6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 11:6-9
Imagine. Envision. Dream. When war is on the horizon (or has already begun), we experience intense anxiety about the future, and we focus on the present moment and survival. In a time of turmoil, the prophet Isaiah announced a vision a future of peace (shalom) that seems unbelievable – a peace the world has yet to experience.
Can you imagine a future without conflict and war? Why do you think imagination and vision are so necessary in times of distress? What is the relationship between faith and vision? What do you feel when you read Isaiah’s vision of the future? If this is the future, how could you begin to live into this future today?
Each day (except Sundays) during Lent, we will post a Scripture for reflection on our theme, “Military Withdrawal.” Together, we will learn to walk in God’s ways of peacemaking and reconciliation. These posts are meant to stimulate conversation and interaction. Please post your thoughts and comments.
Today, we feast. We go to the mountain and we learn to walk in the ways of God’s peace.
Consider reading “Speaking Truth to Power”, a statement that was written in 1955 when the Cold War was escalating. Among its authors was Bayard Rustin, an activist who was instrumental in shaping the strategy of non-violence of the Civil Rights Movement with Martin Luther King. It is just as relevant today in the face of oppression, state-sponsored violence, and aggression.
17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. 19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, ‘“I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.’ 20 Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” * 21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
Romans 12:17-21. (* The Scripture quoted in verse 19 is from Deuteronomy 32:35 and the quotation in verse 20 is from Proverbs 25:21-22.
In your experience, what does “paying back evil with evil” accomplish? How do you think the alternative responses to our “enemies” (ie, feed, hydrate and do good to them) accomplish what revenge and evil cannot? Have you ever tried this peacemaking strategy? What were the results? Do you think this strategy could be applied beyond interpersonal relationships?
Each day (except Sundays) during Lent, we will post a Scripture for reflection on our theme, “Military Withdrawal.” Together, we will learn to walk in God’s ways of peacemaking and reconciliation. These posts are meant to stimulate conversation and interaction. Please post your thoughts and comments.
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 person who stirs up conflict in the community.
Proverbs 6:16-19 (NIV)
How do you feel about the things God hates? Does anything about the list surprise you? If God hates these things, do you think we (as God’s people) should also hate them? If so, how do you think we should express that hatred? What dangers should we avoid if we express hatred for the things God hates?
Each day (except Sundays) during Lent, we will post a Scripture for reflection on our theme, “Military Withdrawal.” Together, we will learn to walk in God’s ways of peacemaking and reconciliation. These posts are meant to stimulate conversation and interaction. Feel free to post your thoughts and comments.
Each day (except Sundays) during Lent, we will post a Scripture for reflection on our theme, “Military Withdrawal.” Together, we will learn to walk in God’s ways of peacemaking and reconciliation. These posts are meant to stimulate conversation and interaction. Feel free to post your thoughts and comments.
1 “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2 You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. 3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.”
James 4:1-3 (NLT)
James identifies a cycle of thinking that leads to aggression and acts of violence and “war.” What motives do you associate with “evil desires (verse 1)? What role does power have in this cycle? When have you experienced this cycle of thinking and acting? What, if anything, stopped you from “waging war?” What do you think is required to break the cycle?
7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.
James 4:7-10 (NLT)
James suggests a another cycle for ending our quarrel and fights. What do you think would happen if we all practiced the disciplines of humility, washed hands, deep grief and gloom? How do these acts facilitate reconciliation and peace?
We begin our Lenten fast, “Military Withdrawal: Studying War No More,” as a means to become peacemakers and ambassadors of reconciliation. We begin during a time of escalating tension and acts of war in Ukraine, so we invite you pray throughout the day for the de-escalation of violence in Ukraine and other warn-torn nations and a return to diplomatic negotiations, the only true way conflict ever ceases. Pray for peace and protection against the evils of war for the people whose lives and wellbeing are in danger. Though Ukraine is getting most of the media attention, it is not the only place in the world where military actions are occurring. Conflicts continue in Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Gaza and dozens of other countries. Lives are being torn apart, families are fleeing their homes, people are suffering.
