In the short ten years after union, the United Church
talked about many things bold and daring. They talked about the shortage of
jobs for newly ordained and commissioned clergy, how there were not enough
students going to school, and how congregations struggled during the great
depression to meet the needs of many desperate people. The church also debated the importance of
Jesus as a peace-maker. The 1936 general council voted on being committed to
peace, declaring “it’s determined opposition to war”[1] which sounded good and
noble. But then Hitler rose to power. War was declared by Britain and Canada in
September of 1939. A month later, 68 United Church ministers signed “A Witness
Against the War”, thinking that with the previous declaration, it would be an
acceptable witness to the importance of peace.
Instead, it sparked outrage, with newspaper articles across
the country condemning them. They were
accused of everything from treason to naivety.
They were seen as unchristian, cowardly, and being in league with Hitler
himself. The backlash was so intense
that 4 ministers were fired, including Rev. Robert Edis Fairbairn, the
organizer of the petition. Other
ministers kept their pulpits, and one fellow in Toronto found his congregation
growing because of his unpopular stand.
Still other clergy, like the one pictured above, the Reverend William
Alfred Seaman, signed up to be a chaplain in the Canadian Armed Forces. Padre Seaman left his congregation in Nova
Scotia and arrived in France just after D-Day in 1944. As a chaplain, he helped stretcher bearers
and did first aid on the battle front.
On July 14 while rushing to retrieve wounded soldiers in Normandy, he
was hit by an exploding mortar shell. He died of an infection a week later, on
his tenth wedding anniversary. [2]
Rev Seaman didn’t wear fancy outfits, he didn’t go parading
around in public showing off how holy he was.
Nor did Rev. Fairbairn his fellow clergy colleague. They were doing their best to model what they
thought God was calling them to. They
put their faith into action. Some folks
might have thought their sacrifices were controversial, or unnecessary or part
of their duty as Canadian preachers. But
these leaders witnessed to the best of their abilities to who they thought
Jesus was. And they knew, in a way that
I hope none of us here will ever know, the cost of putting their convictions to
the test and living up to the gospel.
Jesus would have approved. He didn’t have respect for
hypocrites whose faith didn’t cost them anything. He didn’t care for religious scholars more
interested in appearances than in God.
He disrespected spiritual leaders who were more interested in who they
knew, or how much influence they had or what special privileges they got for
knowing the right people. He learned
this from prophets like Micah.
Micah had the same disrespect for people who use their
authority to make the lives of less powerful people miserable. Micah spoke out against injustices done
against innocent people. And yet, while
Micah pulled no punches, we have to be more careful and intentional in our
words. Micah was Jewish, we are
not. Micah was able to separate his
faith community from the political leaders who claimed they were acting in the
best interests of the faith community.
This is not easy in our day.
There have been times when the United Church has been
accused of antisemitism by Jewish organizations. Whenever our church has asked questions about
conditions of people in Gaza, we had to be careful. We hosted visits to the
Holy Land that included trips to Palestine or Gaza. Our support of fair-trade initiatives means
that many households have bottles of Zatoun Olive Oil from Gaza farmers. We have Christian and Muslim partners in Gaza
who have worked for mutual peace for a long time, as well as Christian and
Jewish partners in Israel doing the same.
Somehow, we must not choose sides for one political group or another but
choose the side of those who don’t have a voice, the peaceful farmers, the
pregnant moms, the kidnapped concert goers, and the many children of both
faiths who have died because of this war. If Ireland could end the dreadful warfare nicknamed 'The Troubles', if South Africa could end Apartheid, if the United States could end racial segregation of everything from busses and toilets to restaurants and schools, surely it is time to end the violence in the Middle East.
What can we do to help? We can go to https://united-church.ca/social-action/act-now/humanitarian-crisis-middle-east It will take you to information on United Church partners in Gaza and Israel, where you can make a donation, matched by the Canadian Government, that will send aid to victims of the war. There are also prayers to read and a form to write a letter to your member of parliament about how you feel about what’s happening. If you have a phone, call your MP or call the United Church at 1-800-465-3771 to donate.. Remind your friends and neighbors that neither antisemitism or islamophobia, both of which are on the rise this month in Canada, are a healthy response to what is happening in the Middle East. Two wrongs don’t make a right.
On Remembrance Day, may we be willing to say that violence is
not the best solution, and that both sides need to come together to stop this
ancient vendetta. Jesus was Jewish and
taught us to love all our neighbors whether they practice our faith or
not. He would want us to act according
to our consciences as both Reverends. Fairbairn and Seaman did even though one
protested the war and the other died in the war. May we find their courage to work for peace
in our troubled times. Amen.
[1] P 52 The United Church of Canada A
History by Don Schweitzer
[2] Chaplain
among those Lost in Normandy 75 Years Ago | The United Church of Canada
(united-church.ca) accessed November 2, 2023
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