We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on
the Mount.” (http://www.wisdomquotes.com
We all make ripples with our lives. We need to
choose whether they will be threatening and violent, or will be life-affirming
and peaceful.
Conclusion. This is a hard topic, and
such choices are hard, but even military officers, perhaps even especially
military officers if the quotes from General Bradley and Israeli Minister of
Defense Moshe Dayan are indicative, recognize the need to be about the things
that make for peace. Such choices might mean that we need to give up some
perceived power. But in the long run, the study of and action for peace
will give us more security, and more importantly, will synchronize us with God's
hopes for our world and all of its people, in which we turn swords into
plowshares, and worship God alone.
April 30, 2006
Rev. Dave Hedgepeth
First Presbyterian Church
Logan, Utah