We Don't Hate You

On Easter morning I had to work. There's something sinister about that... working on the perfect day of rest, joy and victory! But I was covering for someone else so they could go to church. It felt like the right thing to do. 

Instead of whining, I got up extra early and went to the sunrise service at Christ Church. It was  fun singing hymns in the open air, watching people sit on picnic blankets and pet their dogs. It was as if all of creation was coming together to be a part of our resurrection celebration! 

I felt, somehow, God was going to speak to me that day. I didn't know how or what He would say, but I promised to listen for it. 

On the way from the service I was listening to a weekly podcast from Methodist Pastor Adam Hamilton's church (Church of the Resurrection) in Kansas City, Kansas. Resurrection is the largest Methodist church in the US, and most of its members are unchurched people: meaning, people who didn't grow up going to church. Pastor Hamilton is known for being able to reach people way outside our comfortable Christian communities. 

The sermon was about how Jesus taught peace through loving His enemies. As an example of how this might look, Pastor Hamilton mentioned a video made by a young Israeli teacher/graphic designer. 

If you're at all familiar with international relations or topical issues, than you're aware of the tensions between Israel and Iran. Both militarized countries are fearful and paranoid of one another, and Iranian leaders have openly talked about wiping Israel of the map. In response, Israeli leaders launched espionage missions in the country and threatened to bomb Iran in the not-so-far-off future. 

Worried his government's threats would create even more hate towards Israelis, this ordinary Israeli made a poster on his Facebook page declaring a message of unity. Watch him explain what happened next in this video:

Now, watch the video: 

This is video is what  happens when we stop being peace supporters and start being peacemakers. 

It's brilliance lies in the personal statements of real citizens. Social networking can help us be peace makers because it has the ability to personalize people from across the world like never before. 

I love this video because it calls out the existential "Us vs. Them" paradigm. We have to have our voices heard beyond policy makers and lobbyists. Pacifists will tell you non-violence is anything but passive. Non-violence, peace building, is an active, deeply personal, series of choices we make in our every day lives.

The 13th century Sufi poet Rumi said, "Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing, there is a field. I'll meet you there. When the soul lies down in the grass, the world is too full to talk about. ideas, language, —eve the phrase "each other"— do not make any sense." 

Jesus met with people in this field. He didn't speak grace and peace on the front lines or the negotiating table. Jesus spoke peace directly into people's lives — he lived it. 

Contrary to what many pop-atheists say about religion, I and many others believe God is not just another barrier to peace, but a commonality and a reality that unites rather than divides. God is the field on which we lay down our identities and meet each other's eye. 

Jesus teach me how to be a peace maker in my daily life. Illuminate the ways I have become a victim to tribal identities and personal pride. Help me to be someone who reaches out in love and actively practices reconciliation. Please help our country transform into a place where freedom and equality don't come at the cost of isolating and judging others. Erase our fears of the other. Flood us with your humility and vulnerability. 

i love you