2012 12 09 Peace from Our Hearts Luke 21:25-36

Story:

Choc'late Allen's story today begins with her comments written at the age of 18.  "My parents are indeed my best friends. They laid a foundation in my life that I have full appreciation and respect for. In our house, nothing was his, hers or mine; it was always ours. I was included in all family meetings, discussions and decisions; and my opinion/ contribution was always respected and valued. A major lesson in our house was, if you have an opinion, articulate it. If you do not communicate effectively then it gives room for misinterpretation. My parents were and still are strong believers of “Children must be seen and HEARD.”  Of all the “laws of our house”, “Taking Personal Responsibility” ran from number one to ten; and the others followed. Little did I know at that time, “Taking Personal Responsibility” would be the core value of my life.  I am a child of the Universe. As child of this Universe, I believe that there is a calling beyond what the eyes can see, but within the range of where the soul can feel. I trust everyday that the Universe will guide. I know that I don't know, and therefore my mind remains exposed to new possibilities."

... .(At age 8).. Choc'late began touring the region as an actress, singer and dancer; with the organization Caribbean Vizion. She was ... having direct contact, relations and negotiations with Prime Ministers, Presidents, Political figures, NGO's and the Private Sector. But according to Choc'late, it was at age eleven that she began to identify a direction for her existence.  In 2004, Caribbean Vizion lost its St. Lucian C.E.O – Ms. Jany Williams – to a vehicle accident .... After campaigning against a 34- year-old, Choc'late was elected C.E.O of the regional organization .... Through tours, Choc'late and her Caribbean colleges were able to address social issues and inspire positive changes in lives of many Caribbean People.  Tours took her within schools, ... prisons, communities, and other institutions ...

After touring ...from 2001–2006, Allen began putting structure to her own personal passions and concerns. Without abandoning her executive position and commitment to the NGO, she created an independent movement that was fully geared toward youth vision and development.  In 2007, thirteen-year-old Choc’late began the year with a five-day fast at the National Library in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Inspired after reading the biography of Mahatma Gandhi, she took a personal stance against the rising crime rate in Trinidad and Tobago, and sought to send a message of peace to citizens by rejecting food and drink for five days. During the fast, she urged the nation to take personal responsibility for their thoughts, words and actions; and work together toward positive nation building. Her stance became a national issue and inspired the youth community to break their silence and become advocates for social issues. Following her fast, she went on to conducting motivational school tours, award ceremonies, summer camps, and forming youth groups that flew the TPR (Taking Personal Responsibility) flag.

In 2009, Choc’late and her organization produced an audio disk entitled “Children MUST be Seen and HEARD”. This disk ... was endorsed by the then Prime Minister ... and then Minister of Education ... and was implemented as a training tool for teachers, guidance counselors, peer counselors, and students in all schools in Jamaica.

From 2007 to 2011; Choc’late has been respected as a keynote speaker, motivational idol, child/ youth activist, recording artiste, radio and television hostess, newspaper journalist, educator; and (most recently) an author. She continues to tour schools, communities, and institutions and has always maintained her position and support for the ancient concept of “Taking Personal Responsibility”. ...

She is known to many people as many things, but to all, she is respected for her contribution to society.

(From article in Wikipedia)

Peace Begins in Us

Before presenting my message on peace, I feel the need to clarify what I mean when I say peace..  In our Western culture, we tend to think of peace as the absence of violence, but the Jewish concept for peace is a society in which all have enough and all are in a positive relationship. The Jewish way of describing this peace is the picture of old men playing board games and drinking hot beverages in the town square while children play in the square around them.  For this scene to be a normal reality, life needs to be good enough for people to grow old -- people need to have food to eat, places to live, clothes for their back. People need to be in positive relationships and all people need to be important.  The town square could not be reserved for men with influence and wealth.  Isaiah promises a time in Chapter 65 when people will plant crops and get to eat what they grow, when everyone will be able to grow old, a new heaven and a new earth.  This deeper, richer understanding of peace is the peace we seek as followers of Jesus. The peace for which I work is a peace in which all will have enough to eat, a safe, comfortable place to live, valued roles in society, access to needed health care and appropriate education, and opportunities to participate as equals in society.  Now, here is my message, beginning with a Russian story.

