ALL WE ARE SAYING IS GIVE PEACE A CHANCE!

Yes, I grew up in the sixties—and yes, I know, “Get Over It” AND I missed some of the sixties, not due to drug use or dropping out, but rather because I was just too young (immature) and scared (there was lots to be scared of then!). For whatever reason I feel a lot of sixties feelings now that I’m as mature as I’m gonna get—and I’m more in touch with the sources of courage around me. Before the Iraq war I joined thousands of others down town to demonstrate against war and to stand for peace.

When one of our members was killed, the first Oregonian to be killed in Iraq, I did the memorial service as much as I could as a witness for peace. Brandon Tobler was a soldier for little more than a year of his life before he died, but he was the pride and joy of his mother from conception, a beautiful gift of life for his whole 19 years and 10 months. I had held him in my arms as a baby and let the cleansing, healing, claiming waters of grace pour over his head. He was a soldier but a short time, but he was a son of his parents and a son of God his whole life long.

When the opportunity came for our congregation to join an interfaith prayer service for peace followed by a procession to the Park Blocks to recreate an Arlington NW cemetery with over 1500 cardboard grave markers with the names of our slain US soldiers I wanted not only to join the throng, but to invite the congregation as well. So often I had gone alone, and while I had invited others to join, it was not as a congregation. So we called a special council meeting for after worship on February 27. Our president read the letter inviting our participation: putting the names of Redeemer Lutheran and Vernon Presbyterian among the sponsoring organizations, making a contribution to the costs of the service and procession, pledging people to come and most intriguing to me, making 50 cardboard grave markers with the names of 50 US soldiers. It was a good meeting. We talked about how it related to our newly adopted vision statement. We wrestled with the difference between a demonstration and a service. Someone asked if it was political, to which only a uneasy, “No” was answered, though I knew in my heart that while it is not political in the partisan sense (it makes no difference to me if President Johnson, a Democrat, or President Bush, a Republican, who is leading a war)—but how could war, especially one that has touched our community so deeply not be political in the sense of whole life of the nation? We agreed to join the service and procession, to send some money and to make 50 grave markers.

The next Sunday we had our list and 50 cardboard grave markers for the procession. During coffee hour we passed out markers and lists, and soon 30 markers were made! Children 8 and 10 years old, niece and nephew of a Vietnam veteran carefully transcribed a name to a marker. Their uncle took a marker to the side to add his memorial. I sat by Gordon, a veteran of WWII, and invited him to make a marker, which he did. I listened to another VFW member who worried, “You won’t be burning flags will you?” And when I had heard his story, he thanked me for listening—each knowing that though we were in different places we had at least heard each other out a little more. I looked around and the markers were rising from the coffee tables like prayers for peace. People were writing their vision for peace in large letters, like Habakkuk had instructed. We were not going into this alone, but as a community—and it felt very good.

On Sunday, March 20, Palm Sunday—and in our tradition “The Sunday of the Passion,” at 2:00 pm members of Redeemer/Vernon will join others from other religious bodies and other organizations in an interfaith service for peace at First Congregational, 1137 SW Broadway. We will process to the area designated Arlington NW to place our markers among the over 1500 others. We will pray and process together as a congregation which has made a public commitment to pray and work for peace.

I rejoice that we have matured in Christ to become peacemakers and that we have claimed the courage to act publicly in that role. It honors the name of the Prince of Peace. It honors the memory of Brandon Tobler and all who have had to go to war.

P.Moe
March 7, 2005