To be at the Olympic Torch Run - It's not about being patriotic.

I am rather proud to be wearing my hockey jersey from the 1972 Canada-Russia hockey series. It was the first time that the top Canadian players from the National Hockey League played the top team from Russia. For those of us who follow hockey, it may seem strange, because some of the top players in the NHL are Russian, but back then there was no such thing. In fact, there was quite a mystique in the Russian players coming out from behind the Iron Curtain, and then the Canadian team going to play behind that curtain. Anyway, at the end of a series filled with much drama, controversy and entertaining hockey, Canada won! I know exactly where I was to watch that final game - and it was in the middle of a school day at a Mennonite High School in my hometown in Saskatchewan. Yes...the whole country shut down to watch that game!

So, what does that make me? A patriot? No, it makes me a person who loves hockey at its best, and someone who loves to cheer for the home team.

By-the-way, the dog bearing his teeth in the background of the picture - he's unpatriotic! Or maybe he just doesn't like hockey...or maybe he doesn't like Paul Henderson (who scored the winning goal in that final game, and whose number 19 is on the back of my jersey).





Now about the Olympic Torch Run. For those of you who don't know, thousands of different people carried the Olympic Torch across Canada, with it arriving and lighting the Olympic Cauldron yesterday. It was carried through and celebrated in many towns and cities, and it came through our town of Ladner, BC on Tuesday of this past week. It was a big deal, although I don't actually know who the person is that was carrying it on the stretch of the journey that we saw. For Diane and me, it was just a one minute walk from our home.

Again, I experienced lots of emotion. Was that patriotism? I guess to say that I am happy to be a Canadian, would be true. Would I fight to defend my country or encourage someone else to do so - absolutely not. Why? There are two reasons why I wouldn't go to war for Canada. One is that violence isn't Jesus' way of accomplishing his intentions. Secondly, the results of violence are not an improvement. Violence brings on more violence and to bring an end to conflict by violence is domination, not peace. Domination never sits well with those who are being dominated, so again, it often provokes people to new, creative forms of violence.

So, for me to celebrate the torch run with my community and for me to wear the colours of Canada may be an encouragement to some of you and a disappointment to others. This is a reality of the complexities of life. But, I hope I have been able to give a window into my understandings of how this works for me. Blessings.