‘They Shall Beat Their Swords Into Plowshares’
BY THE RIGHT REVEREND JAMES E. CURRY
Swords to Plowshares Northeast photos used with permission from the author.
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un violence knows no limits of race, socioeconomic status, gender, age, or geography. Gun violence forever changes the families, neighborhoods, and communities in which it occurs. We, as a society, are caught in the grips of violence and pain, but way too often we also get caught in despair or in political debate that is exhausting and gets us nowhere. Swords to Plowshares Northeast is a non-profit organization based in New Haven, Connecticut that invites people to confront the potential harm that can be caused by a gun in their homes. We encourage people to turn in their guns in givebacks and buybacks and then, in partnership with towns and cities, we transform destroyed guns into gardening tools, jewelry, and musical instruments using traditional blacksmithing and woodturning skills. We are part of Guns to Gardens, a growing nationwide network of community organizations and blacksmiths who seek to shift the conversation of gun violence prevention away from confrontation by focusing on voluntary and innovative alternatives. Swords to Plowshares Northeast takes our name and our hope from the prophecy of Isaiah, written over 2,500 years ago. Isaiah lived in a time of great violence, uncertainty, and fear. It is in that context that he also heard the promise of God: “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 anymore” (2:4). Isaiah preached that foundational message of hope to the weary people around him. It seemed like an impossible dream, but it took hold among the people. That’s what the Word of God does. Our God is a God of healing, hope, and transformation, who leads us through despair and even death into new life. Our God seeks reconciliation and wholeness for all people. God’s love embraces us for the long term. That is the core of our faith, which is proclaimed by the prophets. Our faith traditions ask us to trust in the promises of God and move forward in life, risking new ways to relate to one another with renewed hope.
The way of Jesus and the promises of God articulated by Isaiah give us a template for how to make our choices in our uncertain and fractured world. I want to give us a new translation of Isaiah for our time: “We shall beat our guns into garden tools; neighbor shall not raise up gun against neighbor; neither shall WE learn violence anymore.” We are not there yet, but God’s promise still holds true. We are now invited to bring this message of hope to our world by what we say and do. We are called to be agents of transformation in our world. Swords to Plowshares Northeast and our sister organizations invite people to face the reality of gun violence and to rethink the place of guns in their lives so that we may create safer homes and more nurturing neighborhoods. We invite people to join us at the forge to experience beating guns into tools of nurture and life. Beating guns has become especially important to many people who have experienced gun violence in their own lives. As they heat the gun metal in the forge and hammer it into garden tools, they can experience a new sense of power over a weapon that has caused them great trauma and harm. Like the earliest followers of Jesus actively participating in the unfolding of God’s new vision, we who form tools from guns are actively participating in the unfolding of the prophecy of Isaiah. “They shall beat” becomes “we are beating” our swords into plowshares. Swords to Plowshares Northeast presents an alternative to endless debate and invites people to join the work of forging new symbols of peace and nurture. In the final phase of this process, we give our new tools away to community gardens, faith communities, schools, universities, and violence interruption programs throughout the Northeast. The Right Reverend James E. Curry is a founding member of Swords to Plowshares Northeast and a retired bishop suffragan of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut. He is also a founding member of Bishops United Against Gun Violence and a contributor to the anthology Reclaiming the Gospel of Peace. Read more about the work of Swords to Plowshares Northeast at s2pnortheast.org. A M AT T E R O F S P I R I T
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