The following (adapted) prayer is offered by the National Officers of the United Church of Christ • The Rev. John C. Dorhauer — General Minister and President • The Rev. Traci A. Blackmon — Associate General Minister • The Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson — Associate General Minister
Holy God, Hear our prayers for all those who will die today because of war all over this world. Grant them an end to the suffering of this world and eternal peace that is only found in You.
We pray for the people of Ukraine, Russia, and all nations — that war and bloodshed can be avoided and a new, just peace can be forged out of this crisis. We ask God grant wisdom to the leaders of nations, calling them to end provocation on all sides and invest instead in “the things that make for peace” as called for in all our faith traditions (Luke 19:41-42).
We pray for an end to the deep insecurity and mistrust on all sides, and call on leaders to build trust, based not on military might or alliances, but on the basis of our shared future and common humanity. Now is a time in which past harm should be acknowledged and addressed, and new partnerships can be envisioned.
We pray for and call on our leaders to have the courage to take small, verifiable, and independent steps toward peace, inviting others to reciprocate. Now is time to invest in conflict resolution, diplomacy and international cooperation — not more weapons which only escalate tension in the region.
Be with those suffering in ways that we cannot.
Protect them from devastation in ways those positioned in authority will not. Shield and comfort them as they confront the terror of violence that surrounds them. Hold them close to your heart and stay the hand of the enemies against them. Give us the courage and the strength to cry aloud against wickedness in high places that dare to harm others made in your image.
Comfort the children and heed their cries to be saved from harm in this world.
Make us a people who love your children, all of your children, more than we love greed, power, and control. Overturn governments of tyranny wherever they are found. Disrupt the intentions of evil and give us power to stand against demonic forces of greed and control. Grant that peace and justice come to warring nations by the hands of those courageous enough to stand and study war no more. Let Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven, we pray. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
2022 Lenten Compact for Peacemaking and Reconciliation
People from many nations will come and say,“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God.There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.”For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem. The Lord will mediate between nations and will settle international disputes. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore.
Isaiah 2:3-4 (NLT)
Lent is usually a personal time to give up some food or beverage, focus ourselves on God, and reflect on the idols that we have been told we cannot live without. At KANSA, we invite our congregation to participate in a communal fast that focuses us not only on our relationship to God, but also on an aspect of our relationship to our communities, our nation and our world. We are calling our members and friends to a true fast – one that is not just the act of denying oneself of something – but a fast that creates justice and reconciliation, by breaking the yokes that bind us and the yokes that bind our neighbors. (see Isaiah 58:6-7)
This year, we seek to disconnect ourselves from our nation’s reliance upon and worship of the weapons of war and violence as the solution to conflict and a means of peace. Instead, as followers of the “Prince of Peace,” we will “seek peace and pursue it” through acts of justice and mercy.
Through this year’s Compact we will consider how our call to spiritual conversion demands an alternative to militarism on the national, state and local levels, and we will reclaim our role as peacemakers and living into God’s alternative vision for the world–a world where disputes are settled without violence. While we acknowledge that God’s vision of a world without war and violence has yet to fully arrive, we affirm our commitment to the vision of peace and our resolve to withdraw—pull back and disconnect—from militarism that delivers death and destruction wherever it is found.
Sermon delivered by Rev. Bruce Ray on Sunday, October 3, 2021
Today, we are concluding our series “Creation is Waiting / La Creación Espera” with a recognition of St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis is best known as the patron saint of animals and the environment, and he is often depicted surrounded by animals of all kinds. He believed that faith and care for God’s creatures went hand-in-hand and he considered all of God’s creatures to be our sisters and brothers. Stories are told of how he would go into the forests and preach to the birds and animals and trees, calling them to love and praise their creator.
Every year on or around October 4, Christians throughout the world celebrate the Feast of St. Francis with prayers for creation and a blessing of the animals. We will follow this tradition later in our service.
I’m so glad that we shared the story, “The Tantrum That Saved the World,” with the children today. I think Sophia – the girl in the story – and St. Francis would be great friends. I think St. Francis would be very sad to see what is happening to our sisters and brothers because of climate change and the destruction of habitat for animals, birds and people. I think St. Francis would be angry that so many animal voices have been lost. One of those voices belonged to the Ivory-billed Woodpecker.
