Part 1 \u2013 Remembering the victims of violence<\/strong><\/p>\nI remember, Je me souviens
I remember,
but mostly I\u2019d rather forget
Mostly
I\u2019d rather sit in my corner and cry, wail, lament <\/p>\n
I remember the things we do and don\u2019t do to each other:
war, injustice,
poverty, torture,
broken relationships, bullying, meanness, gossip, betrayal, \u2026
I remember,
but sometimes I\u2019d rather forget<\/p>\n
Yeah, I\u2019d rather forget
Denial tempts me
Because I don\u2019t care?
or because I care too much?
or because I want to do <\/strong>something about it,
or because I don\u2019t know what<\/strong> to do<\/p>\nI don\u2019t know what to do<\/strong>.
Maybe I\u2019ll try a different verb
Maybe I\u2019ll\u00a0 feel<\/strong> for a time
Can I let my spirit take in the weight of the pain
without bouncing into a flurry of fixing?
\u00a0
[Deep breath]<\/em><\/p>\nI\u2019ll remember<\/p>\n
I remember the landmines, the tanks, the IED\u2019s, the cruise missiles, smart bombs, the automatics, the lasers, the precision shooting, the anti-personnel weapons, the atomic warheads, the beatings, the abuse
the tools people design to kill
other people, other souls
guns with cool sounding names and serial numbers full of x\u2019s and o\u2019s
I remember a fact: The money it takes to send ONE North American soldier to fight overseas could build 20 schools in the same locations, twenty schools. 1<\/strong><\/p>\nI remember collateral damage, the casualties, the heroes fighting for freedom, the lost troops, the unfortunate incidents, the friendly fire,
Euphemisms for dead people <\/strong>
victims of the power struggles of the powerful
It is not the soldiers who declare war
90 percent of war\u2019s casualties today are civilians. 2<\/strong>
I\u2019d rather forget,<\/font><\/p>\nBut I remember<\/strong><\/p>\nI remember the refugees of war,
their hunger for safety and hunger for food
Thirst for water, thirst for an absent mother\u2019s milk
Wanting things to be as they were, as they might be, as they never will
Craving for order, craving for comfort,
craving for meaning, craving for change.<\/p>\n
I remember people seeking a refuge
A place<\/strong> that can hold unending despair
suspended indefinitely in time
eternally temporary.
I remember another fact:
There are over 45 million refugees on our planet today
More people than in all<\/strong> of my home country Canada
I\u2019d rather forget
But I remember<\/strong><\/p>\nI remember the children
who are the most vulnerable to the violence of war
and of the schoolyard
The children who have witnessed, participated in, escaped from
horror <\/strong>
or those with good reason to fear it
The children who have<\/strong> lost, who are<\/strong> lost
Lost limbs, lost family, lost hope, lost innocence
I remember the children who carry guns
I try to forget, my little ones<\/font><\/p>\nbut I<\/strong> remember<\/p>\nI remember the women
Who,
through the use of sexual violence as a strategy of war
or as a strategy of dominance with any<\/strong> excuse
suffer brutally,
humiliatingly,
unspeakably\u00a0
I try to forget, my sisters
But I remember<\/strong><\/p>\nI remember those emotionally traumatized by war
Who wake up day after day<\/u>,
to relive a nightmare
Who can\u2019t erase the macabre visions that they witnessed
or that they perpetrated
Traumatic, post traumatic, re-traumatic, dramatic
broken people, breaking others,
broken trust, breaking bones
breaking homes
I remember the veterans who come back with intact bodies but shattered souls
Stuck in a loop
they remember and remember and remember <\/u>
but are forgotten by those they thought they were fighting for
I try to forget, broken ones
But I remember<\/strong><\/p>\nI remember God incarnate, Jesus,
suffering at the hands of violent men and violent systems
I remember the God of Peace, the Prince of Peace,
our Peace
Breaking down walls of hostility<\/p>\n
I feel this pain
I will remember even if I don\u2019t know what to do
I will remember so that I won\u2019t forget<\/p>\n
I turn to God with this remembrance lament.<\/p>\n
[sung response: What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God]
<\/em>
\u00a0
Part 2 \u2013 Remembering who we are<\/strong><\/p>\nSisters, brothers, friends, we\u2019ve called this Peace Sunday
It\u2019s the proverbial string we tie around our finger every year so we won\u2019t forget
On Peace Sunday we remember who we are<\/strong>,
who we<\/strong> propose to be<\/strong><\/u><\/p>\nWe<\/strong> are children of God\u2019s Peace
“We who were formerly no people at all, and who knew of no peace, are now called to be…a church…of peace.\u00a0 True Christians do not know vengeance.\u00a0 They are the children of peace.\u00a0 Their hearts overflow with peace.\u00a0 Their mouths speak peace, and they walk in the way of peace.\u201d (to quote Menno Simons)<\/p>\nWe<\/strong> are followers of this Jesus who in his sermon
described the blessed vision for the kindom of God
We have decided not to adopt a procrastinating \u201ceschatology that justifies apathy\u201d<\/u> 3<\/strong>
Let me rephrase that
We\u2019ve decided not<\/strong> to just put it off until \u201csome heaven light years away\u201d\u00a0 4<\/strong>
We<\/strong> believe peace is to be dared \u201chere in this place\u201d,
We believe<\/strong> peace is to be imagined in our times
In God\u2019s name, by Jesus\u2019 example, in hope of his truth<\/p>\nWe believe<\/strong> these beatitudes are not<\/strong> just a pretty metaphor<\/font><\/p>\nWe don\u2019t just pine away for peace,
we believe that with God\u2019s direction and protection <\/u>
we can actually work<\/strong> for peace \u2014\u00a0 like the button says
We take this job description seriously: this blessing and being blessed<\/p>\nWe <\/strong>are the ones who value the poor in spirit, the humble, the meek
We<\/strong> are the ones who will comfort the mourning,
and find comfort with each other and with God
We<\/strong> are the ones who seek nourishment and fulfillment by seeking justice,
who break this bread and drink this cup with others and on behalf of others
We<\/strong> crave and serve up mercy, because God is love and has loved us first
We <\/strong>do not see the world with malice but with purity
We choose<\/strong> to be peacemakers, in the big things and in the little,
we choose<\/strong> not to be bullies \u2013 not to put others down so that we can look good,
we choose<\/strong> to be friends \u2013 even to the ones who are \u2026 different,
we choose<\/strong> not to use nor defend violence against others in any way
\u2013 even if we think they deserve it ,
even in our cars and on our facebook comments
even if we have to choose to
\n do this everyday
over and over again <\/u>
we choose<\/strong> to see in the face<\/strong> of the other
the face<\/strong> of another human being like us<\/p>\nWe<\/strong> are game for the hard work of disagreement
of not walking away on first instinct
of looking for reconciliation,
of regarding others through the eyes of God\u2019s love
When facing indignation<\/u>,
we have imagination for transformation<\/u> 5<\/strong><\/p>\nWe know<\/strong> this is misunderstood and terribly misinterpreted
by those who believe<\/strong> that we are na\u00efve<\/strong>,
that war is necessary<\/strong>, ordinary<\/strong>
that questioning is unpatriotic<\/u>, idiotic<\/u>
Yet
we<\/strong> persist in living out the kindom of God<\/p>\nSisters, brothers, friends
We<\/strong> are people of God\u2019s Peace.
[sung response: What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God]<\/em><\/p>\nPart 3 \u2013 Remembering we live by a different story
<\/strong>
We\u2019re not alone, you know
Everyone wishes for Peace
Even beauty queens, with their tiara\u2019s and sparkling dresses wish for \u2026
[sigh]<\/em> world peace
\u2013 someday
Everyone wishes for Peace
Even the Lennon\u2019s who imagine no countries
[sung]<\/em> and no religions too (Oh, oh \u2013 o-o-oh)<\/p>\nEveryone wishes for Peace
Even the folks who earnestly engage in war,
They believe that their show of mighty force<\/strong> will bring conflict to a speedy end:
\u201cWe\u2019ll just go in,
strike with precision
and then we\u2019re out.
Balance will be restored.
