This past week’s episode of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks was #121: Dove of Peace and reclaiming symbols, with Rev. Daniel Brereton. The timing for this section is good, as the Christian church moves into Lent – 40 days of reflection on the journey of Christ towards the cross -- and toward Easter. Here’s an image of the full Christian window, with a close-up of the Dove of Peace section:
In speaking of the image of the dove on the tapestry, Rev. Daniel reminded me of the peace that Jesus brought, and how it was different than the ‘peace’ of this world, which is often accomplished through war and subjugation. The people of Jesus’ time would have been looking for a saviour, a messiah, to turn the tables on the Romans and subject the Romans to just that kind of worldly peace. Even today, Rev. Daniel pointed out, that’s the kind of peace most of us look for. The superheroes of our movies succeed by being more violent than the villains. And we think that’s okay, because at least they’re ‘good’ (very similar to the idea that the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun). But this was not the kind of peace that Jesus offered. He offered a peace of love, forgiveness, distributive justice, service, and sacrifice. And he disappointed a lot of people... which got him killed.
Today, we can look around us and see that the peace the world gives – peace through subjugation – is not working very well. The peace that Christianity, Judaism and Islam speak of is a peace of kindness, caring for the stranger, and distributing the world’s resources in a just and inclusive way. In this season of Lent, as Christians remember the journey of Jesus toward the cross, we know that things often get worse (much, much worse) before they get better. Do we have the courage to push for real peace and follow that same path?
The Dove of Peace and Reclaiming Symbols
In episode 121 of The Knitting Pilgrim Talks, Kirk speaks with Rev. Daniel Brereton of St. John’s Dixie Anglican Church about the image of the dove at the top of the Stitched Glass Christian tapestry, and how Jesus offered his followers peace… but not the kind of peace they may have wanted. They talk about the importance of remembering both the painful history and the powerful hope of the faith’s great symbols.
"Superheroes in movies manage to save everybody by being even more violent than the villains. And Jesus disappointed a lot of his followers by not being that kind of leader." -- Rev. Daniel Brereton
Episode 121 is available on YouTube here: KPT 121: The Dove of Peace and Reclaiming Symbols
Or, all of the podcast places, like KPT on Spotify, if you’d rather listen than watch.
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