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Following Jesus in nonviolent struggle for justice and peace, we love our neighbors and enemies as God loves us all, becoming a peace church to share in Gods work to save the world.

Graduation Day -- Meditations for God's Peaceful People

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Make Me an Instrument of Peace

Meditations for God’s peaceful people by Karen Horst Cobb

The scripture is given for instruction in righteousness (justice) that we may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (II Tim 3:17)

This week's Meditation:

Graduation Day

Commencement often ends with the nostalgic march Pomp and Circumstance written by Sir Edward Elgar in 1901. The march was inspired by the speech in Act 3 of Shakespeare’s Othello. “…pride pomp and circumstance of glorious war.” Many who graduate feel they have emerged from battle and are now set free to create for themselves a new life.

A 50 year old person with perfect Sunday School attendance has approximately 2,190 hours of religious education. This is the equivalent of a doctorial degree. Historians debate the exact origins of the Sunday School movement but most consider Robert Raikes (1780 Gloucester England) the founder of the Sunday School movement. He was the Owner and editor of The Gloucester Journal and was moved to action by the injustices of child labor, debtors prisons and workhouses.

Children forced to work in factories six days a week and who gathered in alleys on Sundays began to attend Raikes Sunday School to learn to read and write. Other Sunday Schools were designed to address the needs of illiterate women in the lace and hosiery factories subjected to abusive working conditions, over crowding and disease. An employee described Raikes as “a good liberal master who paid good wages”.

Today Sunday School serves many purposes from the study of scripture to discussions of current events and socialization. We are encouraged and gain insight and personal edification. It is a school from which one does not graduate. Injustice occurs in all nations and communities past and present. Let us commence being instructed in justice….

Prayer: Lord thank you for the opportunity to teach and to learn. May we remember why we assemble together and may we walk in confidence that we are thoroughly equipped for very good work. Speak to the quiet places of our hearts and give us courage to face the injustices and to respond in righteousness. Amen.

Action:

Educate yourself about the School of the Americas. http://www.soaw.org/new/ (recently renamed WHINSEC -the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation) It is a combat training school for Latin American Soldiers at Fort Benning Georgia. Among the graduates are Manual Noriega and other terrorists from Panama, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, El Salvador. The alumni of this school have participated in massacres, assassinations and the overthrow of democratically elected governments who cooperate with multinational corporate interests. We remember the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero and the massacre of 14-year-old Celina Ramos, her mother Elba Ramos and six Jesuit priests in El Salvador and hundreds of other human rights abuses. Closing the school would send a strong human rights message to Latin America and the world. Let your voice be heard.

Next week, the week of June 5, Congress will vote on an amendment to close the School of the Americas (also known as WHINSEC). This is a US school of torture for south American military. Rep. McGovern (MA) will introduce an amendment to the Foreign Operations appropriations bill to cut the funding.

Also continue with lessons in peace making at

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