Peace on Earth


Yesterday I found a book in the book exchange booth outside our church that fascinates me. It was written by Lea Rabin in 1997 titled "Rabin  -  Our life, His Legacy." When Rabin was assassinated by a Jewish settler at a peace rally in Tel Aviv on November 4, 1995, the world was horrified. The Oslo Accords had just been signed and we hoped that a lasting peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians could be achieved. Yitzchak Rabin saw only one path for which there was no alternative - the path of peace. He believed that the Palestinians also wanted peace and needed it as much as the Israelis. And yet, this peace is long overdue.

Every year, a Peace Light is lit by a child in Bethlehem and it is distributed from the 3rd Advent Sunday.  Austrian radio initiated this beautiful tradition in 1986. The light is then brought to Vienna by plane, and from there, delegations of scouts pick up the light to distribute it in their home countries. When we spent Christmas in an Austrian mountain village,  we were delighted to receive the Peace Light on Christmas Eve, brought from one house to the next with tinkling bells on a horse-drawn sleigh. We kept the light burning in a lantern outside our front door over the holidays.

The world needs peace. But can a peace light can make a difference with all the problems and disputes we witness daily in the media? After all, it is only a symbol. The new German Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, was also presented with a Peace Light. She certainly needs this reminder as she works to promote inner peace in Germany.

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the angels appeared to the shepherds tending their flocks and praised God, saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men."[1] Could it be that the fact that we do not experience true peace in the Holy Land or elsewhere on earth is because we do not heed the first part of this sentence? Giving glory to God means more than just repeating these few words. When people give glory to God, it has an impact on their entire lives. To give glory to God means to acknowledge Him as the source of life and the authority for our way of life. This should have consequences that lead us to more peaceful interaction with each other.

Yitzchak Rabin's path to peace was abruptly stopped. Even though I would like to think that all people want peace, this is unfortunately not the case. We see that in our social environment as well. And yet we have such a great need for the peace that God proclaimed on that night in Bethlehem. In the whole world. In our country. In our private environment. Are we ready to commit ourselves and to carry the light of peace further?

 




Photo: Peace light DPSG

 


[1] "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,  Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'" Luke 3:13-14 KJV

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