Hamas terrorists attacked Israeli civilians and awakened war once again. My heart is breaking. My guess is yours may be as well. Israel and Palestine are interlocked in a seemingly ceaseless war where the losers keep mounting over time. For those of us who are Jews and Muslims, and for those who are Unitarian Universalists with Jewish or Muslim identity, the unfolding of these events can be particularly painful. 

Today, counting the losses of human life moves my spirit toward the practice of lamentation.  

When O Lord* will the fighting cease? 
How many departed souls, 
How many injured,
How many displaced and homeless will it take
For peacebuilding to become the answer. 

The soil is stained with the blood of ancestors – 
Theirs, yours, and mine – 

The ones who fled in terror,
The ones who barely survived the genocide,
The ones who fought in the wars,
The ones who funded the wars,
The ones who didn’t want to share their lands,
The ones who tried to share and succeeded, 
   and the ones who didn’t succeed,
The ones who forged relationships across borders of the heart,
The ones who dared to imagine and build peace,
The ones who never lost their humanity in the face of inhumanity,
The ones who didn’t know what to do 
   and the ones who thought they did,
The ones who were complicit and complacent
   and the ones who were compassionate and courageous.

We are the inheritors of a painful and potent legacy. 
We act as if we know what the dead would ask of us, 
But what if they would tell us there are no borders on the other side – 
No physical borders, no borders of the heart, no borders at all. 

Here on earth, today, we bear witness to borders – 
both sides of which have wailing people aching for their dead.

—

Sending love and care to all who need it this week. And remember, if you ever would like to set up a pastoral appointment with me, you are always welcome in my office, in person, or on Zoom.  You can make an appointment on my calendar here: www.calendly.com/alisonmiller 

In faith,

Rev. Alison

* When O Lord is a typical formulation for lamentation. You could simply remove it, if it doesn’t work for you. Or, you could replace it, When O Spirit… When Adonai… When Holy One… etc.