MARK'S REMARKS:
Two Air Force Pilots, who had never met, were shot down on the same day over North Viet Nam and taken prisoner. They were put in the same prison cell because one was white and one was black. The Vietnamese knew enough about race relations in America to think that they would hate each other and make each other completely miserable. But something happened which surprised the Vietnamese. The two prisoners came to need each other deeply. The black man needed the white man to care for his wounds. The white man needed the black man for his courage and determination in the face of the enemy.
Years later, after they were back home in the United States safe and sound, they visited the Viet Nam Memorial in Washington, DC. They stood together, locked tightly, arm in arm, as close as two people can be, and they wept together as they found the names of long-lost buddies.
We watched with horror and deep sorrow as racial violence broke out and rocked the Virginia Town of Charlottesville. We are very good when it comes to expressing pious words about racial understanding, but our deeds rarely match our words. Put to the test, the truth always comes out. Yet, there were two men, one black and one white, soldiers, who became more than brothers. They expressed the kind of love the Galilean talked about.
If there is to be peace on earth, it must begin with persons. And, if peace is possible with persons, like you and me, it can be possible for nations as well. The world can know peace when it makes peace with Christ. I truly believe that. I believe peace is possible because I believe in Him.