Think Peace

April 5, 2008 Rev. Clara T. Mills They 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.   (Isaiah 2: 4b NRSV) September 11, 2001 was a pivotal moment in the history, not just of America, but also of the free world. The invasion of the World Trade Center and its  subsequent destruction was a staggering reminder of our vulnerability. It appears that America will never again be the same. Our nation responded to this devastating intrusion with declarations of our power, reaffirmations of our dignity and patriotism, and firm resolves to seek out and bring to justice those who dared to defame our homeland and destroy members of our citizenry. We stood tall in response to the attack of September 11, 2001 and reaffirmed our commitment to democracy and freedom. One of the many consequences of America’s response to our enemy’s intrusion on September 11 was a declaration of War on Iraq. America’s war with Iraq began on March 20, 2003. Five years later, the war continues, the Iraqi military has been defeated, the ruthless dictator Saddam Hussein has been captured, tried by his own countrymen, found guilty and executed in 2006. Additionally, approximately 4,012 members of the United States military have died in connection with the Iraqi War, and billions of dollars have been spent in the process. I do not join the doomsday prophets who see this period in America’s history as a mere playing out of a divine script, which dictates, “in the last days there will be wars and rumors of war.”  My worldview and theology do not embrace such fatalistic thinking. The God I serve is one who has implanted within human beings the ability to reason and choose how we will respond to any and all circumstances. The decision to respond to the September 11, 2001 invasion with war was not God’s response but our response.  One of the greatest gifts God has given us, as humans, is the gift of free will and with that gift we choose, on a daily basis, whether to be forces of creation or destruction. Whether the war was merited or not is not my concern with this discourse. I propose that we seek both a new vision and a new strategy. I learned many years ago that while I may not be able to significantly change the whole world, I have the power to make a marked difference in my own special corner of the world, and that is my commitment. And I invite others to join with me in creating a new vision and implementing a new strategy. Is that not what prayer is all about, the collective joining together of minds and spirits for a common good? The Hebrew prophet Isaiah, after a heart filled contemplation of his world, envisioned a time when Israel would deliberately transform her weapons of war and destruction, into instruments, which produce sustenance, and enable life and hope.  In this vision, Isaiah saw a time when the nations will neither resort to war as a means of resolving conflict nor invest their time and energies in studying the art of war, to ensure domination. There have been similar prophets in the twentieth century. Mahatma Gandhi’s vision for a new age for his country inspired a nonviolent movement for change which ended 190 years of imperial British rule and enabled India’s independence.  The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision for a new age in America inspired a civil rights movement that altered the course of life in American politics and society. I contend that our weapons for war and our instruments for peace, sustenance, and life originate from the same source and that is our minds. Everything that has ever been created begins within the mind. The challenge then is for us to take charge of our thoughts. We become what we think about on a daily basis. This is so simple that too many of us dismiss it. Think peace. I challenge us to set aside at least 10 minutes each day to think peace. Eliminate all distractions and sit still for the duration of this period. Initially, you may experience a bombardment of all kinds of thoughts but I encourage you to persist and hold in your mind one word: PEACE. Seek peaceful resolutions throughout the day. Peace is “a state of mental calm and serenity, with no anxiety."  Doing a thing or not doing a thing “for the sake of peace” is not what this challenge is all about. The peace I call on us to seek is not passive but active.  It is a deliberate seeking to understand each other. It is a commitment to letting go all conflict and embracing life. My hope for us as individuals and as a nation is that we realize that we are one people. What we do to any one of us affects each of us.  September 11, 2001 was a catastrophe, as was American slavery, the Holocaust, the genocides in Rwanda and other despicable acts of degradation that humans have perpetrated against each other, throughout the history of civilization. May we strive, as individuals to embrace the best that life has to offer, not just for our families, and ourselves but also for all humankind. My prayer for our world is that we become instruments of peace, sowing seeds of love where there is hatred; seeds of pardon where there is injury; seeds of faith where there is doubt; and seeds of hope where there is despair.