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FridayA different way of lifePut your sword back into its place; for all whotake the sword will perish by the sword.—Matthew 26:52We cannot have peace if we are only concernedwith peace. War is not an accident. It isthe logical outcome of a certainway of life. If wewant to attackwar, we have toattack that wayof life. —A.J.MusteWe live in aworld that atbest seesviolence as anecessary evil.Some of that violenceresults from aneed to have andprotect privileges andmaterial things. Upholding differentpriorities and values is an activeway to promote peace.SaturdayCreative solutionsYou have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for aneye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you,Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikesyou on the right cheek, turn the other also.—Matthew 5:38, 39Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presenceof creative alternatives for responding toconflict—alternatives to passive or aggressiveresponses, alternatives to violence.—Dorothy ThompsonSometimes conflict results from a lack of imaginationof how to solve things differently.Surely the Creator of theuniverse can provideenough creativityfor differentresponses toconflict, responsein which anenemy can beturned into afriend.SundayIncreasedvisibilityYou are the light of theworld. A city built on a hillcannot be hid. No one after lighting alamp puts it under the bushel basket,but on the lampstand, and it giveslight to all in the house. —Matthew5:14,15Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,committed citizens can change the world. Indeed,it is the only thing that ever has. —MargaretMeadPeacemaking is an action, not an ideology. If warresisters are not diligent in their objections and intheir work for peace, Jesus’ message of peace willnot prevail.OntarioThis devotional guide is part of Peace Sunday Packet 2006 produced by Mennonite Central Committee Ontario. If youhave comments or feedback, email peacepacket@mennonitecc.ca or call 1-800-313-6226 ext. 3006
Rooted in ResistanceStories and ReflectionsOne of the most meaningful ways to inspire congregationsto resist war is to tell stories of thosewho have faced the tough choices of peacemaking.Following are some stories that can be used in theworship service, as inspiration, or as discussionpoints.CO’s sitting at theentrance of a tentin Clear Lake,Riding MountainNational Park.MHC Ed Brooks PhotoCollectionConscientious objection did not begin with the war resisters in the1940s. The thread of resistance to evil systems began already inOld Testament times, in stories like the midwives in Egypt(Exodus 1:15-22) or Daniel and his friends (Daniel 3 and 6).Jesus went on to model firm but loving confrontation of thestatus quo. The early church wrestled to understand what followingJesus meant in their Roman context. The Church andstate became allied during the Emperor Constantine, and the “justwar” framework was elaborated. The Anabaptists were imprisoned and gave up their livesin opposition to laws that ran contrary to their non-violent convictions. People in Canadaharboured runaway slaves because of their beliefs against slavery. And so on.The peace churches have historically called their position one of non-resistance, a referenceto the choice against violence. While building on this historical understanding, this packetemphasizes that for followers of Christ choosing against war and in favour of peacerequires active resistance to the forces of violence in our world. 1God has been inspiring and empowering peacemakers in all of history, leading up to thispoint. It is now our turn to continue the work of resisting war and cultivating peace.The Church tills the soil for conscientious objectionDuring World War I, there was no official option to be a conscientious objector in Canada,and this created many conflicts for the young men at the time. Some even suffered anddied because they refused to fight. Because of this experience, church leaders took on thetask of actively intervening with the government seeking alternatives in keeping with theirpeace theology. In November 1940, they met with Canadian government officials. As analternative to military conscription, they proposed a service administered by the churchthat would be active in relief work, public works, forestry, and health and welfare services.The government representatives suggested instead a non-combatant service under militarycontrol and both sides became frustrated.At one point a heated exchange took place between Deputy Minister Lafleche and Rev.Jacob H. Janzen, one of the Mennonite leaders from Ontario.Lafleche asked: “What will you do if we shoot you?” Janzen, who had survived severaldesperate situations in the Soviet Union became agitated and replied: “Listen, General, youcan’t scare us like that. I’ve looked down too many rifle barrels in my time. This thing hasbeen in our blood for 400 years and you can’t take it away from us like you’d crack apiece of kindling over your knee. I’ve been before a firing squad twice. We believe in this.”Eventually, the delegation’s persistence paid off, and the alternative service option wasapproved. —adapted from www.alternativeservice.ca71For further reflection see Tom R. Yoder-Neufeld, Resistance and Nonresistance: The Two Legs of a BiblicalPeace Stance cited in the “Turning over the soil” section.
Page 1 and 2: Cultivating Peace:Courage, Conscien
Page 5 and 6: Cultivating Peace:Courage, Conscien
Page 10 and 11: On becoming a COHow does one learn
Page 12 and 13: swords into ploughshares. Is.2:4Str
Page 14 and 15: Committed even unto death:the story
Page 16 and 17: Public witness for peaceToday there
Page 18 and 19: Objecting to paying for warCanadian
Page 20 and 21: Our task is not only to keep our so
Page 22 and 23: Litany of ResistanceJim Loney, who
Page 24 and 25: Mennonite Church ManitobaTo listen
Page 26 and 27: Love your enemies. Mt 5:44More Old
Page 28 and 29: Digging deeperThese reflections on
Page 30 and 31: inevitable, the last and often firs
Page 32 and 33: Learning in ActionCO RegistryA numb
Page 34 and 35: Peacemakerswho sow inpeace raise ah
Page 36 and 37: The Powers That Be: Theology for a
Page 38 and 39: AppendixSample sermonBlessed Are th
Page 40 and 41: Readers’ theatreO Bind Us in That
Page 42 and 43: Voice 3: Blessed are those who trus
Page 44 and 45: How did the church/family react to
Page 46 and 47: pious answers, and sitting back to
Page 48 and 49: “Our beards,” Joseph interjects
Page 50: Peacemakerswho sow inpeace raise ah

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