Praying for Peace

Isiah 9:6 is one of the most frequently quoted verses in Christian theology. People know it because it is sung by a a chorus in the Mesiah, written on Christmas cards, and declared every Advent in the liturgy: “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Christmas is the season of celebrating the Prince of Peace and an appropriate time to speak of pursuing peace.

This Christmas doesn’t feel like a time of peace. Tensions between the United States and Iran have been mounting since the United States pulled out of a treaty designed to limit Iran’s development of nuclear weapons. Despite the urging of other NATO leaders, our President chose to end the deal and exert “maximum economic pressure” on the Iranian government. This did not lead to an easing of tensions. Iranian backed militants began to operate in Iraq in the aftermath of US troop reductions there. Eventually protestors stormed the US Embassy. When President Trump’s top military advisers offered options for a response, the President chose an option that those leaders thought sure would be rejected because it was too extreme: to kill General Qassim Sulemani. That is the option the President chose. The decision has dire consequences. Imminent threats now exist. All non-military US personnel have been ordered out of Iraq. The world seems to be waiting in fear of the response that most pundits are predicting. The focus on conflict with Iran has distracted leaders from the fight with ISIS. It may make it impossible for US forces to stay in Iraq, which will certainly make it easier for an ISIS comeback. Despite the President’s statement that he made the choice he made because he wants to prevent war, Americans are not safer in the aftermath of his decision.

For the post 9/11 generation, there is nothing new about war. Everyone born after October 7, 2001 has lived their entire lives with the United States engaged in the longest ward in our nation’s history. We’ve seen Presidents come and go. Infants have grown into adulthood. Other wars have begun and ended. All of this occurred while we continue to be engaged in war and the count of victims continues to rise. There are soldiers in the U.S. military who have never known a time when the U.S. wasn’t officially at war.

The founders of our nation weren’t able to envision a state of perpetual war. The authors of laws addressing the balance of powers, especially when it comes to war, did not envision the US engage in multiple wars at the same time.

Despite an acceptance of constant war, there is considerable fear in our country about what this new war - or threat of war might mean.

It is hard to stand up in front of people and declare the reign of the prince of peace. I am afraid that there are people, even faithful people who worship regularly in our congregation, who have begun to lose their faith in peace.

And it isn’t just the world’s political situation that brings dark shadows over our community.

Our brothers and sisters in the United Methodist Church are facing a church-wide vote, to be taken in May over splitting their church into two separate denominations. Details have been worked out about how much money the “traditionalist” churches would get ($25 million). Another $2 million has been set aside for the possibility of potential new denominations that might emerge. Prominent Bishops were involved in creating the proposal for the denominational split that contains the details about ownership of property and other issues. The split comes after the fracturing of the church last February in a vote over the ordination of openly gay ministers and acceptance or rejection of gay marriage. Plenty of faithful Methodists have been fleeing the denomination in advance of the split. We see a few of them in our congregations. Researchers say that most of them have chosen not to affiliate with another church.

Record-breaking temperatures and months of severe drought have fueled so many massive bushfires in Australia that the fire map makes it look like the entire continent is on fire. Air quality in the country’s major cities is so bad that residents are wearing gas masks whenever going outside. It is virtually impossible to find an air filter for sale in Australia right now. And it is early in the fire season. The federal government has called out military troops to assist with fire fighting efforts, but experts agree that these are fires that cannot be contained by human effort. Flames as high as 70 meters have been reported. That’s taller than the Sydney Opera House. The fires cover an area five times that of the 2018 California fires.The count of homes destroyed goes up each day. The town of Blamoral has been completely destroyed. Residents of Mallacoota rushed to the beach were only a last minute change in wind direction saved them from being killed. The states of New South Wales and Victoria remain on catastrophic alert. parks, trails and campgrounds are closed. The smoke is so intense that it is affecting air quality in New Zealand.

While the rest of world engages in debate over global climate change, Australians are living in the midst of a global climate crisis.

We could sure use a “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

I could go on and on with stories of conflict, war, and near apocalyptic conditions around the world. I could tell stories of refugees fleeing for their lives, of children raised in conditions of perpetual war of child soldiers enmeshed in conflicts that they have no chance to understand and of innocent victims, who are always part of the story of war. It would not be difficult to make this journal entry without hope.

If ever there was a time when we need to confess our need of God, who is greater than our human powers, now is that time. So we will worship together today. We will pray for peace. And we will once again look for the hope that cannot be turned back. And while we are at it, we will pray for others to join our prayers.

Copyright (c) 2020 by Ted E. Huffman. I wrote this. If you would like to share it, please direct your friends to my web site. If you'd like permission to copy, please send me an email. Thanks!

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