Riegert, Eduard R.

English

Scholars Commons

Consensus
Volume 16
Issue 2 Lutheran Pietism Article 10
11-1-1990
Vision of peace
Eduard R. Riegert
Follow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus
This Sermons is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by an
authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.
Recommended Citation
Riegert, Eduard R. (1990) "Vision of peace," Consensus: Vol. 16 : Iss. 2 , Article 10.
Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol16/iss2/10
Vision of Peace
Eduard R. Riegert
Professor of Homiletics,
Waterloo Lutheran Seminary, Waterloo
Texts: Isaiah 2:1-5; Matthew 21:1-11
Lori visited Hiroshima. An 18-year-old from Mount Zion
Lutheran Church in Waterloo, she spent a year in Japan as an
exchange student. With her classmates she visited Hiroshima,
the first target of an atomic bomb on 6 August 1945. Some
250,000 people died there. Some were instantly evaporated.
Others died of massive burns or were crushed in collapsed
houses. Thousands died quickly or lingeringly from excessive
radiation. Some are still dying of that today. Lori knew that
before she went to Japan.
With her classmates she walked through the Peace Memo-
rial Museum. “I remember my friends holding each other and
sobbing as they filed past walls of pictures and burnt artifacts,”
she said. “It is impossible to describe the emptiness inside me
as I comforted a crying friend. What could I say?”
Lori and her friends had prepared for the trip by making
paper cranes, Japanese symbols of peace. She made 30 of them,
and altogether they laid 1,000 symbols of peace at the foot of
the cenotaph.
Remembrance Day that fall was different for Lori. “Re-
membrance Day before was listening to the older people talk
about the war. Though it was sad, it wasn’t real,” she mused.
“Now I cherish what I have, and hope for peace forever.” She
added thoughtfully, “It made me realize how a nuclear war
would destroy the world.”
In Hiroshima Lori discovered the reality and horror of war.
I would think the grand vision of Isaiah has now become im-
portant to her: hammering swords into plowshares and spears
124 Consensus
into pruning knives. Yes! For she shared war personally with
her classmates: “Now I hope for peace forever. I realize how a
nuclear war would destroy the world.”
However, Lori also had another reaction to Hiroshima. Her
parents went to Japan to visit her, and she took them to Hi-
roshima. This time her experience was quite different: “When
I was with my friends there, I was seeing it from inside, and
it was very emotional. But when I saw it with my parents, it
was like looking at it from the outside.” ^
Perhaps that double experience catches up our ambivalence
regarding war and peace. From “inside” we see war in its
horror. Nuclear war could wipe out life on Earth. Reeling
back from that unspeakable reality we cry, “Peace at all costs!”
From “outside” we see the unruliness of the nations, and resolve
not to let ourselves be pushed around. Canada lies directly
between the two superpowers and we cannot passively lie there:
we need to exert our sovereignty in the Arctic, and establish
our own foreign policy. And as we make such protestations,
war and peace become less easily defined.
Indeed, sometimes force seems to be the only way open. Our
Native Peoples have negotiated and negotiated with respect to
their land rights and the inclusion of their aboriginal rights
in the Constitution, but just when they seem to be getting
somewhere the minister holding the portfolio of Indian Affairs
and Northern Developments is moved to another department,
or the talks founder in that no-man’s land between Federal
and Provincial jurisdiction. And in frustration they wonder
if it is necessary to beat their plows into swords! Or if you
were a Black South African living in SOWETO and saw a wall
being built around your “homeland”, would you not grit your
teeth and fight the temptation to beat your pruning knife into
a spear? Sometimes force seems to be the only option.
Besides all that, arms making and selling is big business.
The world spends $1.5 million on arms every minute] That
represents a lot of jobs. Canada participates in that arms
manufacture and through her military contingents in West Ger-
many contributes significantly to the local economy. The West
Germans may not like Canadian and American bases, but the
presence of some 35,000 American military personnel in Nuern-
berg, for example, is a very nice economic shot in the arm!
Of Vision of Peace 125
Thus our ambivalence about war and peace. And as we
watch the uncovering of official, sub-official, and clandestine
arms trade networks linking the United States, Israel, Iran,
and Central America, with tendrils reaching into Canada, we
tend to despair: can anything be done at all to promote peace?
Is Isaiah’s vision merely wishful thinking?
Surely not! It is such a grand and noble vision. Jerusalem
is become a global focus (not such an extravagant idea, consid-
ering it is the sacred center of three great world religions, and
