1 Let there be light, let there be understanding,
let all the nations gather, let them be face to face;
2 open our lips, open our minds to ponder,
open the door of concord opening into grace;
3 perish the sword, perish the angry judgement,
perish the bombs and hunger, perish the fight for gain;
Let There be Light Voices United 679
This evening many congregations will observe Maundy Thursday, a commemoration of Jesus' last meal with his disciples before his arrest and crucifixion. This was not part of the Protestant tradition for Baby Boomers and older, and let's be honest, subsequent generations are not enthusiastic church-goers at any time. That said, Maundy Thursday has become meaningful for lots of liturgically inclined Protestants, despite being late-comers to the table.
At the conclusion of this Last Supper Jesus and the others sang a hymn. a setting of a psalm, before returning to the Garden of Gethsemane, an olive grove at the edge of the walled city of Jerusalem where some pilgrims would camp out during Passover, or Pesach. It was there that soldiers came for Jesus, led by Judas. The gospels tell us that there was resistance on the part of the other disciples. Peter grabbed a sword and maimed one of the soldiers but Jesus stopped him from further violence and healed the injured man. Jesus uttered the famous words, “Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword." Matthew 26:52
These are poignant words at any time, a reminder of the no-violent revolution which Jesus modelled in a "civilized" empire which depended on military coercion and control. What do they say to us as a 21st century superpower, Russia, is attempting to subdue a neighbour in an unprovoked war? We are appalled by the brutality of the invasion and the deaths of thousands of innocent people. Millions are displaced or have become refugees fleeing to other nations, including Canada. The NATO military alliance is on alert and those countries and others in the European Union are providing billions of dollars worth of military support as well as humanitarian aid.
Two days ago religious leaders from different traditions gathered in Ukraine and visited refugee camps. They called for an end to the violence and former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams reflected on a letter sent by Pope Francis in which he uses he metaphor of conflict between the biblical brothers, Cain and Abel, and describes "violence and war, as a sign not of strength, but of weakness. A sign of fear, and of failure. A fear of the truth, and a failure to be human. “
Williams went on the say that "our fellowship here today may not change the circumstances of this dreadful conflict, or touch the hearts of the aggressors, but we can still speak of the human dignity we share and commit ourselves to the long struggle to see that this human dignity is affirmed and defended throughout our world."
I spoke with someone this morning who is so distressed by what is happening that he's talked with his wife about going to Ukraine to be involved in whatever capacity would help. He's the sort of person for whom these are not empty words. While he's not a practicing Christian we had a meaningful exchange about what how faith shapes our perspective and response.
In a situation which is evil we can ponder the response of our own hearts and minds. In the context of our Holy Week and Easter story we can pray that evil will not prevail.
6 let there be light; open our hearts to wonder,
perish the way of terror, hallow the world God made.
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