The Sikhs have a prayer - "God judges us according to our deeds, not the coat that we wear:
That truth is above everything, but higher still is truthful living. Know that we attain God when we love, and only victory endures in consequences of which no one is defeated."

Today we are talking about war and peace. Living and dying. And Truth

Around the world today, so many people, of differing religions, all starving to death in a common misery, it is happening now, every minute of every day. This misery has no day of rest, this misery knows no religion.

Around the world today, so many people in the name of their of differing religions, do harm to each other. It is happening now, every minute of every day. This misery, these wars, has no day of rest – but do know religion.

The energy, worldwide, that has been expended by people of many religions in violence and anger to each other over cartoons in a newspaper could be considered ridiculous if not for the hundreds, no probably thousands of lives that have been lost for this violence. Still, not one more child was fed, not one more life was made better or saved, but in the name of religious intolerance, many lives lost. This is not peace - not Christian peace, not Islamic peace, and not Jewish peace, not anyone's peace. Just how many lives will be lost to the different names for the same god.

Last Sunday Ernie Pipes pointed out the banners on our sanctuary wall - representations of the worlds major religions – welcome here - right now - all at the same time - because we, as Unitarian Universalist understand that tolerance of others, their religions, their way of living, loving - well so many differences, are the very seeds of a peaceful world.

But right now our world is not tolerant, not peaceful - and sadly, we are at war right now today.

So I borrow the words of Cantor Cathy Schwartzman of the Temple of Universal Judaism in New York City - she says:
" It is time for the quiet voices to get loud. We soft-spoken peace lovers must raise our voices and let it be known that we can lovingly and aggressively reach across those invisible lines that divide us into competing groups. We must work hard to understand who our "enemies" are. We have to listen hard to articulate, loudly and clearly, the truths we have come to understand. We can and must pursue peace with furious energy and focus."

So today I light the Chalice for the truth and thus the peace we must continue to pursue - and I leave you with these words spoken many years ago 
" When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fail. Think of it - always"

Mahatma Gandhi