On the Anniversary of the Bombing of Hiroshima

En Español

We Will Not Repeat This Evil

Prelude and Opening Music:     Let There be Peace on Earth

Let there be peace on earth, And let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth, The peace that was meant to be.
For Earth is our mother. Family all are we.
Let me walk with my neighbor, In perfect harmony.
Let peace begin with me, Let this be the moment now.
With every step we take, Let this be our solemn vow.
To take each moment And live each moment With peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth, And let it begin with me.

Opening Words: (Excerpt from Metta Sutta, attributed to The Buddha.)

Even as a mother at the risk of her life watches over and protects her only child, so with a boundless mind should one cherish all living things, suffusing love over the entire world in all its height and depth and broad extent. Love unrestrained, without hate or enmity. Devote yourself entirely to this, for it is known as living the life divine.

Lighting the Chalice:

In this moment and at this time we are gathered here as people of faith
With joys, sorrows, gifts, talents and needs.
We light this chalice as a symbol of hope, a sign of our search for truth.
A symbol of our quest for peace and meaning in our community and in the world.
In celebration of the life we share together
Spirit, draw near

Prayer: A Prayer for Hiroshima" by UU Rev. William Sinkford - (Followed by a moment of silent meditation)

Like most traumatic scars, the ones that are found in Hiroshima and Nagasaki are permanent: reminders of the terrible damage human beings can inflict.

Scars can be found in the hearts and souls of people around the world who understand this terror: scars of grief, sadness, fear and even shame.

None of these scars promise an end to war and devastation. Instead, they serve as a reminder of healing and renewal - of a return to life.

Gracious God, Spirit of Life and Love, help us to see our scars: those we have created, those we are called to witness, and those we can soothe and heal.

We are deeply grateful for the buds and blossoms that even the most scarred offer as a revelation to the world.

And, especially on this anniversary of Hiroshima Day, we renew our commitment to peace individually, collectively and globally:

To "peace within" which calms our anxieties and fears,

To "peace between" which overcomes differences, animosities and conflict,

And, to "the great peace", beyond even our understanding, that is Your gift and which we attempt to be stewards of for the world.

Amen.

Joys and Concerns: (We throw a small stone into this bowl filled with water, to symbolize our thoughts, which move in circular rings eternally, like concentric waves.)

We invite you to share your joys and concerns since our last meeting

Song: I COME AND STAND AT EVERY DOOR*

I come and stand at every door
But none can hear my silent tread
I knock and yet remain unseen
For I am dead, for I am dead.
I'm only seven, although I died
In Hiroshima long ago.
I'm seven now, as I was then –
When children die, they do not grow.
My hair was scorched by swirling flame;
My eyes grew dim, my eyes grew blind.
Death came and turned my bones to dust,
And that was scattered by the wind.
I need no fruit, I need no rice.
I need no sweets, or even bread;
I ask for nothing for myself,
For I am dead, for I am dead.
All that I ask is that for peace
You fight today, you fight today.
So that the children of this world
May live and grow and laugh and play

*Original Turkish poem by Natzim Hikmet

English translation by Jeanette Turner

Music by James Waters ("The Great Silkie")

Adaptation by Pete Seeger (1962)

Text (c) 1966 by Stormking Music Inc.

Music (c) 1966 by Folk Legacy Records

All Rights Reserved

Story for All Ages: SADAKO AND THE 1000 PAPER CRANES by Eleanor Coerr  (the children go to Religious Education at the end of the story and the adults sing "Spirit of Life" )

Hymn::    # 123  (STLT)   "Spirit of Life"   by Carolyn McDade (adapted)

Spirit of Life, come unto us,
Sing in our hearts all the stirrings of compassion.
Blow in the wind, rise in the sea;
Move in our hands, giving life the shape of justice.
Roots hold us close; wings set us free;
Spirit of Life, come to us, come to me.

