Guest preacher at Fox Valley
Metropolitan Community Church
www.foxvalleycommunitychurch.com
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will
be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9
“I NO LONGER
PRAY FOR PEACE.
On
the edge of war, one foot already in,
I
no longer pray for peace: I pray for miracles.
I
pray that stone hearts will turn to tenderheartedness,
and
evil intentions will turn to mercifulness,
and
all the soldiers already deployed will be snatched out of harm’s way,
and
the whole world will be astounded onto its knees.
I
pray that all the “God talk” will take bones, and stand up and shed its cloak
of faithlessness, and walk again in its powerful truth.
I
pray that the whole world might sit down together and share its bread and its
wine.
Some
say there is no hope, but then I’ve always applauded the holy fools who never
seem to give up on the scandalousness of our faith; that we are loved by
God…that we can truly love one another.
I
no longer pray for peace: I pray for miracles.”
By
Ann Weems (Originally intended for Ash
Wednesday readers. Used with author’s
permission to share this poem with others.
Please add this permission when sharing. Author’s email: aweems@swbell.net)
War. The
very word strikes fear in our hearts.
Men, women and children suffer and die. Newspaper headlines tell a
frightening story. “War in the cradle
of civilization.” “US strikes
Iraq.” “Bush launches pre-emptive war
to oust Hussein. Long, difficult
campaign ahead, president warns.”
“Protests at home and abroad.
From Cairo to Caracas, war foes vent their rage.” This controversial war
is clearly without strong United Nations support, although there is consensus
among most world leaders that the world would be a better place without Hussein
in power.
The people of the United States rightly support their troops serving in harms way, but it is obvious we are a nation bitterly divided over the moral justification and ethics of preemptive war doctrine. Globally, people from all religions stand passionately on both sides of this war, using Holy Scriptures to defend their understanding of peace and war.
I speak as a former US navy chaplain, called to
active duty during the first Persian Gulf war, with a young relative in the US
Army presently fighting in Iraq. Once a
military chaplain, always a military chaplain at heart, and I am deeply
concerned for the safety of all the soldiers including the people of Iraq,
praying day and night for peace.
But as a patriotic American veteran, I confess to
having conflicting thoughts and misgivings regarding this present war. When Iraq had invaded the country of Kuwait
in 1990, using hostages as unwilling human shields—the ethical justification of
war with the strong international UN military coalition was clearer. I was proud to be an American navy chaplain,
serving on an ammunition ship from 1991-1993.
Part of my work involved the pastoral counseling of sailors struggling
with conscience issues as they worked with tons of ordinance, capable of so
much deadly destruction. I encouraged
them to always pray for peace, and for our government and world leaders. This way they could “praise the Lord and
pass the ammunition” with a clearer conscience, for sometimes war is inevitable
and necessary.
When a frightened sailor approached me with a request “for a word from the Word as we entered potentially mine infested Persian Gulf waters within missile range from Iran, I chose Psalm 144:1-2 with care, offering prayerful comfort and encouragement to be brave and strong.
But as a convinced Christian, I must balance my interpretation with the New Testament words attributed to Jesus Christ. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
I believe all people share this holy calling to be blessed peacemakers during times of war and peace. But how? That is indeed the million dollar question. Last year, while writing internet meditations for the people of Zimbabwe, I wrote this regarding the peacemaking exhortation from Jesus and believe these words are urgently needed today, for we are all children of God with this divine call to peace:
“As a blessed
child of God, generously share your peace with others at home, at work, with
friend and foe, including even the stranger on the street. Reconciling division, bitterness, strife,
and “divide and conquer mentalities” is not an easy calling. But “there is no more godlike work to be
done in this world than peacemaking” (Broadus).
The word peacemaker used by Jesus comes from two Greek words, eirene (peace) and poieo (to make). Eirene is found in every New Testament book with the exception of 1 John and Acts. It is used to describe harmonious relationships between people and nations, and signifies friendship and freedom from molestation. Peace brings a sense of rest and contentment and is one of the signs of a healthy spiritual life (Galatians 5:22).
As we read the gospels, Jesus is the supreme Peacemaker, making peace between God and humanity, and reconciling people, healing even the bitterest of relationships and the most deeply seated grudges and hatreds.
He is the “Prince of Peace”
(Isaiah 9:6) and as his followers, we serve a God of peace (Romans 15:33;
16:20; Philippians 4:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 13:20).
During these difficult and heartbreaking days…turn your
eyes upon Jesus, our ultimate Peacemaker.
Gaze full in his wonderful face and you will learn the ways of God’s
peace for the world. Follow in his
steps as a blessed peacemaker and Christ will use you…” (By Sandra Bochonok, “To Zimbabwe with Love” series, Meditation
#19 Blessed Peacemakers. Matthew 5:9 http://soulfoodministry.org.)
The peace of
Christ is urgently needed in today’s world, for many believe terrorists will
use America’s aggression to recruit willing converts for holy jihad wars. The pope and numerous religious leaders have
repeatedly warned the United States, the world’s sole Superpower, of the
dangers of alienating more than a billion Muslims globally, potentially
unstabilizing an already turbulent Middle East.
