Sunday, November 12, 2006

How to Stop War Forever

Have you ever wondered what the Bible means when it talks about beating swords into ploughshares? After thousands of years of war it comes over as rather an idealised picture doesn't it? No more war, just living off the land, everyone in harmony.

But how is such a vision to be achieved? Well, I'm preaching on that very subject this morning - at one of our Remembrance Sunday services - focusing on the book of Micah (from where that stuff about swords and ploughshares comes from). If you are interested in reading the sermon, click here.

Essentially it boils down to this: Micah tells us to stop chasing after stuff. It is consumerism in all its forms which drives us to war. Greedy people take the resources of others, then those others have to fight to get back what is theirs. Simple really.

And what are we to do about this? Shrug our shoulders and say "it was ever thus" - or be courageous (as we are being asked to do with respect to global warming) and take one small personal step to curb our own consumerism.

Not a bad goal just before the orgy of consumerism that Christmas has become!

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