We\u2019re helping<\/strong> people \u2014 oh, and democracy.\u201d
But, as the general said on the radio: conflict is never that predictable<\/p>\nEveryone wishes for Peace
However, many live by a story that is scripted to require violence<\/strong> as a means to that end.<\/p>\nLet me tell you about the misshapen stories shaping us
Once upon a time there was\u2026<\/p>\n
The tale of entitlement<\/strong> that goes like this:
We have power
At the switch of a button, the swiping of a card, the checkmark on a vote
We can opt, consume, have
\u201cSometimes we possess things so long that do not really belong to us
that we come to think they are ours.\u201d\u00a0 6<\/strong>
It is easy to forget that the dear Shalom to which we aspire
means restoring things to their rightful owners
That God is the ultimate rightful owner<\/p>\nThere\u2019s the myth of redemptive violence<\/strong> 7<\/strong>:
Coming to a theatre near you
It says (in a very deep voice) that \u201cgood things come through violence,
the only way to have victory over evil is through violence,
the prize goes to the strong;
peace through war, security through strength.\u201d\u00a0 8<\/strong>
The bad guy must die a horrible death in the end
and that is the end<\/p>\nThere\u2019s the either or<\/strong> story that simplifies reality and mystery:
A Billboard in Toronto currently reads:
Should the military kill the bad people or help the good ones?
Who<\/strong>, may I ask,
presumes<\/u> to know the difference<\/u>?
Glass half empty or glass half full
a thirsty person sees only water.
Good people or bad people
God sees people killing each other
God does not see us and them,
them and us,
them, in our view always worse, stupider, more evil than us<\/p>\nThen there\u2019s the killing is required by God<\/strong> narrative that lives even in our theology<\/u>
This is how it goes:
He<\/strong> says killing is wrong
she<\/strong> says, yes but God required it in the Old Testament.
He<\/strong> says people have always claimed that God is on their side as a way to justify their violence
Check the history books and newspapers under
crusaders, jihads, zionists, and other isms and ologies
She<\/strong> says, I will<\/strong><\/p>\nHe<\/strong> says killing is wrong
she<\/strong> says what about Jesus\u2019 death?
Didn\u2019t God require Jesus\u2019 sacrifice to satisfy his<\/strong> need for justice?
Someone had<\/strong> to pay for humanity\u2019s sins, right?
Right? <\/p>\nSomeone from another conversation says:
Jesus\u2019 life so threatened the powers that be<\/strong>
that they resorted to their only strategy<\/u>:
extermination
Having God\u2019s character of love,
Jesus absorbed the violence,
stopping the cycle by not seeking retribution
by not seeking revenge
There will be no battles to watch here
\u201cForgive them, they don\u2019t know what they\u2019re doing\u201d
God is mercy,
Life, not death, wins in the end<\/p>\nEveryone wishes for Peace
Do you follow me?
How do we alter the story?<\/p>\n
Jewish peacemaker Marcel wonders this about the Israel Palestine issues:
\u201cWe\u2019ve tried violence for so long and it hasn\u2019t worked,
isn\u2019t it time we try something else?\u201d <\/p>\n
Christian and Muslim Peacemaker Teams wonder what would happen if non-violent people were as willing to put their lives on the line for peace without<\/strong> war. <\/p>\nSuch imaginations place their hope in a different strategy<\/u>, a different history<\/u>.<\/p>\n
Everyone wishes for Peace
Christians don\u2019t have a corner on that wish
We\u2019ve simply decided to place it in a different story
A peace<\/strong> story that is grounded in our hope<\/strong> in God who owns<\/strong> life<\/u> and death<\/u>,
A peace<\/strong> story that sprouts<\/u> deep inside of us,
by the work of the Spirit
rather than through activism and human potentialities
A peace story that shows up in all<\/strong> our relationships
A peace story that lives right now <\/strong>
by different values, different assumptions,
and by an audaciously different plot<\/p>\nThe Peace story pokes holes in the plotline of violence,
it re-reads reality<\/u>
There is<\/strong> no simple connection between soldiers killing and dying
and the privileges we benefit from
The peace story wonders<\/strong> about those privileges
and cares<\/strong> about the soldiers and the other dead
