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Shalom, World



It doesn't matter if it is in a restaurant, at work, at home, or just about anywhere.  If you ask me, "Do you need anything?" I am probably going to respond, "World Peace." I figure the ONE time I don't ask will be the ONE time we could get it. Well, we could all use a little more peace these days.

This past Spring, I was in a meeting and gave my usual respond, "World Peace." The person asking was taken aback and asked, "What do you mean by, 'World Peace'?" I have thought about this alot. Thanks to Eden Theological Seminary and Joretta Marshall in particular, I was prepared with an answer. My quick answer, "Peace is persistent relatedness in the face of a disconnect," raised more questions.  The easier answer would have been, "Shalom."

At the risk of hearing from every academic library class participant I ever taught, I will use the Wikipedia definition of "Shalom." There are many, but I would center on "wholeness." Shalom (Hebrew: שָׁלוֹם shalom; also spelled as sholom, sholem, sholoim, shulem) is a Hebrew word eaning peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare and tranquility and can be used idiomatically to mean both hello and goodbye.[1][2][3]   


Peace is realizing we are still connected even in disagreement, arguments, through pain and joy. It is information, reality, and gives a sense that there is not a fracture in the world, there is no "us" or "them." It turns "me" into "we." I was thinking about that with the Genesis 1st creation story.  I was thinking that maybe God's image is not in "me," but in "we." God's image is what makes us connected no matter what; so our world is "Shalom-able" because it is God's.  From there, I ended up with Margaret Wise Brown's wonderful "Goodnight Moon" being parodied as "Shalom, World." (That is just the way my mind works). I offer it for your consideration as a tool, not a Bible Study.  
Peace, Friends,
Kat.  


Shalom World

Before the dark of sky and dirt of earth

There was God who made it all –
There was land and sea below
…and above there were…


Stars in the sky and sun giving light to see.
And there were birds and such all around…

And doves were coo-ing
And Fish were jumping

And big animals LOOMING,
And small animals grooming,
And plants and trees and flowers were blooming!

And Adam and Eve (people)
To help and to share

And God, the Creator, who put it all there.


Shalom world.
Shalom sky.
Shalom earth under the sky.

Shalom stars and sun in the sky.
Shalom fish in the sea.

Shalom to BIG animals. 

Shalom to the small. 

Shalom Adam,
And Shalom Eve.

Shalom to you,
And shalom to me,

All made in God’s image to dance

And to play.

All of us together made in God’s image
Out of God’s breath blown into clay.

Shalom earth.
Shalom friends.

Shalom is God’s peace that never ends.

(by Kat Green based on Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon.)

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