"Dove Power" - Luke 3:l5-l7,2l-22 - January 11, 1998

In Israel recently the foreign minister, David Levy has resigned from the government. Levy is known as "the lonesome dove." This 60 year old political veteran has a reputation of working for Israel’s poor, the Sephardic Jews, and he has also been one of the primary advocates of peace with the Palestinians. You wouldn’t think his departure would mean much, but in fact his departure from the government may very well bring the current hard line government to a collapse. Levy, a dove, a man devoted to peace, is having major influence in the nation of Israel.

We have a tendency to underestimate the power of peace. We normally associate power with force, military advantage, superior knowledge and wealth. But, in this case there is no match for the "dove power" of a political leader who is in the minority.

Dove power is what enabled Jesus to be in ministry and spread the good news. Following his baptism Jesus received this power from above in the form of a dove. The dove is a symbol of peace. In the bible the dove has served as a symbol of innocence and gentleness (Matt. l0:l6), and the "hovering" of the spirit of God (Gen. l:2) the role which the dove played in the flood tradition (Gen. 8:8-l2).

Notice that Jesus did not receive his "dove power" from his baptism. It came while he was praying. Baptism may have been the initiator but it was through prayer that the power of the Holy Spirit descended upon him. God’s power of peace is realized not from a single event but through an on-going relationship with God.

What is dove power? It is the power that helps us to prevail against overwhelming odds. Do you remember the young man who stood in front of the tank at Tiananmen Square? He was committed to a cause and stood his ground. A human being, without any weapons or armor caused a huge tank to come to a complete halt. The "dove power" of God enables us to do just that.

You don’t have to bring a tank to a halt to have "dove power." Anyone who is in relationship with God can make a difference. Tim Kimmel (Chicken Soup for the Soul, No. 4), tells the story about Catherine Lawes. She was the wife of Lewis Lawes, who was the warden at Sing Sing Prison, in the l920’s, one of the toughest prisons in the country. After his retirement the prison had been transformed to a humanitarian institution. Lawes credited his wife and mother of three children, who got acquainted with the prisoners, for bringing about the change. She taught a blind man on death row how to read Braille. She learned sign language so she could communicate with a prisoner who was deaf. Many said she was Jesus who had come to live in the prison.

Unfortunately she was killed in a car accident in l937 and the next day Lawes didn’t report for work. The prisoners sensed something was wrong. Her body lie in state at her home only a mile away. The substitute warden that day noticed that all the prisoners had gathered at the gate with tears of grief and sadness. He was aware how much they all loved Catherine. He gave his permission for them to go to the house to pay their respects. They all walked to the house, without any guards and everyone of them returned.

When people are dedicated to love and peace, amazing things can happen. Not only does "dove power" enable us to do extraordinary things, it also enables us to rise above those who persecute us. Those who have the power of the dove are those who "love their enemies, do good to those who hate them, bless those who persecute them, pray for those who abuse them."

Our baptism by water is only the beginning. As John said, "Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit and with fire." We all have causes we believe in, but it is the church, for which Jesus said the "gates of hell cannot prevail."

I have not seen the move, "Amistad" yet, but I understand it is very passionate and powerful. The movie is about a group of Africans, who are brought to this country against their will. They revolt and eventually end up in Connecticut. With the help of John Quincy Adams and other New England Congregationalists, they are able to give the Africans their freedom and return them home. It was Christian faith, members of the Congregational Church (our ancestors of the faith) who took a stand against slavery and overcame government interference to set the Africans free. They were known as the Amistad Committee and that group helped to create the American Missionary Association.

Dedicated and impassioned people of the faith, using their "dove power" made a difference. It is that kind of power that God gives the faithful followers who remain in relationship with God and act out their faith with fiery faith.

The other day I was waiting at a red light when a pick-up truck pulled up next to me. It was painted orange and brown and had "GO BROWNS" painted all over it. The guy was obviously a football fanatic. This impassioned fan was outwardly demonstrating his allegiance to the Cleveland Browns Football Team. Imagine what that kind of passion would do for the church. When we have "dove power" we are able to make outward statements of who we are knowing that others in society are going to criticize or make fun of us, yes, even persecute us.

"Dove power" makes us passionate, like the early Congregationalists. Dove power enables us to do extraordinary acts of love, like Catherine Lawes. Dove power causes us to encounter overwhelming odds and bring the opposition to a complete halt, like the young man at Tiananmen Square. When the people of God have been baptized with the power from on high there is no limit to what they can do. We can make changes in people’s lives, we can strive for freedom and peace, we can endure whatever obstacle in life we encounter.

We don't have to bring tanks to a halt to make a difference. The "dove power" of God can make peace happen in our daily lives. One movie I did see recently was "As Good as it Gets" with Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt. Nicholson hates his neighbor's dog and at one point is confronted by his neighbor's friend. Nicholson ends up boarding the very dog he hates and as a result he learns to love the dog as well as his neighbor. That part of the movie is simply another example of how God's "dove power" can make a difference.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio