Light One Candle

by Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach

Light one candle for peace
One bright candle for peace
He brings peace to every heart
He comes, he comes

This children’s song kept running through my mind this past Advent season, as I worked with Susan Mark Landis of Mennonite Church USA to promote a prayer and petition campaign for Iran and Iraq.

When my predecessor, Daryl Byler, traveled to Iraq in 2002, he presented hand-crafted oil lamps to religious leaders saying, “when you see this lamp, know that Mennonites in the United States are praying for peace between us.” In February 2007 a delegation of U.S. religious leaders made a similar presentation of lamps to religious and political leaders in Iran.

And so during this past Advent season, we invited congregations to follow up on this promise by lighting a lamp and praying for peace between our countries.We also encouraged congregations to sign petitions to their legislators, making their desires for peace known.

In the midst of this initiative, the U.S. intelligence community released their National Intelligence Estimate on Iran in early December 2007, stating their consensus view that Iran ceased its nuclear weapons program in 2003. This announcement brought relief to many who feared that U.S. military strikes were being planned against Iranian facilities.

But the calls for military strikes have not ceased since the report’s release. President Bush, on his trip to the Middle East earlier this year, reportedly reassured Israeli leaders that the intelligence report doesn’t reflect his own views. He publicly called Iran “the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism” and said that the danger must be confronted “before it’s too late.”

Unfortunately this approach of painting an entire nation as our enemy is not likely to enhance U.S. security in either the short or long term.

Its more likely effect will be to close openings for diplomacy, just when that space is so vitally needed for each nation to express its own perspective and security concerns.

Iranians have frequently expressed their desire for positive relationships with the U.S. public. This message was reiterated during a recent MCC delegation to Iran.

And it seems that many in the U.S. want to reciprocate. My husband and I recently attended a film sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution on the history of Iran. The large auditorium was packed full, and many had to be turned away at the door.

Building relationships, person to person and institution to institution, in the end lays a much stronger foundation for peace and security between our nations than any amount of saber-rattling ever can.

But it is critical that these relationships extend to the governmental levels as well. In late January, a resolution in support of stronger diplomacy with Iran was introduced in the House by Rep. Barbara Lee (H.R. 5056). Advocates are working to get a similar resolution introduced soon in the Senate.

These are the kinds of initiatives that we need to be supporting, as we light candles and pray for peace. For the Prince of Peace has indeed come and we are called to follow in his footsteps.