A sermon on overcoming violence for Advent

This short meditation was preached at the Advent service at the Ecumenical Centre Geneva on Wednesday 17 December 2008



The puzzle of peace and the puzzle of the incarnation

Biblical images and promises are so strange
They seem to not really be of this world
Isaiah says – and the lion shall lie down with the lamb –
And nation shall not learn war any more

And we see hardly any evidence of this today in Afghanistan or Iraq
In the Democratic republic of Congo or Zimbabwe
Our former colleague Daniel Wieser is trying to buy new smaller kinds of cars for the international Red Cross in Chad because the trusty Landrovers and Toyotas so useful in development and relief work are also fairly easy for rebels to hijack and turn into armoured vehicles.

As we gather here in the chapel we look at the icon given to the World Council at the launch of the decade to overcome violence – showing the stoning of St Stephen whose patronal festival is celebrated in the Western calendar just after Christmas
The first Christian martyr remembered on the day after the incarnation
We look at the stones in the hands of those about to stone Stephen

And we hear Isaiah and Micah say “they will beat their swords into pruning hooks”

We also listen though to Woody Allen who says
“The lion may lie down with the calf but the calf won’t get much sleep!”

A humorous reminder but a reminder nonetheless of the terrible price the victims of war and violence are paying week after week, year after year, decade after decade, century after century – not just sleeplessness and fear, but real physical and emotional distress and catastrophe.

And year in year out, in better and in worse circumstances
Christians celebrate the birth of the word made flesh
The prince of peace, the wonderful counsellor
A baby born in a stable
Who will be a light to the nations

But we are of course still left with the puzzle
Around us here in the chapel you can see that words have not so much become flesh as taken on colour
On fragile paper in many languages, by the ordinary artists and poets that we are
We have painted the word peace in our own and other languages
We express something of our hope for the incarnation of God
Our hope for Christ the Prince of Peace

The work of peace and of overcoming violence is not easy and I have to admit that earlier in the week I told some members of the worship committee to give up. When we come to make our act of commitment later each of you will receive a card on the inside of which there in the word peace in many different languages. For some, even most of you the word peace will show through a jigsaw-shaped piece which has been cut out of the front of the card, like on this one. Cutting out these pieces to make peace show through took rather longer and was rather more difficult than we had thought.
The work of peace and overcoming violence often takes longer and is harder than we think.

As we puzzle at the meaning of our own lives
And puzzle at daring to believe in peace
Perhaps this poetry and art which surrounds us this evening will also teach us generosity and practical solidarity
As we look forwards to the promise of the Word becoming flesh amongst us
And to swords across the world being beaten to ploughshares.


God of peace teach us to lay down our stones
Grant us wisdom faced with life’s difficulties
Teach us to use words with care
Teach us to feed the people of your beautiful planet
To offer clean water free of cholera.
May your peace and justice flow
and may we walk joyfully and wisely in the ways of peace.
Amen



Copyright (c) WCC / Jane Stranz