Holocaust Remembrance/Peace Sunday

April 15, 2007

Led by the Peace Issues Task Force of the Social Action Committee

First Universalist Unitarian Church of Wausau, Wisconsin

Prelude “Imagine” played by Rick Beckel

Chalice Lighting - George G. Brooks Read by Blaze Burton

May we light this chalice to honor our past:

for brave Unitarians who risked to provide refuge for the persecuted in the past;

for our Service Committee's earliest days,

when its logo enabled the persecuted to find a safe haven.

May we light this chalice to endorse our present:

for our commitment to truth and freedom,

without which right relationships are impossible;

for our commitment to character and honor,

without which our dignity is a sham.

Let us light this chalice to symbolize our future:

for a brighter future for every person on earth;

for a sustaining faith that carries us through even the darkest of times.

Reflection adapted from a sermon by Rev. Sharon Dittmar Read by Jane Beckel

Chalice of our faith

Today is Holocaust Sunday. We are reminded to our connection to this event by our Chalice.

Our flaming chalice was designed in the early 1940s by an Austrian refugee and artist named Hans Deutsch, who was rescued from the Nazis by the Unitarian Service Committee. Fleeing the Nazis, Deutsch escaped to France and then to Portugal. Before the USC made possible his final escape to America in 1941, Deutsch designed the flaming chalice as a symbol for the USC. The design was described with these words, "The symbol represents a chalice, with a flame burning in the holy oil of helpfulness and sacrifice - spreading warmth and light and hope." Out of humanitarian need and effort our chalice was born.

The symbols of flame and chalice were well chosen. Fire or flame is an ancient symbol that appears in many religions, symbolizing everything from destruction and rebirth to purity and wisdom. In astrology, fire is one of the four major elements. In mythology the phoenix rises from the flames. The Buddha advises "Be lamps unto yourselves."

Fire [is] an ancient symbol of the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of God, connected with the Holy Spirit in Christianity, the burning bush in Judaism, the supreme Lord of Wisdom in Zoroastrian traditions, and purification and sacrifice in many traditions. [It is also connected to] the light of liberty, of learning, the flame of wisdom [the Statue of Liberty].

The chalice cup has even more meaning. The chalice is also an ancient symbol "in Christianity [it was a symbol of the] communion, the cup of the Last Supper and the Holy Grail; the Cup of Elijah in the Passover seder, also a pre-Christian feminine symbol of fertility, abundance . . . and creativity."

The chalice is a constant in our denomination. Artists and designers have created it in a variety of shapes and forms, but it is always recognizable as the symbol of Unitarian-Universalism. More than a logo or a "signature piece", it represents something unifying in a faith where diversity of belief and freedom from dogma is of prime importance. I believe that UU Christians, humanists, agnostics, earth-centered spiritualists and others are able to come together for worship, reflection, and intellectual stimulation and share the connection represented by the flame of the chalice. I immediately feel at home when I visit another UU congregation and experience the chalice being incorporated into its worship and elsewhere.

It is good to have a symbol that is both unifying and diverse, a symbol that authentically represents who we are, a group of religious seekers with shared values of truth, freedom, compassion, and hope. The chain is not always obvious. We are not an association that can trace its history through scriptural interpretations, councils, and religious leaders. We are an association that traces its history through a continuity of ideas like freedom and religious innovation.

We are a rich and vibrant association with a full history and tradition. Let's honor and use it. Our flaming chalice began with a Service Committee to aid refugees. Created by one of those escaping refugees, the flaming chalice is an ancient symbol of god, truth, purity, wisdom, sacrifice, and renewal. It is both a remembrance of religious and intellectual freedom, and a reminder of our diversity and unity.

Together we tend the flame by supporting Unitarian Universalism. When our chalice is lit we can be proud to be a Unitarian Universalist. Former Secretary General of the United Nations, Dag Hammarskjold, once wrote "Each morning we must hold out the chalice of our being to receive, to carry, and to give back." Such is our legacy. May it always be so.

Song - “Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream”

Responsive Reading 594 Principles and Purposes for All of Us

Peace Jam Report Blaze Burton

Sharing Our Gifts “One Tin Soldier” sung by Lisa Akey and Joni Hahn

Message 1

A peace service at First UU Church of Wausau. What are we thinking?

First, being UUs, we don't all necessarily support all the policies which the Social Action Committee promotes. If you disagree with our message, we acknowledge your views and concerns.

Second, while our Government insists that they will settle for nothing less than victory, are we a little deranged for thinking that anything we do will make a difference?

Third, we are not the Religious Right. Will it make any difference what we do or say here?

