Sea day.

December 18, 2024

As we come to the end of the first year of this 3-year Hope for Today journey I asked myself what the common denominator was that I could find in the countries and cities we have visited. Unfortunately, the answer came too quickly: WAR.

In most countries the wages of war actually become attractions where tour buses bring excursions of tourists who clamor to see and take photos of the worst of man’s intentions.

It is not only the large cities, but the smallest of communities we have visited will have displays of the rages of war. In a small town outside of Cagliari, Italy, there was a display of a rare Italian military uniform from World War I. The reason for its rarity, most young Italian soldiers who died were buried in their uniforms. In Thessaloniki, Greece a manifesto was found of “Tenente” (Sargent) Emilo Salaris from Sanuri, Italy. Sargent Salaris was not found. In a small hamlet outside of Wiesbaden, Germany, a display showed the luck of a German solder’s helmet.

And let’s not forget how primitive the medical equipment was to serve these wounded soldiers as evidenced by this physician’s medical supplies.

The reality is that themes of war permeate our culture. Young boys around the world spend countless hours battling in war games, commonly referred to as “hack ‘n’ slack. The most popular of this genre, Fortnite has sold over 500 million copies worldwide, generating over 50 billion dollars in revenue. Camouflage clothing has become a fashion statement, and the defense budget of most countries is its nation’s biggest expenditure. In 2025, the US Department of Defense has requested 850 billion dollars representing 49% of all proposed discretionary funding for the year.

We are conscious of major conflicts such as those in Ukraine, Israel and most recently, Syria. But the truth is that most conflicts go unrecognized as we become immune to their impact. There have been no conflicts on the same scale as World War II, but did you realize that since 1946 there have been 285 major armed conflicts!

One might argue that many of these conflicts have been “religious wars”, and I cannot disagree. Man has the tendency to pervert the highest of ideals. As the song said: “You always hurt the one you love, the one you shouldn’t hurt at all. You always take the sweetest rose and crush it until the pedals fall”.

Is peace even possible?

We ridicule beauty contestants who answer “peace on earth” to the question of what their deepest desire is.

My friend, Dudley Hall, a recognized theologian, would prescribe that peace is not possible on this earth because this is not the kingdom that we were intended to inherit. Many pray the Lord’s Prayer, commonly referred to as the “Our Father” and do not recognize that is exactly what they are petitioning for: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.”

During this season many send out holiday cards with these greetings in most popular order: #1 Merry Christmas, #2 Joy to the World, #3 Peace on Earth/Prince of Peace.

Who exactly is this Prince of Peace?

The title “Prince of Peace” ascribed to Jesus comes from the prophecy in Isaiah 9:6, which declares, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Large-scale military warfare has been happening for as long as humans have had access to weapons. This Christmas, perhaps it is time to consider another alternative.

What we have been doing surely isn’t working.

The genesis for this lengthy blog today was two photos I saw in this morning’s digital edition of The New York Times that were describes as two of the best photos of 2024.

We have to do better.

Thanks for travelling with us.