A Samurai, a Monk, and Peace.

THE GATES OF PARADISE
A soldier named Nobushige came to the Zen master Hakuin, and asked: "Is there really a paradise and a hell?"
"Who are you?" inquired Hakuin.
"I am a samurai," the warrior replied.
"You, a soldier!" exclaimed Hakuin. What kind of ruler would have you as his guard? Your face looks like that of a beggar."
Nobushige became so angry that he began to draw his sword, but Hakuin continued: "So you have a sword! Your weapon is probably much too dull to cut off my head."
As Nobushige drew his sword Hakuin remarked: "Here open the gates of hell!"
At these words the samurai, perceiving the master's discipline, sheathed his sword and bowed.
"Here open the gates of paradise," said Hakuin.

"You're familiar with the command to the ancients, 'Do not murder.' I'm telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother 'idiot!' and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell 'stupid!' at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill" - Jesus Christ, in Matthew 5: 21-22, The Message.

Rage is not good.  Whether you're a samurai about to chop someone's head off or a driver yelling at the guy who just cut you off in rush-hour, anger is not cool.  I like to think of myself as an even-tempered, slow-to-anger kind of guy but there are times when anger gets the better of me.  It should slip off like water off a duck's back... but sometimes it's like grease on a white shirt: it sticks, and it's ugly.

I always feel embarrassed afterward, like a petulant child that didn't get his way. Because I am surrounded by gracious people, I am forgiven and humbled. 

I pray that God continues to work at me, an imperfect person, so that I can speak Peace instead of War.

...and that God also endows those around me, especially my fiancee (ha!), with supernatural patience.  

Is it time to choose your own adventure?

Click here to read the e-zine

O Canada: armed and ready

Canadians do not usually think about Canada as being a militarized country. We are used to the jokes about our outdated military equipment and our lack of firepower. We are accustomed to hearing that our military spending is pathetic and our contribution to global security laughable. But let’s take a closer look. The reality is quite different.

Canada's military spending is significant, it is a leading exporter of military equipment, and it has been involved in war-fighting in Afghanistan for close to a decade. 

Visit the O Canada: armed and ready website and consider what this means.

http://canada.mcc.org/peace/projects/canadaarmed

Give what you have

Sinners are always wanting what they don't have; 

the God-loyal are always giving what they do have.

               Proverbs 21:26 (The Message)

"The last 100 years of nonviolence"

http://ontario.mcc.org/peace

A little with righteousness...

"Better a little with righteousness 

than much gain with injustice."

Proverbs 16:8

"My Life is my Message"

Camp Micah (http://www.campmicah.ca/), an inter-denominational peace and justice leadership camp run the last week of August for high school students, was a new experience for us.

As Mennonites we kind of thought we had the market cornered on peace and justice work, and it was exciting and refreshing to work alongside Catholics and United Church friends to instill alternative leadership skills in youth with a focus on peace and justice. Camp Micah uses all the normal camp activities (canoeing, low-ropes, games, and campfires) to create awareness about the importance of peace and justice in our everyday lives, and to challenge us to think about how we live our lives and, ultimately, what type of message we share with others by how we live.

My life is my message...  It was a catchy phrase to put on the t-shirts for Camp Micah.

Light a candle...

"Don't curse the darkness,

                                      light a candle”

~Chinese Proverb

A Peace Sunday Sermon: Part 4 of 4. Conclusion

Some final things to remember

Peace happens in relationship

Jesus, sometimes called Truth said:

Folks are lucky, blessed, fortunate, on the right track

by living out compassion

“dethrone [yourselves] from the centre of our world and put another there”[1]

This is the kindom of God

A Peace Sunday Sermon: Part 3 of 4. Remembering we live by a different story

We’re not alone, you know

Everyone wishes for Peace

Even beauty queens, with their tiara’s and sparkling dresses wish for …

[sigh] world peace

– someday

Everyone wishes for Peace

Even the Lennon’s who imagine no countries

[sung] and no religions too (Oh, oh – o-o-oh)

Everyone wishes for Peace

Even the folks who earnestly engage in war,

They believe that their show of mighty force will bring conflict to a speedy end:

“We’ll just go in,

strike with precision

and then we’re out.

Balance will be restored.

We’re helping people — oh, and democracy.”

But, as the general said on the radio: conflict is never that predictable

A Peace Sunday Sermon: Part 1 of 4. Remembering the victims of violence

Scripture: Matthew 5, Micah 6: 8

I remember, Je me souviens

I remember,

but mostly I’d rather forget

Mostly

I’d rather sit in my corner and cry, wail, lament

I remember the things we do and don’t do to each other:

war, injustice,

poverty, torture,

broken relationships, bullying, meanness, gossip, betrayal, …

I remember,

but sometimes I’d rather forget

Internship in Ottawa

A month ago I included some info about MCCs advocacy work in a post called Loving our Neighbour through Witness to Government.