an east-west, north-south crossroads!). Much more, Jerusalem
is the mount of revelation: the nations come together seeking
a way to live. It is as though the nations come in humility
and in bankruptcy of spirit, saying, “There must be a better
way to live together.” And isn’t it just that plaintive, haunting
thought that makes this vision of Isaiah so provocative? Surely
there must be a better way to live together than this constant
bickering and fighting! Surely there are alternatives to the use
of force!
So we will not let this vision of Isaiah go.
What is God telling us with this vision?
God is telling us it is worthwhile having such a vision. You
may be cynical about the nations ever making peace: “That’ll
be the day!” you say. You may be realistic and say, “Such
a dream is a pipe-dream; we have to be strong.” You may
despair, and say, “What’s the use? People are violent and will
always be violent!” Nevertheless, it is worth having such a
vision of universal peace. Just think what it would be like if
no one held to the hope of peace!
And God is telling uSj ^This is my vision for the nations!^’
Because God is concerned about God’s children. In my studies
of the traditional spirituality and lifeways of the Native Peoples
I am impressed again and again by their unfailing perspective,
“What about our children?” The forest is there to be used...
“But what about our children?” The waters are there to be
drunk and played in... “But what about our children?” The
Earth’s bounties are for our livelihood... “But what about our
children?” We white folk seem to have little thought for our
children; we will cut down the last of the great forests for the
sake of a few jobs and some lumber products with never a
thought of the denuded land we leave for our children. We
pour our effluent into the waters and shrug our shoulders and
126 Consensus
make noises about the price of progress, seemingly unaware of
the poisons we are leaving for our children. God, too, says,
“What about my children? What about my creation? This
vision of peace is my vision for my children.” That makes it a
sacred vision we ignore to our peril.
God is telling us something more: “I need you to hear wit-
ness to my vision for my children.” “You see,” God is saying,
“there came a day when my Son stood at the gate of Jerusalem.
And everyone seemed to hold their breath. What they wanted
more than anything in the world was for him to turn his walk-
ing staff into a sword, mount a war-horse, and come charging
into Jerusalem. Oh, they thought, then the very armies of
heaven would come swooping down with trumpets blaring and
banners flying. And out of the hovels, caves, back alleys, and
secret hiding places guerilla forces would break into the open
and with the war-cry of ‘Son of David!’ on their lips they would
fall upon the Romans and set Israel free. Oh, it would be a
slaughter! Roman blood would flow in the gutters; a Roman
life would pay for every violation and atrocity, every insult and
humiliation. The people wanted so much to be strong again,
and to be seen as strong in the eyes of their neighbors.
“My Son knew all that. And for a moment I think the
thought of power got to him. With a wave of his hand he could
mobilize hundreds of people and start a revolution sweeping
over the land like a grass fire. He would be a hero!
“Then he saw people begin to break branches off trees and
strip off the leaves to make clubs. He saw the glint of sun on
steel. For just a moment I think he regretted having sent his
disciples for a donkey...
“He accepted the donkey. He rode it into the city. An
animal not of war but of peace.... I was so proud of him!
“But he paid for it. People want military heroes. They
want stories of war they can tell their grandchildren, stories of
blood and valor. So finally my Son was killed. And oh! it was
a day of judgment ... It exposed the huge violence in people.
The mothers knew it was a day of judgment. Mothers know
about war because mothers know about children.
“My Son bore witness to my vision of peace....
“Now I need you to bear witness to my vision of peace for
my children. It is really not such an impossible vision. No more
impossible than that my Son who was dead is alive again!
Vision of Peace 127
“Will you, like him, bear witness to my vision of peace for
all my children?”
Let us pray:
0 God of power and love, look in mercy upon our war-torn
world, which still is your world.
You have made it; in it you delight to work; you have re-
deemed its people.
Grant reconciliation, we ask, between person and person,
nation and nation, through the power of that great peace made
by Jesus your Son.
May your servants not be troubled by wars and rumors of
wars, but rather look up because their redemption draws near.
And when our King returns, may he find many waiting for
him, and fighting with his weapons alone.
We ask this in the King’s name, Jesus Christ your Son our
Lord. Amen.
2
Notes
^ From an interview with Lori Main, Waterloo Chronicle^ 19 November,
1986.
^ Dick Williams, ed.. Prayers for Today's Church (Minneapolis: Augs-
burg Publishing House, 1977), 76f.