The peace story unmasks<\/strong> the roots of injustice and domination <\/u>
that lie beneath the surface of the industrial military complex
The peace story listens<\/strong> to the people at the bottom
and challenges<\/strong> those at the top<\/p>\nThe plot of hate is fast, enticing, with the illusion of no strings attached
Peacemaking is a long-term commitment
with each other and with the God of history
Lot\u2019s of strings attached<\/p>\n
The Peace story is not either-or,
it is a<\/strong> both-and, yes-but, see-it-from-a-different-angle, question-your-assumptions, surprise-ending, new-beginnings kind of story.<\/p>\nEveryone wishes for peace<\/p>\n
We wish it from within a different story<\/font><\/p>\n
<\/p>\nPart 4 \u2013 Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\nSome final things to remember<\/p>\n
Peace happens in relationship
Jesus, sometimes called Truth said:
Folks are lucky, blessed, fortunate, on the right track
by living out compassion
\u201cdethrone [yourselves] from the centre of our world and put another there\u201d 9<\/strong>
This is the kindom of God<\/p>\nDriving under the influence
of the good ol\u2019 Protestant work, work, work ethi
\nc
We quickly rush to what we might do <\/strong>
To remember is to work<\/strong> for peace! 10<\/strong>
I say,
To remember is<\/strong> to work for peace.
In the wise words of another:
\u201cThe hope of a disciple is never based on one\u2019s own agency
but on one\u2019s following the acting God
who acted then in Jesus Christ
and is now in and among us all in the world.\u201d 11<\/strong><\/p>\nI have listed, enumerated, deliberated, cogitated,
Here is my piece about peace
Weave these threads into your faithfulness,
knit them into your remembering and forgetting
lace them around the warp and woof of your<\/strong> life,
that horizontal and vertical scaffolding
that keeps you grounded to God and to others
\u2013 as if there is any difference<\/p>\nPeace be with you.
<\/font><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/font><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/font><\/p>\nEndnotes <\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
1<\/strong>\u00a0 http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2010\/07\/29\/opinion\/29kristof.html<\/p>\n2<\/strong>\u00a0 \u201cIn World War II [\u2013 why do we capitalize it? \u2013 in world war too] 50 percent of war\u2019s casualties were civilians;
today that number is 90 percent\u201d MCC Peace Packet 2010<\/p>\n3<\/strong> Walter Bruggeman, \u201cVoices of the Night \u2013 Against Justice\u201d, in To Act Justly, Love Tenderly, Walk Humbly: An agenda for ministers.\u201d <\/p>\n4<\/strong> HWB 6, \u201cHere in this Place\u201d by Mary Haugen<\/p>\n5<\/strong> Bruggeman.<\/p>\n6<\/strong> Walter Bruggeman, \u201cVoices of the Night \u2013 Against Justice\u201d, in To Act Justly, Love Tenderly, Walk Humbly: An agenda for ministers.\u201d<\/p>\n7<\/strong>\u00a0 Walter Wink, Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination<\/p>\n8<\/strong> J. Denny Weaver, The Non-violent Atonement<\/p>\n9<\/strong> http:\/\/charterforcompassion.org\/<\/p>\n10<\/strong> Text from buttons distributed by MCC<\/p>\n11 <\/strong>H. Russel Botman, \u201cHope as the Coming Reign of God\u201d, in: Hope for the World: Mission in a Global Context.
<\/font><\/div>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 \u00a0 View Archived Sermons\u00a0 \u00a0 Scripture: Matthew 5, Micah 6: 8\u00a0 \u00a0 Part 1 \u2013 Remembering the victims of violence I remember, Je me souviensI remember, but mostly I\u2019d rather forgetMostly I\u2019d rather sit in my corner and cry, wail, lament I remember the things we do and don\u2019t do to each other: war, injustice, poverty, torture, broken relationships, bullying, meanness, gossip, betrayal, \u2026I remember, but sometimes I\u2019d rather forget Yeah, I\u2019d rather forgetDenial tempts meBecause I don\u2019t care?or…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons-a-worship-audio"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1235","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1235"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1235\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3991,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1235\/revisions\/3991"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}