A Sermon by Rev. Dr. Nina D. Grey

First Unitarian Church of Chicago January 11, 2009

My friend Gerry invited me to Sabbath worship with him and his wife Marie, so yesterday morning I traveled through the snow to the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston. Near the end of the service we recited the Kaddish, the Memorial Prayer. The Kaddish is said at every Jewish worship service. It never mentions death, but it affirms the spirit of Life in the face of death and grief. The last part of the Kaddish is a prayer about peace and the people who were gathered together spoke and then, arm in arm, chanted the words:

Oseh Shalom bi'm'romav, hu ya'aseh shalom aleinu v'al kol yisrael v'al kol yoshvei tevel -- v'imru: Amein.

He Who makes peace in His heights, may He make peace

upon us, upon all Israel, upon all people of the earth. Amen.

Gerry and I first knew each other in Weaver High School in Hartford. He was raised orthodox, and I was raised a Jewish atheist, but I attended conservative synagogue in high school. And I was in the youth group. In 1956 at youth group camp we sat in a circle and talked about the new state of Israel. We were afraid of the Egyptians who were enemies of Israel then. And despite the humanitarian values of my parents and the humane values at the center of Judaism's teachings, I absorbed the biases of my friends at camp. It was 1989, when I was 48, that I challenged my own bigotry. It was the first Palestinian intifada. I read newspaper accounts of stone throwing and tear gas.  I was heartbroken at the violence between the Israelis and Palestinians. I had to see for myself what was happening on the ground.

So I packed my bags and took a trip. On that trip, and two subsequent trips, I visited Israel within the Green Line, I visited the West Bank, I rode through Gaza, and I studied the history.

I met and listened to people from all sides, including many in the peace movement. I met two little girls, one Israeli Jewish and one Palestinian, 9 and 10 years old. I can see them clearly, both with long dark hair, one, in a maroon dress, standing against a pole, one, wearing brown, leaning on her bike, outside their primary school at Neve Shalom, Wahat al Salaam, Oasis of Peace Neve Shalom, Wahat al Salaam is an experimental village where Jews and Palestinians live cooperatively. The girls stared into the camera. Now they would be 29 and 30.  I met a Palestinian family in Bethlehem, whose home had been destroyed and another who asked me to sit and have tea and pastries. Their teenage son admitted he sometimes threw rocks at Israelis and he took me to see a goat in his garage. This family yearned for and prepared for that time when they could build their own society. I met Subir Abu Gosh, the co-chair of a Jewish and Arab organization that developed programs to bring children together. He was also the head of the Muslim court in Jerusalem.

He told me, "My country is at war with my people". Getting to know Palestinians who suffered from tear gas and yet who worked with Israelis who wanted peace, I substantially overcame my prejudice learnt as a child.

The Rabbi Arthur Waskow, Founder and Director of the Shalom Center, has loosely translated the kaddish prayer for peace to embrace the Palestinian people.

Oseh Shalom bi'm'romav, hu ya'aseh shalom aleinu v'al kol yisrael v'al kol yishmael v'al kol yoshvei tevel -- v'imru: Amein.

You who make harmony

in the ultimate reaches of the universe,

teach us to make harmony

within ourselves, among ourselves -

and peace for the Godwrestling folk,

the people Israel;

for the children of Ishmael;

and for all who dwell upon this planet.

(Cong: Amein)

After the synagogue service yesterday, and despite the mounting snow, we went out for lunch, and we talked about praying for peace. Gerry told me of his own anguish during the Lebanon crisis - how he experienced a huge cognitive dissonance praying for peace while Israel rained down bombs on the Lebanese people. Years before he had heard his rabbi, Arnold Rachlaf, ask, "Why do I pray when I am sure there is no one up there listening". That his rabbi was an atheist like him had surprised Gerry, and sent him on his own spiritual journey. Why did he pray, since he too believed no one was listening. He didn't believe in a supernatural God who intervened in the world. And then he read something which deepened his understanding, a writing by Max Kadushin. "Prayers help us identify values, clarify them and affirm them."

He understood then that prayer reminds us who we are, where to place our hopes and dreams, how to shape our lives.

