Blessing a military officer’s sword

One pastor asked:

A chap in our congregation has a son who has just graduated from officer training with the [country deleted] army. As part of this, the son was awarded a ceremonial sword which, according to dad, is straight from England and “never been blessed.”

Apparently such blessings amount to a two-fold request: (1) that the sword need never be drawn for use in battle; and (2) failing the first, that it be used only in the cause of righteousness.

1. Is there such a thing as a sword-blessing liturgy?

2. How do such ideas as the above mesh with Baptist notions of church-state separation?

3. And what is to be said about the very concept of blessing a weapon of war?

Another responded:

Wow, that is truly disturbing. I reckon these things can be said about the concept of blessing a weapon of war: that it’s anti-Christ, anathema to the gospel, utterly foreign to a follower of Jesus. That it is a contradiction of Christian faith, hope, love, discipleship, salvation, resurrection. That it is idolatry, blasphemy, heresy.

In the face of a Jesus who says that we are all beloved sons and daughters of God, who commands us to love our enemies, be blessed peacemakers and overcome evil with good, and who dies rather than raise a hand against someone (even in self defence!), I simply can’t see how it’s possible for a Christian to wield a sword let alone bless it. Every time we reach for the sword instead of the cross, we deny Jesus’ way of the cross, and the reality of the resurrection.

So I reckon if you really want to bless a sword, beat it into a ploughshare.

Great little article here on Jim Wallis’ God’s Politics blog, responding to Obama’s Nobel (War?) Prize speech: http://blog.sojo.net/2009/12/17/obama-in-oslo-what-if/ .

Let’s not forget that every nuclear weapon that rolls out of Los Alamos, New Mexico, is “blessed” by Christians. That Hitler’s wars were “blessed” by Christians. That the current ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were started and “blessed” by Christians.

Unless Christians start to look like Christ, how will the world know him?

Hope that helps!

(December 2009)