Have you heard the story of the CNN reporter and the Jew? There was an old Jewish man in Jerusalem who had been going to the Western Wall to pray twice a day every day for a very long time. She wanted to interview him, and when she found him, standing at the wall praying, she introduced herself and asked,

“How long have you been coming here twice a day to pray?”

The man answered, “About 60 years.”

“That’s amazing!” said the journalist. “What do you pray for?”

“Peace,” replied the old man. “I pray for peace between the Christians, Jews and the Muslims. I pray for all the hatred to stop and I pray for all our children to grow up in safety and friendship.”

“And how do you feel after doing this for 60 years?” asked the woman.

“Like I’m talking to a damn wall!” said the man.

(Presented as a skit featuring Blaze Burton as the reporter and John Faville as the Jewish man.)

As we sit here, gathered as a people of faith, a worshipping community on Holocaust Remembrance Day, we must ask ourselves, what are we being called to do and to be in the face of war and violence and hatred? And, are we just talking to a wall?

We look to our traditions, our Principles and Purposes, we look into our own hearts. And we know that we are being called to transcend that selfishness and pride and arrogance and greed and vengeance that comes so naturally. We know that peace is the way.

Knowing it and manifesting it are two different things. Most of the time, cultivating peace in this contentious world seems out of our reach. Yet, time and again American leaders have issued warnings and offered advice, which has been forgotten.

In his farewell address, President George Washington advised Americans to, “Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all. Religion and morality enjoin this conduct.”

In the 1930s, a highly decorated Marine Corps general, Smedley Butler, disturbed by his participation in various military interventions around the world, declared that war is a racket and that we need a constitutional amendment to guarantee everlasting peace to our nation.

President Eisenhower – General Ike – also saw the futility and the lie of war. In his farewell address, he warned the nation of the “military-industrial complex,” and of the “misuse of power.”

Senator John McCain, interviewed in the documentary “Why We Fight,” said that President Eisenhower’s fear has come true: We are caught in a powerful military-industrial complex, which saw profits for a number of industries rise over 25% since the beginning of the war in Iraq. Now, he seems to be caught in it as well. Said one war historian, “when war becomes that profitable,” there is little motivation to prevent or end it.

So, we live in a militaristic country, in a time of heightened violence. Is there any possibility for peace, ever?

The Iraqi situation has our attention most often now. But, there are at least a dozen – at minimum – armed conflicts underway in the world; border conflicts, religious conflicts… in Chechnya, Russia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Colombia, Sudan, Somalia, Algeria, Afghanistan, Burma, Darfur, Northern Ireland… Israel, Palestine.

And while our Government seems determined to stick its nose into most of those places, what happens in Israel and Palestine especially affects our country.

When I think about Israel's past, I also think about the Unitarians, such as Rev. Waitstill and Martha Sharp, who risked their comfort and safety to help refugees from the Nazis escape from Europe.

When I think about Palestine, I think about Rachel Corrie, the young American woman I profiled last month in a pulpit editorial. She chose to sacrifice her comfort and safety to try stop the state violence against Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and was murdered by a D-9 militarized bulldozer provided to the Israeli Army by the American Government.

Why do they hate us, in Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, and around the planet? They hate us because America supports Israel – not only with words, but with vast amounts of money for weapons – according to the editor of Sojourners magazine, over 3 billion dollars annually—for decades. This is one reason that those in Israel’s peace movement who initially supported Israel’s military response to the attacks by Hezbollah, ended up calling for a cease-fire and lamenting the force with which Israel was attacking the citizens of Lebanon. Even with the help of Syria and Iran, there was no way that the forces of Hezbollah could inflict as much damage on Israel, given that Israel has behind it the most powerful country in the world. According to Jim Rice, editor of Sojourners, Lebanon suffered casualties at the rate of ten times that of Israel.

Yet, despite that, and despite the tragic loss of Israeli lives as well, our government was insisting that a cease-fire would be “premature” until we could get to the “root cause” of the conflict. Former ambassador Bolton recently revealed that meant the destruction of Israel’s enemy. Meanwhile, the US resupplied Israel, in violation of US and International law, a thousand Lebanese civilians died, and much of the country was destroy. What were they thinking?

Meditation “Let There Be Peace” sung by Lisa Akey, Joni Hahn, and Clare Lantzer

Message 2

All of the world’s great religious traditions, in one form or another, share a belief in the primacy of what we commonly call the Golden Rule. Confucius articulated it around 500 B.C.E.: "Do not do to others as you would not have done to you." As Unitarian Universalists, the living tradition which we share draws from many sources, including from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life; and, Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God's love by loving our neighbors as ourselves.