At that point his prayers gained more meaning in his life. And as, in 1982, he faced the tragedy of violence in the middle east, his prayers for peace set him into motion. He learned about peace organizations. He joined Peace Now, and became its local leader. His prayers led to action for peace.

Our faith principles lift up our values. We affirm and promote one world of liberty and justice and peace. We affirm and promote the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. We affirm and promote the worth and dignity of every person on this earth. These values help shape our conscientious points of view. These values are powerful and can help us to shape our commitments. Our faith principles inspire many of us and lead us to action. When we face an ethical question, we can turn to them for guidance.

And today we do face an ethical question. At the 2006 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association, we agreed to ask ourselves that question; and ultimately to write a Statement of Conscience which would guide our faith for years to come.  We asked ourselves whether Unitarian Universalists should reject the use of any and all kinds of violence and war to resolve disputes between peoples and nations; whether we should adopt a principle of seeking just peace through non-violent means? Whether, in other words, we should join with historic peace churches, like the Quakers, in their deep shared commitment to non-violence. Some UU congregations have studied this question. Some have prayed and many have acted for the sake of peace. Our own church voted against the war in Iraq in 2003. Members have witnessed against the war since then, and even now our Peace Action Task Force joins Camp Hope calling for a prompt exit from Iraq. But we have not yet considered whether we should oppose all forms of violence everywhere.

In response to the 2006 question, one UU congregation, St. John's Unitarian Universalist Church, formed a peace team and developed programs for peace on many levels. They explored theories of pacifism and just war theory.  They concluded that, despite how it is sometimes used, just war theory is meant to discourage or prevent the violence of war, not provide justification for going to war. In just war theory, war should only be a last resort after all else has been tried. War should not be undertaken unless there is some assurance of success. The destruction of war should not exceed the good that might come from war. War should be undertaken only as self defense or to intervene against such as genocide.

The peace team of St. John's worried about creating a Statement of Conscience that would leave people out who couldn't in good conscience agree with its conclusions. They didn't think the proposed statement adequately answered the question that was asked.

Should we become essentially a peace church? And so they wrote their own alternative Statement of Conscience.

And UU Scholars engaged the question.

Sharon Welch insisted on the importance of intervening against genocide, and the need for peace building, creating infrastructures that would help ensure the sustainability of peace. We haven't done that in Afghanistan or Iraq. Paul Razor reminded us of our history, how we had excluded pacifists during the first and second world wars, how we had ostracized people who didn't agree with our anti-Vietnam stances. He said whatever process we use, whatever statement we write, we should respect our diversity.

Copies of the proposed UUA Statement of Conscience on Peacemaking are available today, they were emailed and will be available next week. We will also make available the alternative statement from St. John's. And we will have a First Forum next week where we bring our thoughts to the table.

Whatever statement the UUA creates, we need to ground it in our UU principles and in the spirit of love.

We need to flavor our passion for peace with an equal commitment to justice. Our Jewish and Christian heritages remind us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Our principle of interdependence helps us recognize everyone as our neighbor. We need to open our hearts to the power of love and compassion. Let this spirit, let these foundational values shape our reflections and actions.

The proposed UUA Statement of Conscience and St. John's alternative version both see peace as a multi-layered discipline. They ask us to engage in spiritual practices that enhance peace in the heart. They want us to learn about and practice communicating in non-violent ways. They urge us to foster non-violence in our homes, our workplaces, our congregations, in the community, and in the world.

Scientists, I have heard, conclude that our evolution does not privilege violence over cooperation.

It is humanly possible to live in peace. But if peacemaking is possible, it is also challenging. Education, history, and patriarchal cultures have taught competition and dominance over cooperation. We need to learn new ways.

And in peacemaking work we need to remember that justice and peace are linked; that values, principles and prayers are powerful and can inspire us to action; that revealing and speaking truth, even if it is hard, is essential. Denial leads to suffering, injustice, injury and death.

Yesterday at lunch Gerry and I sat, thinking on these things. As our conversation drew to a close we spoke of religious groups, interfaith groups and community groups calling for an immediate, durable ceasefire for both Hamas and Israel. And that reminded me of one more thing. Whatever statement of conscience we help create, let us remember we are not alone. Let us particpate in coalitions, link with people everywhere praying, witnessing, and working for peace. None are superfluous. All are needed. Amen.