Walls Broken Down

Though ancient walls may still stand proud
and racial strife be fact,
though boundaries may be lines of hate,
proclaim God’s saving act!

REFRAIN:
Walls that divide are broken down;
Christ is our unity!
Chains that enslave are thrown aside;
Christ is our liberty!
                                                    Walter Farquharson Ron Klusmeier

I listened to a conversation on CBC radio this morning which involved Brian Stewart, a retired Mother Corp journalist and a woman who grew up in Germany whose name I didn't catch.  They were discussing the opening and then destruction of the Berlin Wall. This Sunday there will be a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the end of the era which separated east and west Berlin and the two German states.

I've read elsewhere that as part of the celebration artists have retraced the former border in Germany's capital using 8,000 luminous balloons that will be turned on to mark this weekend's anniversary.

"We wanted to counter this ominous, heavy structure with something light," said Marc Bauder, who designed the art installation with his brother, Christopher Bauder. The "Lichtgrenze," or "Light Border," will stretch for nearly 10 miles through the city, passing landmarks such as Checkpoint Charlie or the Brandenburg Gate. 

Bauder urged people to walk along the former border once again and discover the movie screens and information panels describing the city's division and those who died along the wall. According to the Berlin Wall Memorial, 138 people were killed along the Berlin Wall from 1961 until 1989 as they tried to flee, some just months before peaceful protests opened the border. "Remembrance belongs to the people," he said. "We want to offer an individual access instead of a central commemoration." On Sunday evening, the balloons will be released up in the air, exactly 25 years after the opening of the border was announced.

 

The woman being interviewed spoke of making her way through the Brandenburg Gate for the first time and finding relatives who lived in East Germany. An uncle drove her home, unimpeded, so that he could be reunited with his sister. She also mentioned conversations with Palestinians and the sense of solidarity because so many of them behind a wall as well, the West Bank Barrier.

 

 

I love the words of the hymn written by  former United Church moderator, Walter Farquharson, and long-time United Church musician Ron Klusmeier. Every time there is reconciliation which results in walls, both actual and figurative, being dismantled we should celebrate.

 

Thoughts?