The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost - The Rev. Colette Hammesfahr
I was reminded this week of a TV commercial that first aired i n 1971. It’s one of the most famous ads in history. The commercial opened with the face of a young girl singing. She sings, “I’d like to buy the world a home, and furnish it with love.” And as she is singing, the camera pans out to show more people standing next to her, singing as well. They sing, “Grow apple trees, and honeybees, and snow-white turtle doves.” As the camera pans out further and further, we see a very large group of people standing in a large field. People of different colors, ethnicities, genders, backgrounds, and ages, all standing shoulder to shoulder. Some of them are in the garments of their home country, smiling, and singing, holding a bottle in their hands with “Coca Cola” written in the language of their country. The words come from a popular song that hit the charts that same year: “I'd like to see the world for once, all standing hand in hand, and hear them echo through the hills, for peace...