2023 Virtual Event
Swords into Plowshares: Achieving Enough for All & Pursuing Peace
VIRTUAL ECUMENICAL ADVOCACY DAYS TAKING PLACE APRIL 25-27, 2023
In 2023, we will gather virtually during a time of fear and uncertainty. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands and created 12 million refugees. Newly empowered populist regimes violate human rights and flout international law. Unnumbered conflicts rage in every corner of the globe. These wars—and the looming threats of others—are used to justify increases in military spending, investments in more efficient tools of destruction and death. Meanwhile, every four seconds someone dies of hunger.
Through the prophet Micah, God declares, “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” But God also tells us why: “They shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid.” God intends that we should enjoy our time, move about without fear, and participate in sabbath rest. In this holy Shalom, our portions will suffice, and all will have enough.
Having spent so long running in every direction but peace, it’s easy to forget there’s another way. No one can serve two masters; we cannot excel in both war and justice, both wealth and mercy. We cannot take by force what is intended to be shared. Let us heed Christ’s call and gather as one body to discern how we can re-forge weapons of destruction into tools of growth, cultivate healing throughout God’s creation, and pursue systems that empower each person to thrive.
About EAD
Ecumenical Advocacy Days is a movement of the ecumenical Christian community, and its recognized partners and allies, grounded in biblical witness and our shared traditions of justice, peace and the integrity of creation. Our goal, through worship, theological reflection and opportunities for learning and witness, is to strengthen our Christian voice and to mobilize for advocacy on a wide variety of U.S. domestic and international policy issues.
