Dearly Beloved,
The snow-capped mountains rise in sharp relief against that Colorado-blue sky. It is another beautiful morning. And war has picked up again in the Middle East. Genocide is happening today in the very places where Jesus was born, lived and ministered. And it is not so much militants, soldiers or terrorists being killed as it is civilians, the elderly, women and children. It is easy to look to the story of Jesus' birth and Herod's murder of Jewish babies and condemn that. And yet that same kind of slaughter is happening today as Israeli soldiers, to a great extent armed by our country, drop bombs on Palestinian communities, as the Gaza Strip is "cleansed" of its people.
How does a weary and warring world rejoice? How does a weary and warring world practice peace? How do we hold the reality of this terrible thing that is happening alongside our desires for rest, for peace, for simplicity this Advent season? And alongside the war in Palestine is the reality of an incredible up-tick in anti-Jewish hate crimes here in the United States. I daresay, it is a time to be outspoken in our support of an end to the war in Palestine, outspoken in calling our leaders to put financial pressure (and other kinds of pressure) on Israel so that an end will come to this genocide. AND it is also important for us to carefully watch what we say and do, for Christianity has long been linked to anti-semitism and anti-Jewish violence.
As we acknowledge the violence in our world, perhaps we also practice peace by acknowledging the violence of our own society, the violence that has been (and continues to be perpetrated) in the name of God, Jesus and the church. This violence often begins as words, but then turns into emotional intimidation and dehumanization and even physical violence. God's beloved, we are steeped in a culture of violence.
And so, what does it look like to practice peace in your life -- as you interact with people on the street, as you drive, in shops, at your workplace and home? What does it look like to call for peace in our communities, towns, cities and nation? What does it look like to call our government to be a force for peace in the world? I know for me, this sometimes feels overwhelming, but the reality is that each action, each phone call, each opportunity we take to educate ourselves and others, to shift our language and behavior is a practice of peace.
One of the places I find myself called to practice peace is in my parenting. Punishment and shame are such huge parts of our social structures, and I work to catch myself when those are my go-to responses to my children's actions. Instead, what I want to seek connection with them, to explore the feelings, the fears, the disappointments behind their actions. And I want to help them feel loved -- knowing that there are structures and boundaries around what is appropriate and inappropriate and also that as they learn to behave within those structures, they can trust me to be loving and gentle and full of peace and grace.
It's not easy. But it sure is worth it. And our world needs our practices for peace. And so do we.
With hope for and a commitment to practicing peace,
Thandiwe
