the jericho walk

In response to a great deal of violence in Waterloo over the past year, local black pastors have organized a series of peace walks, and they invited the community to join them over a period of seven Sunday evenings so that we together might implore God to move and to break down walls of evil, hopelessness, violence, racism, injustice, and disunity in our community.  

The seven walks are modeled after the Israelites' seven days of marching around Jericho, and they are silent walks, patterned after Joshua's instructions to "not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout..” (Joshua 6:10)

I've been a part of two of the four walks that have occurred; both have been in different neighborhoods that have had multiple incidents of violence.

A few of my observations and impressions from these walks:

*It's been so good and is so needed to have a diverse showing at these walks. Young, old, multi-ethnic, multiple churches represented.

*Union Missionary Baptist's drill team marches in the lead with only the sound of a drum beat to guide the group.  The nearly 200 walkers line up in rows of about 10 people across and hold hands as the group walks through the neighborhood in silence.

*The silence is so powerful.  Many neighbors look out doors and windows or come out to witness the march.  Because of the silence, I am able to really look and see neighbors, see the neighborhood, pray for and consider the possibility of a different future for our community.  Because of the hand-holding, I am able to feel the power of oneness; the power of joining with.

*The crowd gathers in the parking lot after the walk to hear the prayers of pastors, the pain of a community, and the promises of God.  This has been an important time of listening and to hear the longing for a vision beyond our current realities.  The way things are is not the way things have to be.  This is a phrase out of the book Reconciling All Things that I've been reading with a group.  I thought about this phrase and the Kingdom of God so much as I walked and listened last night.

*I thought about how a lot of people don't know what practical steps to take toward reconciliation and peace in the face of such huge problems in our community and world.  This is one such tangible way to listen, join with, and to pray and stand together in the ministry of reconciliation.  

Newspaper article here

The next Peace March is Sunday, June 14, starting at 7:30 p.m.  I will find out this week's location and mention it later this week on the blog.