Vision of peace

Wilfrid Laurier University

ConsensusVolume 16Issue 2 Lutheran Pietism Article 1011-1-1990Vision of peaceEduard R. RiegertFollow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensusThis Sermons is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by anauthorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.Recommended CitationRiegert, Eduard R. (1990) "Vision of peace," Consensus: Vol. 16 : Iss. 2 , Article 10.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol16/iss2/10Vision of PeaceEduard R. RiegertProfessor of Homiletics,Waterloo Lutheran Seminary, WaterlooTexts: Isaiah 2:1-5; Matthew 21:1-11Lori visited Hiroshima. An 18-year-old from Mount ZionLutheran Church in Waterloo, she spent a year in Japan as anexchange student. With her classmates she visited Hiroshima,the first target of an atomic bomb on 6 August 1945. Some250,000 people died there. Some were instantly evaporated.Others died of massive burns or were crushed in collapsedhouses. Thousands died quickly or lingeringly from excessiveradiation. Some are still dying of that today. Lori knew thatbefore she went to Japan.With her classmates she walked through the Peace Memo-rial Museum. “I remember my friends holding each other andsobbing as they filed past walls of pictures and burnt artifacts,”she said. “It is impossible to describe the emptiness inside meas I comforted a crying friend. What could I say?”Lori and her friends had prepared for the trip by makingpaper cranes, Japanese symbols of peace. She made 30 of them,and altogether they laid 1,000 symbols of peace at the foot ofthe cenotaph.Remembrance Day that fall was different for Lori. “Re-membrance Day before was listening to the older people talkabout the war. Though it was sad, it wasn’t real,” she mused.“Now I cherish what I have, and hope for peace forever.” Sheadded thoughtfully, “It made me realize how a nuclear warwould destroy the world.”In Hiroshima Lori discovered the reality and horror of war.I would think the grand vision of Isaiah has now become im-portant to her: hammering swords into plowshares and spears124 Consensusinto pruning knives. Yes! For she shared war personally withher classmates: “Now I hope for peace forever. I realize how anuclear war would destroy the world.”However, Lori also had another reaction to Hiroshima. Herparents went to Japan to visit her, and she took them to Hi-roshima. This time her experience was quite different: “WhenI was with my friends there, I was seeing it from inside, andit was very emotional. But when I saw it with my parents, itwas like looking at it from the outside.” ^Perhaps that double experience catches up our ambivalenceregarding war and peace. From “inside” we see war in itshorror. Nuclear war could wipe out life on Earth. Reelingback from that unspeakable reality we cry, “Peace at all costs!”From “outside” we see the unruliness of the nations, and resolvenot to let ourselves be pushed around. Canada lies directlybetween the two superpowers and we cannot passively lie there:we need to exert our sovereignty in the Arctic, and establishour own foreign policy. And as we make such protestations,war and peace become less easily defined.Indeed, sometimes force seems to be the only way open. OurNative Peoples have negotiated and negotiated with respect totheir land rights and the inclusion of their aboriginal rightsin the Constitution, but just when they seem to be gettingsomewhere the minister holding the portfolio of Indian Affairsand Northern Developments is moved to another department,or the talks founder in that no-man’s land between Federaland Provincial jurisdiction. And in frustration they wonderif it is necessary to beat their plows into swords! Or if youwere a Black South African living in SOWETO and saw a wallbeing built around your “homeland”, would you not grit yourteeth and fight the temptation to beat your pruning knife intoa spear? Sometimes force seems to be the only option.Besides all that, arms making and selling is big business.The world spends $1.5 million on arms every minute] Thatrepresents a lot of jobs. Canada participates in that armsmanufacture and through her military contingents in West Ger-many contributes significantly to the local economy. The WestGermans may not like Canadian and American bases, but thepresence of some 35,000 American military personnel in Nuern-berg, for example, is a very nice economic shot in the arm!Of Vision of Peace 125Thus our ambivalence about war and peace. And as wewatch the uncovering of official, sub-official, and clandestinearms trade networks linking the United States, Israel, Iran,and Central America, with tendrils reaching into Canada, wetend to despair: can anything be done at all to promote peace?Is Isaiah’s vision merely wishful thinking?Surely not! It is such a grand and noble vision. Jerusalemis become a global focus (not such an extravagant idea, consid-ering it is the sacred center of three great world religions, andan east-west, north-south crossroads!). Much