The Ivory-billed Woodpecker was the largest species of woodpecker in North America. Its wingspan was 3 ft with a flaming red crown and two white stripes down it’s side. People would see the huge, strikingly beautiful bird in the swamps and bayous of Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana and would say, “Lord God!” It became known as the “Lord God Bird.”
There is only one video and audio recording of the Lord God Bird in existence. It was filmed and recorded in 1935.
The Lord God Bird doesn’t exist anymore. The woodpecker was last seen in Louisiana in 1944. This week, it was officially declared extinct by the US Fish and Wildlife service.
What happened? The Lord God bird is no more because human greed and ignorance destroyed its home. Singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens, wrote a song “Lord God Bird” suggesting that the bird was sacrificed on the altar of the industrial god by a sewing machine. Yep. A sewing machine.
The Ivory-billed woodpecker was doing just fine until the industrial revolution of the 1800s. In 1911, the Singer Company purchased over 80,000 acres of old growth forests in Arkansas that was a prime habitat of the Ivory-billed woodpecker. The company cut down the trees to make the cabinets for their famous sewing machines. Conservationists warned that the logging would put the woodpecker in danger. But despite efforts to protect the bird and the land, Singer Company sold the land in 1937 to the Chicago Mill and Lumber Company for more extensive logging. Within 6 years, there were no more ivory-billed woodpeckers.
Now a lot of people would say, “It’s just a bird!” But after reading the Scriptures today (Genesis 7:11-16, Psalm 104:24-31, and Matthew 6:25-33), I’m reminded that every bird, every animal, every tree and every flower is part of God’s wondrous creation—made by God at creation, preserved by God during the Great Flood, cared for by God throughout time. Human beings may be made in the image of God, but that does not diminish the worth of all other creatures. They too have a purpose in God’s plan. They too are made to display God’s glory and sing God’s praise.
And as God’s “Image-bearers” we have a responsibility is to do as God would do. That includes protecting all of God’s creatures from harm and providing for their well-being. It means preserving their voices and ensuring that they call fulfill God’s command to be fruitful and multiply. It means to loving them as God loves them.
While we (collective humanity) failed to prevent the extinction of the Ivory-billed woodpecker, dozens of species on the verge of extinction have been saved thanks to one piece of government legislation: the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The Act identified threatened, endangered and critically endangered species for the purpose of protecting them and restoring them to sustainable numbers so they would no longer need federal protection.
For almost 50 years, dozens of species have recovered thanks to the Act including Humpback whales, American Bison, bald eagles, and California Condors. Chicago has participated in saving an endangered species too. We all know Monty and Rose, the beach-loving piping plovers who have returned to Montrose Harbor every year since 2019 to nest and hatch their eggs. This year, the pair successfully hatched 3 new little piping plovers, aiding efforts to ensure their survival as a species.
We’ve made progress, but there are hundreds of other species that need our protection. And progress is never guaranteed. Human greed and ignorance can reverse even the best environmental policy. So we must always be vigilant and watchful.
Creation is waiting. So on this day, let us rise up like St. Francis and pray a blessing over creation and then take action to protect the voices of our sisters and brothers. Let’s be the “righteous ones who take care of the needs of the animals” (Proverbs 12:10a). Let us pray for creation and bless our brothers and sisters, the creatures of the earth, and then go “throw a tantrum.”
Save me, O God, for the floodwaters are up to my neck. Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire; I can’t find a foothold. I am in deep water, and the floods overwhelm me. I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me. Psalm 69:1-3
Our Lenten Journey ends on Holy Saturday – a day of keeping vigil. Waiting… Waiting for God to help. Waiting for the pandemic to end. Waiting for justice to finally be rendered. Waiting for the walls to finally break down. Sometimes, life feels like the time after crucifixion, when it is so hard to hold on to hope and lean into the promise of a better future; when we are so tired of the struggle and we want to give up. People who have been excluded live in this waiting space constantly—afraid to hope, and terrified if nothing changes. Today, live in that space and cry out to God. Tomorrow is a new day. A new journey begins.
Prayer: O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)
On this Good Friday, take time to read the prophecy of Isaiah and/or the story of Jesus’s crucifixion from the gospel of John. Where you do you see yourself in the stories? What part of the story especially captures your attention?
Prayer: Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer)
Tongue on Fire 