Sunday, May 9, 2010

By Contrast With Idolatrous Holidays

The crusader who originally got congress to declare Mother's Day back in 1870, Julia Ward Howe, wrote this: "A Mother's Day Proclamation"
Arise then...women of this day! Arise, all women who have hearts! Whether your baptism be of water or of tears! Say firmly...
"Disarm! Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe our dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil
At the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
For a great and earnest day of counsel.
Let them meet first, as women, to bewail and commemorate the dead.
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace...
Each bearing after his own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God -

2 comments:

Douglas Underhill said...

Nice. Did you use that in worship yesterday? I tend to avoid using worship to acknowledge civic holidays, but Mother's Day could be an exception. I didn't think they were ready for a whole service about Mother God yet, but this could be part of it.

Aric Clark said...

I similarly avoid acknowledging civic holidays in worship, but I made an exception for this. The sermon was on a different topic and it wasn't mentioned anywhere else in service, but I read this aloud before the sermon and told the ladies who would be going to organize an anti-war movement that I fully supported them.