Since I know this type of work interests many of you, I wanted to let you know of an opportunity to get involved...(see the info about internship possibilities below, copied from the MCC Ottawa office website)

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Mennonite Central Committee's Ottawa Office offers three unpaid internship terms each year. The dates for each are flexible and depend on the selected intern’s availability. Both full-time and half-time internships are available.

• Winter/Spring Term (January-April): applications will be reviewed starting November 15
• Summer Term (May-August): applications will be reviewed starting March 1
• Fall Term (September-December): applications will be reviewed starting July 1

The Advocacy Intern is part of a team that provides expertise and assistance for MCC Canada’s advocacy efforts.  For further information and to apply for this position, please contact Marsha Jones with a cover letter and resume.

Compassion :: This Generation

Attention youth and youth leaders...

For those of you in Kitchener-Waterloo...

What are you doing this Thursday?  And the next?  If you have some flexibility with your schedule I would encourage you to read on.  Below are two interesting events that you should to check out:

The first is an invitation from my friend Steve who works with Mennonite Coalition for Refugee Support to a Rally for Refugees on Nov. 4th.  The second, an invitation from my colleague Matthew to an Interfaith Peace Vigil on Nov. 11th.

"...democracy is not a spectator sport"

MCC's Ottawa Office tracks legislative developments in the Parliament of Canada that directly relate to our priorities, approaches, and values. It does this by documenting government or private member bills that have the potential to impact MCC's domestic or international program partners.

Follow the MCC Ottawa Office Legislation Log.

["Because democracy is not a spectator sport" ~ US presidential election slogan, Democrats (2004)]

Want to learn more about the whole federal parliamentary process?  Click here.

Walking with People in Poverty

Jesus announced his mission: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor…." 

And what is good news for the poor? 

Affordable housing, quality relationships, wages that sustain a dignified life, meaningful community, adequate social assistance, a valued voice in society … and much more. 

In Toronto, Kitchener and Timmins, MCC Ontario responds to poverty by walking alongside marginalized people with compassion and caring.

Listening: the best way to build peace

When dialogue is mentioned, most people associate it with talking.  Not so for the participants of The East-West Dialogue for Peacemaking, an event held this past June in Amman, Jordan.  Thirty participants from Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Israel, Palestine, Egypt, the United States, and Canada came away associating effective dialogue with good listening. The art of good listening, they learned, is key to effective dialogue and peacemaking.

During the 4-day conference, participants, both Muslims and Christians, spent intensive time together informally and in sessions developing relationships and learning from the rich and diverse experiences of each other. 

“When we build friendship we are one step closer to peace,” says Mouhammad Aref El Hassan, from Lebanon who was also at the conference in 2009. “…There are a lot of people out there that want to understand and to be understood.”

One of those people was Sara Anderson who attends Kitchener Mennonite Brethren Church and who recently completed her first year in the Global Studies program at Wilfred Laurier University focusing on Peace and Conflict in the Middle East and Muslim Studies.  She was interested in this Dialogue as a way of putting into action some of the lessons she learned in the classroom, and as a way to learn more about what it means to be a Christian in the world.  “I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the culture and customs in the Middle East and how I, as a Christian, am to live in a multi-faith world.”

Sara Anderson (far right) speaking with three participants from the Middle East

Loving our neighbor through witness to government

Many of you are energized by following Jesus call to love our neighbors.  There are many ways that you can do this and I would encourage you to think creatively with others about how this might look in your community.

One way to love our neighbours, both near and far, is through political advocacy.

When we claim that Jesus is Lord we are claiming that (as the early church and as many Anabaptist communities have done for 500 years) our political leaders and structures are not Lord. This doesn’t mean that we call for anarchy and disregard order.  But it means we must be willing to speak out (even to our government representatives) when our convictions as Christians come face to face with injustice.

Good thing we don’t have to go it alone…there are people that can guide us along the way.  To get you started, check out these helpful sites:

Advocating for a Poverty Free Ontario

MCC Advocacy Webpage

Profile: Kim Walker

Kim Walker shares her thoughts on MCC’s Enlace and Serving and Learning Together (SALT) programs, and her passion for connecting spirituality with working for peace and justice.

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arm:  You participated in the Enlace program in 2006.  What are some highlights from that experience?

Kim Walker:  Enlace was a great experience! Friendships made, mayan pyramids climbed, and soccer games with hordes of kids are just few of many great memories that come to mind.  Climbing Mt Pacaya was definitely a neat experience - we went so close to the top of the volcano that the bottom of my shoe started to melt!

For me though, the best part of the Enlace trip was how things that I saw and learned inspired me to focus less on myself and more on working for peace and justice.