Listening to the Angels
By Joe E Trull, Editor
On a dark, cold winter night above Shepherd`s Field just north of Bethlehem, a chorus of angels sang the first Christmas cantata: "Glory to God on high, and on earth peace among those with whom God is pleased" (Luke 2:14).
Every Christmas we too sing the message. We too pray for peace, work for peace, and believe that "peace on earth" is possible.
We are not naïve. Evil is ever present-we know that! Yes, there will always be "wars and rumors of wars"-Jesus warned of that (Mt. 24:6). Yet we still believe the ancient chorus of the angels, that peace on earth-not in heaven, but on earth-is possible. The shepherds hurried to see the Messiah, the One Isaiah had foretold to be the "Prince of Peace" (9:6). They believed the angels. Do we?
Two millenniums later, after a century of two world wars and countless conflicts, we still cling to that hope-the hope that peace is still a possibility in our war-weary world. But today we are not so sure. September 11 brought to our doorstep the recurring reality of violence and war. Perhaps we in America were deluded, thinking the battlefields would never come to our shores. Now that has all changed.
Does this make the angel`s message seem unbelievable? Is peace, real peace, just a utopian pipe dream?
We concur with the dictum of a previous Pope, "Si queres paz, lucha por la justicia-If you want peace, work for justice." The "War Against Terrorism" is a quest for justice.
Realistically, this war could be a "never-ending story." Terrorism, like death and taxes, seems to be endemic. If so, does the rustle of angel wings and the promise of "peace on earth" seem more like an illusion than a certainty?
A series of articles in this Christmas issue seeks to pose some answers:
Tony Campolo recently returned from Northern Ireland, where he has been working for peace. His insider`s look at the present discord, based on centuries of conflict between Protestants and Catholics, helps us understand the nature of hatred and violence, as well as the basis for future hope in that land and ours.
In his usual thorough and insightful style, Samford theologian William Hull provides a better understanding of how the September 11 event relates to a larger global and cultural conflict-you won`t read a better summation of Islam and its disdain with Western civilization than in his adapted sermon, "Religion and the World Crisis."
Of the immediate responses to the terrorist attacks of September 11, none seemed better than the brief but challenging call to Christians by ethicist Gilbert Meilaender.
After the attacks, ministers and talk-show hosts were deluged with the theodicy question, "Why did God allow this evil?" When Christian Century editor James Wall penned a review of an episode from television`s The West Wing last June, he never imagined the relevance of "Quarreling With God" for our present dilemma.
I have read many articles and essays on the biblical and historical traditions of Christians in response to war and violence. Inside is one by Baptist ethicist David Gushee-I would call it a classic. Be sure to read it.
As I write this piece, Robin Wainwright of the Holy Land Trust USA reports that at least 22 people from Bethlehem have died in the past ten days. If the story is accurate, the current cycle began on October 18th with the killings of three young men on Israel`s "wanted" list. However, the stories of the 19 others who died are more disturbing-one in particular. According to Wainwright, on October 20, 17 year old Johnny Thaljiah, an Orthodox Christian, was walking across Manger Square at noon, after worshipping with his family at Nativity Church. He was carrying his cousin`s baby when shot by a sniper from a faraway hill-he gently lay the baby down on the stones and then fell over dead.
The first words of the angel to the shepherds was, "Fear not!" As Americans buy gas masks and take double doses of Cipro, perhaps we too need the message of the angels. We too need reminding our ultimate hope is not in B-1 Bombers or bio-tech suits-it is in the kingdom of God.
This Christmas, listen to the angels. That`s why Jesus came-to help us find peace with God, to work for peace on earth, and to live in hope. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God" (Mt. 5:9).
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