more, Jerusalemis the mount of revelation: the nations come together seekinga way to live. It is as though the nations come in humilityand in bankruptcy of spirit, saying, “There must be a betterway to live together.” And isn’t it just that plaintive, hauntingthought that makes this vision of Isaiah so provocative? Surelythere must be a better way to live together than this constantbickering and fighting! Surely there are alternatives to the useof force!So we will not let this vision of Isaiah go.What is God telling us with this vision?God is telling us it is worthwhile having such a vision. Youmay be cynical about the nations ever making peace: “That’llbe the day!” you say. You may be realistic and say, “Sucha dream is a pipe-dream; we have to be strong.” You maydespair, and say, “What’s the use? People are violent and willalways be violent!” Nevertheless, it is worth having such avision of universal peace. Just think what it would be like ifno one held to the hope of peace!And God is telling uSj ^This is my vision for the nations!^’Because God is concerned about God’s children. In my studiesof the traditional spirituality and lifeways of the Native PeoplesI am impressed again and again by their unfailing perspective,“What about our children?” The forest is there to be used...“But what about our children?” The waters are there to bedrunk and played in... “But what about our children?” TheEarth’s bounties are for our livelihood... “But what about ourchildren?” We white folk seem to have little thought for ourchildren; we will cut down the last of the great forests for thesake of a few jobs and some lumber products with never athought of the denuded land we leave for our children. Wepour our effluent into the waters and shrug our shoulders and126 Consensusmake noises about the price of progress, seemingly unaware ofthe poisons we are leaving for our children. God, too, says,“What about my children? What about my creation? Thisvision of peace is my vision for my children.” That makes it asacred vision we ignore to our peril.God is telling us something more: “I need you to hear wit-ness to my vision for my children.” “You see,” God is saying,“there came a day when my Son stood at the gate of Jerusalem.And everyone seemed to hold their breath. What they wantedmore than anything in the world was for him to turn his walk-ing staff into a sword, mount a war-horse, and come charginginto Jerusalem. Oh, they thought, then the very armies ofheaven would come swooping down with trumpets blaring andbanners flying. And out of the hovels, caves, back alleys, andsecret hiding places guerilla forces would break into the openand with the war-cry of ‘Son of David!’ on their lips they wouldfall upon the Romans and set Israel free. Oh, it would be aslaughter! Roman blood would flow in the gutters; a Romanlife would pay for every violation and atrocity, every insult andhumiliation. The people wanted so much to be strong again,and to be seen as strong in the eyes of their neighbors.“My Son knew all that. And for a moment I think thethought of power got to him. With a wave of his hand he couldmobilize hundreds of people and start a revolution sweepingover the land like a grass fire. He would be a hero!“Then he saw people begin to break branches off trees andstrip off the leaves to make clubs. He saw the glint of sun onsteel. For just a moment I think he regretted having sent hisdisciples for a donkey...“He accepted the donkey. He rode it into the city. Ananimal not of war but of peace.... I was so proud of him!“But he paid for it. People want military heroes. Theywant stories of war they can tell their grandchildren, stories ofblood and valor. So finally my Son was killed. And oh! it wasa day of judgment ... It exposed the huge violence in people.The mothers knew it was a day of judgment. Mothers knowabout war because mothers know about children.“My Son bore witness to my vision of peace....“Now I need you to bear witness to my vision of peace formy children. It is really not such an impossible vision. No moreimpossible than that my Son who was dead is alive again!Vision of Peace 127“Will you, like him, bear witness to my vision of peace forall my children?”Let us pray:0 God of power and love, look in mercy upon our war-tornworld, which still is your world.You have made it; in it you delight to work; you have re-deemed its people.Grant reconciliation, we ask, between person and person,nation and nation, through the power of that great peace madeby Jesus your Son.May your servants not be troubled by wars and rumors ofwars, but rather look up because their redemption draws near.And when our King returns, may he find many waiting forhim, and fighting with his weapons alone.We ask this in the King’s name, Jesus Christ your Son ourLord. Amen.2Notes^ From an interview with Lori Main, Waterloo Chronicle^ 19 November,1986.^ Dick Williams, ed.. Prayers for Today's Church (Minneapolis: Augs-burg Publishing House, 1977), 76f.

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