"So what will we do if the bombing starts?"

This question came up today as the CPT delegation met to discuss our imminent bus trip into Iraq. This "what if" question, which had been directed at many of us prior to leaving our home communities, now took on new meaning inside our hotel room in Amman, Jordan. As we waited to hear if everyone received their Iraqi visas, I found myself thinking about those back home who said to me, "Oh, you are so brave to go to Iraq right now. I admire your courage." But what does courage really mean for people of faith?

One thing I know as I get ready to head into Iraq is that courage need not be something to admire from a distance. When thousands of people are working for peace, praying for peace, donating money for peace, holding banners on street corners for peace, then that is courage and I want to get in on the action. When words of truth are being spoken in the midst of hatred and distrust, then that is courage and I want to sign up. And when God walks ahead of us to make a way out of no way, then that is courage and I want to be in that number.

In our delegation meeting we talked about some possible scenarios involving military action, and the recognition of risk was accompanied by a very strong sense of affirmation and trust in the delegation group. Even more importantly, it felt like there was a buoyancy of faith both as we prayed together and as we shared our hopes for the coming days.

What I took away from today's delegation meeting was that I am not called to live my life only within the framework of "risk-free" security - otherwise I would never step into a motor vehicle or walk across the street. In the case of Iraq, I proceed with a strong sense of hope and a deep excitement about the experience, skills, and spirit of the delegation members.

Granted, it takes courage to be "extension agents" for hope during these days of distrust and fear. It takes courage to hope when the newspaper headlines speak of inevitable violence. It takes courage to hope when tens of thousands of soldiers pack their bags and march off to the Persian Gulf. Nevertheless, hope remains a necessary condition for any kind of peacemaking activity because without hope we are left alone and vulnerable to our fears. Especially in this situation, I would rather be vulnerable to the transformative power of God than the hopelessness of fear.

My final thought about courage comes from the song "God of grace and God of glory." Harry Emerson Fosdick wrote this powerful hymn during the turbulent times of the Second World War, and to sing this song is to pray that God might "heal us from our warring madness." The chorus concludes with the words, "grant us wisdom, grant us courage, for the facing of this hour."

As our delegation plans the trip to Baghdad, our courage and our wisdom must be grounded in the One who is deeper and broader and wiser than us. With such grounding, our journey in Iraq can be more powerful than we imagine. With such grounding, the peacemaking activities of everyone around the world can indeed halt the ships of state.

God of grace and glory, grant our delegation wisdom and courage as we enter Iraq. And even more so, grant wisdom to our world leaders and grant courage to people everywhere to act quickly and faithfully to stop this harebrained war. Give us the guts to follow in your way. AMEN.

------

top >>