June 2, 2024 - A Symbol of Peace and Friendship

An elderly woman sits on a bench while three young women and one young man help with her garden.

Music

Conductors: Mack Wilberg

Organist: Brian Mathias

Announcer: Lloyd D. Newell

“Join We Now in Praise and Sing”
Spanish Melody
Lyrics: William E. Hickson
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

“Arise, O God, and Shine”
Music: John Darwall
Lyrics: William Hurn
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

“Flute Solo” (Organ Solo)
Music: Thomas Arne
Arrangement: Diane Bish

“Antiphon” from “Five Mystical Songs”
Music: Ralph Vaughan Williams
Lyrics: George Herbert

“For the Beauty of the Earth”
Music: Conrad Kocher
Lyrics: Folliot S. Pierpont
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

“All Things Bright and Beautiful”
Music: John Rutter
Lyrics: Cecil Frances Alexander
Arrangement: David A. Zabriskie

“O God Beyond All Praising”
Music: Gustav Holst
Lyrics: Michael Perry
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

The Spoken Word

A Symbol of Peace and Friendship

June 2, 2024
By Lloyd Newell

These beautiful gardens are more than a collection of vibrant plants and peaceful footpaths. What you see here in the heart of Manila, Philippines, is an emblem of peace. This is the Japanese Garden at Rizal Park, which was created to promote peace between the Philippines and Japan. These two countries were once at war. But more than five decades ago, the Japanese government made a donation, and officials from both countries worked together to make this garden a symbol of friendship and forgiveness. Today it is a beloved landmark here in Manila. It celebrates not just the beauty and wonder of nature but also the beauty and wonder of forgiveness, friendship, and peace.
The Japanese Garden is a living reminder that enemies don’t have to stay enemies. With some good will and good effort, enemies can become good friends. Of course, the opposite can also be true; trusted friendships, if neglected and not maintained, can weaken and wilt. In that way, you might say a friendship is a lot like a garden—it’s beautiful and inspiring, but it needs constant care.

So how do we tend and maintain relationships? First, we seek to understand each other. We strive to exercise patience and love. We try to be humble and softhearted. Such tender nurturing can keep a relationship growing. It can even turn the hard ground of hostility into a flowering garden of friendship and forgiveness.

If you wonder if this is even possible, remember this beautiful symbol of friendship and peace found here in Manila. Remember these plants and flowers, which thrive and bloom when they receive ongoing, loving care, and think of how friendship and forgiveness can blossom and grow in an atmosphere of respect and trust. Remember this Japanese-inspired bridge, which carries us over the lagoon, and think of the bridge you might build to connect with others in tolerance and forbearance.

As the prophet Isaiah so beautifully expressed, “The Lord shall comfort [us]: … he will make [our] wilderness like Eden, and [our] desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.”[1]

[1] Isaiah 51:3.