America’s frightening military power without
international checks and balances is fearful to contemplate. Sooner or later absolute power corrupts and
the world correctly questions which nation might be next on the Bush
administration’s war list when the Iraqi war is over. The United States of America cannot act like God and continue to
preemptively attack nations at will, however corrupt the regime may be.
As an American citizen and military veteran, asking
these probing questions and holding my country’s leaders accountable to making
the peace with the strong support of an international coalition, is the most
patriotic duty any citizen can engage in.
G. K. Chesterton said, “My country right or wrong” is like saying, “My
mother drunk or sober.” Is America
acting drunk or sober with her power?
We would be wise to heed the famous legend told of
Abraham Lincoln. According to the
story, a visitor to the White House during the Civil War said to Lincoln, “God
is on our side.” Lincoln was said to
have replied: “We trust, sir, that God
is on our side. It is more important to
know that we are on God’s side.”
Lincoln often knelt in prayer when seeking divine guidance. Let us follow his example.
We must pray during this global crisis beyond our
national interests, fears and concerns during this defining moment in world
history. As St. Augustine sagely noted,
“more things are wrought by prayers than this world dreams of.” History has always belonged to the
intercessors. Pray, pray, pray, but be
careful how you pray and cautious of what you pray for.
Here are 3 specific prayer suggestions for those willing to pray for peace miracles.
1. If you
have never prayed the famous soul searching war prayer written by Mark Twain,
please do so. It is a thoughtful prayer
about a country at war with its citizens caught up in “the holy fire of
patriotism,” invoking God for victory as pastors preach blind devotion to flag
and country. An aged stranger enters a
church service with a message from Almighty God regarding their innermost,
unspoken prayers seeking the death and immense suffering of their national
enemies. (War prayer available at www.lone-star.net/mall/literture/warpray.htm
and www.geocities.com/Athens/4824/warprayer.htm)
2.
Pray the lessons learned by those who have experienced war(s). A rabbi at a Jewish nursing home said, ‘All
I needed to know I learned at the nursing home.’ With this saying in mind, contemplate reading the Chicago Tribune
newspaper recent article on caring for elderly Jewish Holocaust survivors. There are many important lessons to be
learned. (This article can be located
through the www.chicagotribune.com archive).
One does not have to be Jewish to
understand the power of prayer and war.
On
the first day of this present war, I experienced this prayer power, more
powerful than all combined ordinance in the world firsthand, by leading a
worship service at a local residential home for the elderly. These feeble but faithful saints had prayed
for loved ones through many an armed conflict since World War 2. They remembered the words of Franklin D.
Roosevelt: “I have seen war. I have
seen war on land and sea. I have seen
blood running from the wounded. I have
seen men coughing out their gassed lungs.
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.”
These elderly women knew how to pray for peace in
times of war. Together we prayed for
miracles of peace and reconciliation and healing between the United States of
America and Iraq. We prayed for all the
soldiers, civilians and children in the war zone, interceding for minimal loss
of life in the war theatre, asking God to bring the soldiers safely home to
their families. With the wisdom of age,
they dedicated the communion service to world peace and wise nation building
when this war is officially over.
3. Finally,
as blessed peacemakers, we have a very special responsibility to pray for
America’s closeted gay, lesbian and bisexual soldiers. During one early televised press conference,
the US army general was flanked on both sides by UN senior generals from the
“coalition of the willing.” I could not
help but realize that three of the four represented allied countries allowed,
(as many NATO countries do) openly gay servicemembers to serve in their armed
forces. Two of those countries have
legalized same-sex marriages, and Great Britain provides domestic partner
benefits for their gay soldiers. Their
soldiers can publicly kiss their sweethearts good-bye as they enter the War
Theater, secure in the knowledge that if they are called to make the ultimate
sacrifice, their families of choice will be provided for.
Pray for a USA change in policy that
will one day allow our gay and lesbian soldiers the same dignity, recognition
and benefits enjoyed by the soldiers serving in Great Britain’s military—and
pray for safety of these gay and lesbian soldiers courageously serving in
harm’s way. Pray for their families and
for protection from homophobic harassment and injury by their own fellow
soldiers.
As a blessed peacemaker, you will find divine
direction, strength, solace, courage and hope in your times of need wherever
you are. We are called by God to live
as peacemakers in a world full of anarchy, terrorism, violence, hatred and
lawlessness.
The Chicago Tribune newspaper asked
the distinguished spiritual teacher Rabbi Harold S. Kushner—author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People—to
compose a prayer that can be said by anyone of any faith.
“Let the rain come and wash away the ancient
grudges, the bitter hatreds held and nurtured over generations. Let the rain wash away the memory of the
hurt, the neglect. Then let the sun
come out and fill the sky with rainbows.
Let the warmth of the sun heal us wherever we are broken. Let it burn away the fog so that we can see
each other clearly. So that we can see
beyond labels, beyond accents, gender or skin color. Let the warmth and brightness of the sun melt our
selfishness. So that we can share the
joys and feel the sorrows of our neighbors.
And let the light of the sun be so strong that we will see all people as
our neighbors. Let the earth, nourished
by rain, bring forth flowers to surround us with beauty. And let the mountains teach our hearts to
reach upward to heaven. Amen.” Rabbi
Harold S. Kushner