Putting Out Fires on Sept. 11

Like many, what is on my mind most recently is the very troubling recent "Christian" news, in quotes because the individuals claim to be Christian, and that is exactly what is so troubling about it to me. Growing up in one of the 3 historic peace churches, I just cannot understand I church that can profess Christ (who said "blessed are the peacemakers" and "turn the other cheek") and yet plan on burning the holy book of our brothers and sisters.

Such an act of violence. Violence breeds violence, which is exactly why the pastor in Florida has been consulted to not go ahead with the burning. And all that we can do is to pray that this does not happen, for this would not bring more hearts to the Lord. Just the opposite, it would turn many away. It appears that we have not learned how to be the peacemakers which the Lord longs for, so let's go to the scriptures and look for some advice on how to put out this metaphorical and physical fire.

Forgiveness Extinguisher

¹ My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,
if you have struck hands in pledge for another,

² if you have been trapped by what you said,
ensnared by the words of your mouth,

³ then do this, my son, to free yourself,
since you have fallen into your neighbor's hands:
Go and humble yourself;
press your plea with your neighbor! (Proverbs 6:1-3)

It seems so simple, but forgiveness is powerful... and asking forgiveness is almost always appreciated. However, we often have trouble humbling ourselves enough to recognize what we have done... that we have been "trapped by what [we] said". What we are told to do here in Proverbs is "Go and humble yourself; press your plea with your neighbor!" Brad and I were remembering a humorous song the other morning which goes, "O Lord, it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way." Unfortunately, we feel this much too often.

There were many Americans who suffered pain and loss on September 11. And those individuals have every right to express and experience those feelings of deep grief, regret, hurt. But, they must also recognize that since Sept. 11, countless civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq have experienced the same type of pain and loss. Their loved ones (often many) have died in a war that they were not fighting in. They were part of what is glossed over as "casualties of war." I believe it is time to humble ourselves and go plea to our neighbors for the many deaths caused by these wars. Only then will we be able to "free ourselves" and leave the cycle of violence.

Smother with Peace

¹⁶ There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:

¹⁷ haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,

¹⁸ a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,

¹⁹ a false witness who pours out lies
and a man who stirs up dissension among brother (Proverbs 6:16-19)

Hands that shed innocent blood. I can hardly think of how to say this in any other way. Clearly if this is what God detests, we shouldn't do it. I know that the argument will be, "In a war, the other army isn't innocent." But what about the civilians who haven't done anything? All they are doing is going about their lives in a country that is torn apart and destroyed by war. Though I wouldn't wish it on us, I think we are too distanced from this. We do not know what it is like to live in a war-torn country, so we forget what it's like. It's so easy to imagine that it's "not that bad." I don't know what it's like, I admit. But I know it's far worse than it is here.

I became 70 times more a pacifist when my cousin Amanda died a few years ago (I think it will always feel like just a few years ago). She was only 25 at the time, and she was riding her bike to teach in Kos, Greece. We never saw her again. It was so sudden, so shocking and so horribly painful. I don't know how else to describe it. Things felt very dark for quite a long time, and I felt the pain of my whole family- my cousins, my aunts, my uncles. I praise God that He was/is working in all of our lives. Though it is still sad and painful, we felt His presence with us... and I still pray for my family as we deal with this loss. But, can you imagine? 5,000 individuals- innocent civilians- experiencing this loss? This is what the Lord detests.

A Loving Dose of Baking Soda

¹⁴But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. (2 Cor. 2:14)

As it has been said recently, "When Jesus said love your enemies, he probably meant don't kill them." We are called to love our neighbors. We are called to love our brothers and sisters. And we are called to love our enemies. This is the "third way," as we often refer to it in the Church of the Brethren. And our reaction has been to add more love, more peace, more of the beautiful fragrance of the knowledge of Him. Since news of the Florida fire has been reported, the church has taken action and responded with love and the peaceful 3rd way.

There is a site where individuals can read the COB statements on war in general and this September 11th. Individuals also are encouraged to contact their congress member. And they are given resources for a Prayer for Peace service. http://www.brethren.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=7801.0&dlv_id=0 On another site, the COB has a blog providing a forum for alternative voices... examples of the 3rd way, the peaceful way, the way of Jesus on this anniversary of Sept. 11. http://blog.brethren.org/?p=147

Our way is not to attack the church in Florida, but to remain strong in the power of the Prince of Peace, the one who has the power to put out fires.