The Peace Vigil
Before the war in Iraq

        Last evening, between my day job and my night job, I and 220 others held a Vigil for Peace down by the mall in Ventura.  It was very touching to see all of us standing there in the cold and wind.  There were oldsters like me, who dated back to protesting the war in Vietnam, to the young families who were teaching their children that Democracy means that everyone has a voice, even the smallest.  It was a struggle to keep our flames from blowing out and we were constantly re-lighting our candles from one another. 

    It reminded me of when we used to do the candle lighting services in Church, except that inside the church we were safe from the cold and the winds and also the jeers of passers-by. However, by being a witness to the world, we also found resonance with many who drove by honking their horns, making the sign for peace, and those who simply looked with questioning faces.

    I remember once saying to the congregation that they needed to remember that every time that they lit someone else's candle their own was in no way diminished, but was for a moment made brighter still as the other's began to blaze.  It became a privilege to light each other's candles because we lost nothing in that.

    I found myself humming our closing song for many of the churches I served, "Let There Be Peace on Earth".  I used to think, how wonderful that so many churches in our denomination also were singing that song at the same time, as they all ended their services.  This morning I looked at the website for the organizing group for the Peace Vigils and saw that there were over 6400 vigils in 129 countries that were involved. 

    The Archbishop Desmond Tutu, said, "On Sunday evening people in every corner of the globe will shine beacons of light throughout the world.  May our candles rekindle the light of reason and hope so that war will be averted in Iraq and peace will prevail in the world."   .

    Remember when we were all children and we sang, "This Little Light of Mind, I'm Gonna Let It Shine"?  Today, I am burning my candles, letting my light shine right here in my house.  Praying for all the children of our family -- all our planetary family -- that they, and I, can learn to live in peace. 

Maureen S. Christopher©