First Reading

PEACE DECLARATION

This August 6, the anniversary of the atomic bombing, is a moment of shared lamentation in which more than 300 thousand souls of A-bomb victims and those who remain behind transcend the boundary between life and death to remember that day. It is also a time of inheritance, of awakening, and of commitment, in which we inherit the commitment of the hibakusha to the abolition of nuclear weapons and work for the realization of genuine world peace, awaken to our individual responsibilities, and recommit ourselves to take action. This new commitment, building on the desires of all war victims and the millions around the world who are sharing this moment, is creating a harmony that is enveloping our planet.
The keynote of this harmony is the hibakusha warning, "No one else should ever suffer as we did," along with the cornerstone of all religions and bodies of law, "Thou shalt not kill." Our sacred obligation to future generations is to establish this axiom, especially its corollary, "Thou shalt not kill children," as the highest priority for the human race across all nations and religions. The International Court of Justice advisory opinion issued ten years ago was a vital step toward fulfilling this obligation, and the Japanese Constitution, which embodies this axiom forever as the sovereign will of a nation, should be a guiding light for the world in the 21st century.
Unfortunately, the Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in May 2005 left no doubt that the U.S., Russia, U.K., France, China, Israel, India, Pakistan, North Korea and a few other nations wishing to become nuclear-weapon states are ignoring the majority voices of the people and governments of the world, thereby jeopardizing human survival.
Based on the dogma "Might is right," these countries have formed their own "nuclear club," the admission requirement being possession of nuclear weapons. Through the media, they have long repeated the incantation, "Nuclear weapons protect you." With no means of rebuttal, many people worldwide have succumbed to the feeling that "There is nothing we can do." Within the United Nations, nuclear club members use their veto power to override the global majority and pursue their selfish objectives.
To break out of this situation, Mayors for Peace, with more than 1,080 member cities, held its sixth General Conference in Hiroshima, where they revised the Emergency Campaign to Ban Nuclear Weapons launched three years ago. The primary objective is to produce an action plan that will further expand the circle of cooperation formed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the European Parliament, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and other international NGOs, organizations and individuals worldwide, and will encourage all world citizens to awaken to their own responsibilities with a sense of urgency, "as if the entire world rests on their shoulders alone," and work with new commitment to abolish nuclear weapons.
To these ends and to ensure that the will of the majority is reflected at the UN, we propose that the First Committee of the UN General Assembly establish a special committee to deliberate and plan for the achievement and maintenance of a nuclear-weapon-free world. Such a committee is needed because the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva and the NPT Review Conference in New York have failed due to a "consensus rule" that gives a veto to every country.
We expect that the General Assembly will then act on the recommendations from this special committee, adopting by the year 2016 specific steps leading toward the elimination of nuclear weapons by 2020.
We expect the Japanese government to respect the voice of the world's cities and work energetically in the First Committee and the General Assembly to ensure that the abolition of nuclear weapons is achieved by the will of the majority. Furthermore, we request that the Japanese government provide the warm, humanitarian support appropriate to the needs of all the aging hibakusha, including those living abroad and those exposed in areas affected by the black rain.
On this, the sixty-sixth anniversary of the atomic bombing, we seek to comfort the souls of all its victims by declaring that we humbly reaffirm our responsibility never to "repeat this evil."

"Please rest peacefully; for we will not repeat this evil."

Tadatoshi Akiba

Mayor

The City of Hiroshima

Reading

In April,2010 there was a White House screening of "Nuclear Tipping Point." The documentary profiles a bipartisan group of former atomic officials who are promoting a vision of the world free of nuclear arms - an objective in line with Mr. Obama's own policies. Mr. Yoshitake, the atomic cameraman, said the release and restoration of the images were healthy developments because their disclosure improved public understanding of the nuclear threat.

"It's a good thing to show the horror," he said. And he wondered -now that the cold war is over - why advanced nations still retain more than 20,000 of the deadliest of all weapons. "Do we need all these bombs?" Mr. Yoshitake asked. "It's scary."

Discussion Theme: What can we, as individuals and as a covenanted community, do to plan for the achievement and maintenance of a nuclear-weapon-free world.

Extinguish Chalice:

We extinguish this Chalice but not the hope or the commitment to work for a nuclear-weapon-free world.

Closing Circle of Hands (We link arms while we read )

"Hope is a state of mind, not of the world. Hope, in this deep and
powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going well, or
willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously heading for
success, but rather an ability and commitment to work for something because it is

Closing words: by Wayne B. Arnason (adapted)

Spirit of Life, We are here as a community dedicated to all that is good and just and beautiful. We ask that we might be strengthened in our dedication to a better world. In time of war, when national pride and anger overwhelms the call for world community, We would remember all those around the world who suffer from acts of violence, Whether committed by terrorists or by nations. We go to war as to a funeral, And so we hold in our hearts all those who are oppressed by forces of privilege and power, Whose lives are torn by war, Who are prisoners of conscience. May we find it within ourselves to capture a vision of a future that can be, To recognize a brother or a sister in a distant nation, That we may serve without fear the cause of justice for all. In the name of all we find holy, we pray.