Alexi, the tailor, was visited one evening by Gabriel with good news.  God was very pleased with Alexi and had decided to give Alexi whatever he wanted.  Gabriel explained this to Alexi, and then added, "Also, your neighbour Mikhail, the shoemaker, will get twice whatever you get."   Alexi thought and thought.  Finally he said, "Make me blind in one eye."

There are many reasons peace does not come easily to our world.  Jealousy and envy, fear and hatred, greed and lust, ignorance and indifference are some of them.  We have many stories of nations and groups within nations that fought bloody destructive wars because of these factors, resulting in everyone having much less than they could have had, and the  deaths of millions that achieved very little.

The path to peace is not an easy one.  The ones who profit from the existing systems and from conflict willingly use violence and other tools to resist God's intentions for this world. 

At the time Jesus preached the words in today's scripture lesson, Jerusalem , Judah, and Galilee were building to a showdown with Rome.  Anger at their treatment by Rome and Rome's puppets prompted more and more Jews to join the Zealots, and pressure was being put on their political and religious leaders to remember the Maccabbeans and to show confidence in the power of God to take a stand. There were would-be prophets, just as in Jeremiah's time, promising God will give them victory in their resistance to the Romans.  Jesus was astute enough to know that there would be a showdown eventually, and he knew enough about the Romans to know how that showdown would end.  At the time the Gospel of Luke was written, the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans was history, and much of what Jesus was reported to have said was verified. 

The only part that did not fit was the final part about the coming of the Son in Man.  Was it wishful thinking or delusion on the part of Jesus? Does it allow us to put in a few thousand years between the destruction of Jerusalem and the arrival of the Son of Man?  Is it to be understood in another way?  Was it wishful thinking by Luke who added to what Jesus said? I don't know.  I can create an argument for any of these possibilities. 

What the passage does point to is that peace will not come without a dramatic God-centered event.

What I trust is that our personal achievement of peace depends on our spiritual well-being, on a personal encounter with the Son of Man.  When we feel connected to God and to others, when we feel grounded in Spirit, it is easier to want good for others and to advocate for what we believe in ways that do not needlessly attack or degrade others.   This inner path to peace naturally connects to our outer work for the peace I described.

I have been a supporter of peace initiatives for decades, and one of the barriers to success for the peace movement has been the lack of peace in the hearts of many of the activists. I have been aware of the challenges for and the character of many of the Canadian soldiers involved in peace-keeping projects, and felt embarrassed by the attitudes of some activists towards Canadian military personnel, and especially towards those serving as chaplains. I have been disappointed in the anger, hatred, and disdain some have shown and continue to show towards people holding contrary points of view. Peace cannot just be out there somewhere achieved by someone else at our urging. If we want peace, we need to practice peace.  For example, the equality of all persons is an essential part of my beliefs about God.  It bothers me when people advocating for equality seem to go out of their way to provoke physical conflict with racists.  I believe it is helpful to show up at Aryan Nations rallies and the like with signs promoting equality.  I don't believe it is helpful to hurl insults at or pick physical fights with these people.

Our success in promoting peace in the world depends on our success in promoting peace in all of our relationships, even relationships with opponents. Our success in this depends on the depth of peace that is within us.

As we prepare both for Christmas and for the empire of God that is coming and emerging, may we cultivate peace in our hearts as we work for peace in the world. And may we practice this peace with patience in traffic jams, with kindness at checkout tills, with love and patience with people with all ages feeling stressed by the hype of the season, and in generously listening to the people in our lives.

Practicing peaceful behaviour helps strengthen inner peace. At the risk of being repetitive, if we really want to be part of God's work of building peace in the world, our first task is working on that inner peace.  Doing that inner task well automatically becomes expressed in building peace in the world around us.