If the Bible says “God is love,” why is there so much violence concentrated in the Middle East, the birth place of the sacred holy books of three major religions?  Is it due to lack of religion? A recent Newsweek poll found that 90% of Americans say that they believe in a god and 2/3 have a connection to a religion. So, where's the love in American foreign policy?

Maybe what the world and the Middle East needs is Jesus. Perhaps the Prince of Peace will help heal the holy land.

Let’s see, Jesus said, according to Matthew 5:39, that if someone hits you on your right cheek, offer him your left cheek to also hit.

Jesus said to his disciples again, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:21)

Looking a little further, we run into confusion. Here, Jesus sounds kind of violent! Matthew 10:34 has Jesus saying that he did not come to bring peace, but a sword! And in Luke 22:36, Jesus says if you don’t have a sword, sell your garment and buy one!

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The following section was not read during the service due to a mistake during photocopying. Opps!

Maybe the Jewish holiday of Passover, which was held early in April, will help to heal the hatred in the Middle East. The lovely Passover Bible story is based on the Bible god slaughtering all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, even the firstborn of the animals. The Passover seems like a great vehicle for peace!

Of course, the Pharaoh is to blame for all the butchering . . . oh, I forgot, the reason Pharaoh didn’t release the Jews is because the Jews’ god “hardened his heart,” Exodus 11:10 among other places. 

Israel has been successful in transitioning from victims of the Holocaust to a nuclear super power in the Middle East. But, what have they lost in doing so? Their applications of military power against their neighbors and the people under their control seem to be counter productive if their goal is peace.

I wonder what happened to the Jewish ethical teachings of Israelis between the establishment of their country and today? Have they set aside their values when they seem to conflict with their political life? Gee, where else have we seen that happen?

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Perhaps the Prophet Muhammad has the key to peace in the Middle East! In the Koran, it says that Allah doesn’t like aggressors. It even says at Surah 2:190 “begin not hostilities.”

But like the New Testament, it gets ambiguous at Surah 8: 15-17, which seems to say Muslims should wage war on unbelievers and not turn their backs on them in battle. Muslims should show no mercy towards unbelievers, according to this quote from the holy book, the Koran.

But, despite mixed messages, it is our practice try to take the best part of other religions.

Maybe the answer to peace in the Middle East isn’t in any of the three holy books of the three Abrahamic “revealed” religions. Maybe it has to come from us, the people. If people put pressure on the religious leaders from each of the Abrahamic religions to hold a joint meeting and each one openly declared at that meeting that they reject and rescind the teachings in their various holy books that promote their own supremacy over everyone else, that they reject scripture which paints their god as a butcher of men, women and children, that they make no claim to divine real estate deals and promise to use their god-given reason instead of their man-made holy books from that point forward, peace would finally reign in the Middle East. And, beyond.

Imagine; imagine spreading our contagious visions of peace to overcome the vicious disease of war! We must work together with the larger interfaith community of peacemakers, to widen our vision – to allow our despair for the world to be our beginning point from which we look beyond the evidence thrown at us daily – evidence that tells us that war is inevitable, that our enemies are unreachable, that there is no hope of peace that there is only “a damn wall.” We must take “heroic…leaps of faith” into new possibilities, “contagious” visions of a world free of violence and hatred, where children everywhere can live not only with hope, but with optimism because the evidence has changed.

Perhaps there is another Rev. Waitstill or a Rachael Corrie in a UU congregation, thinking about what they can do for peace. Maybe that person is sitting here. We know that Universalists and Unitarians have been in the forfront of movements to end slavery, racism, discrimination and war. Will that activism only be part of our history, or part of our future?

This is why we come together as a Beloved Community – to help each other take those “leaps of faith.” We do this with joy, with hope and with courage, knowing we are held always in the Love that will not let us go.

Blessed Be

Benediction 709 James I read by Jess Bowers

Be doers of the word and not merely hearers.

Those who look into the perfect law,

the law of liberty and persevere,

being not hearers who forget

but doers who act--they will be

blessed in their doing.

Postlude

“Give Peace a Chance” John Lennon Congregation sign along, with great enthusiasm!

notes

Ideas and phrases were borrowed from the sermons of several UU ministers, including Rev. Paige Getty, Reverend Anne Felton Hines, and Rev. Robert Hardies.

The award winning documentary, “Why We Fight”, is on DVD and available for sale or rental. It is in the UWSP Library if you want to use interlibrary loan and the video rental places probably have it in the documentary or special interest section.