Monday, June 28, 2004

Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
(Psalm 34.14 NRSV)

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You and I do not have what we have today by our own efforts alone. There is no greater myth than that of the self-made man or woman. We owe an enormous debt from the moment we come into this world. Some of that debt is owed to young men and women who shed their blood on battle fields. Many of them gave their lives because they truly believed that freedom is worth dying for.

To honor their sacrifice is not to glorify war. We live in a cruel world where tyrants would impose their will on others. It would be nice if we lived in a world where people always played by the rules, where no one coveted his neighbor's property, where never again would we have to depend upon military might to enforce justice. But such a world does not yet exist. We do not know what dangers may yet await us.

When the war between the states flared up, a young Texan enlisted and marched off to fight with his friends. "We won't be gone long," he claimed, "cause we can lick them Yankees with broom sticks."

Four years later when the fighting was finally over, the young man came home, a beaten man. One of his neighbors asked, "What happened? I thought you were gonna beat them Yankees with broom sticks."

"We could have," replied the young man, "Except we couldn't get 'em to fight with broomsticks."

“He shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away; 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.” (Micah 4.3)

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Dear Jesus, may I make peace. Amen.

Ron Newhouse

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