Shared at the start of the sermon on Sunday October 15, 2023.

It’s been a horrific week for ordinary people in Israel and Palestine, where atrocities and suffering beyond words have happened on both sides. It’s been a heartbreaking week for anyone who cares about peace and justice, and we rightfully fear for where this violence will lead. I don’t have anything particularly wise to say about this; nor do I have the heart to say more than a few words about it. I only know that we are called to stand for peace and for justice. To resist the impulse to take sides, or to seek the false peace of neutrality, or of looking away.

I take hope from people and organizations working for peace, like the Parents Circle, a group of Palestinian and Israeli families which began almost thirty years ago, when parents on both sides who had lost children to the violence said “Enough.” Enough death, enough bereaved families. These parents concluded that the process of reconciliation between nations is a prerequisite to achieving a sustainable peace. They know firsthand what the leaders need to learn, that violence only creates more violence, that the way forward has to be through justice and reconciliation. 

(Here’s a conversation on NPR with two parents, one Palestinian, one Israeli, who have lost children to the violence.)