Wolfe's Den

This is the season to celebrate the Prince of Peace. But it is the god of war that makes the headlines. We are reminded of the tragedy of Pearl Harbor 68 years ago today. Our President has now committed to sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. Wars and rumors of wars persist. What is the way to peace?

It is ironic that after John (the Baptist) was born, his father Zechariah, whose name means “the Lord is renowned,” spoke holy words about God’s redemption and the people’s salvation from their enemies by means of “the forgiveness of their sins” (Luke 1:67 ff.). The focus was first on the people’s own sins, not on the sins of their enemies. Is the gospel saying that the first step on the way to peace is the acknowledgment of the divisive, self-centered activities in which we ourselves and our nation have engaged to bring about a world filled with such violence?

A. J. Muste, long-time Secretary of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, an organization founded on the eve of the first world war and dedicated to nonviolent resolution of conflict, once said: “There is no way to peace; peace is the way.” Is this way of acting what makes the Lord renowned: “to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:79)?