A Word from Laura: Armistice

As we celebrated Veterans’ Day this week, giving thanks for the faithful service of so many in our military, a friend reminded me that the day originated as Armistice Day, the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918 when the truce was signed to end World War I.

Armistice literally means “arms stand still” (from the Latin arma sistere). Congress declared the date “should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations.”

They had thought the armistice ended “the war to end all wars.” 102 years later we know otherwise.

Yet we need that spirit at work in the Congress now as much as ever, and not just for peace and good will between nations, but for peace and good will within our own.

You may have heard of efforts to work for returns to public civility in these days following the election. Braver Angels is one organization working to bridge partisan conversations and dialogue. You may also have heard some important critiques of the notion of civility, particularly when we see how efforts to silence those crying out on behalf of racial, economic, or other social injustices are couched as reminders to be “civil.” What civility looks like can depend on where society affords you privilege and what you think of the status quo.

As we look to what lies ahead, no matter where we are on the spectrum, our nation’s commitment to “peace through good will and mutual understanding” is crucial. We have been through four years of a leader who has no inclination towards such. But these four years have seen important movements, as women have been empowered by the MeToo movement, as the Black Lives Matter movement continues to grow.

As Christians, will we hold fast to peace, knowing that peace is not an absence of conflict, but working towards its transformation? Will we live with good will, remembering how to love another person without condoning their belief or their action?

We have some work to do, work that will require spiritual centering on our part. I hope you’ll join us for worship this week, as we are led by Rev. Alex McNeill, whose work with More Light Presbyterians has led that group in new directions of peace and justice that wrestle with privilege and intersectionality. I find Alex to be a great personal spiritual model of someone who embodies the kind of peace we seek, who speaks clearly in conflict and models love for those with whom we disagree deeply.

Through all of this, I continue to give thanks for you, and for our shared calling to armistice.

Towards peace with justice,
Laura