This Wednesday: Evensong @ 7 pm

Dear Friends,

If you’ve been involved in church for any amount of time, then you know that we church people are supposed to be in favor of peace. Jesus even says, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” But have you ever taken the time to seriously think about what it would look like for us—as a church, or even as individuals—to really be peacemakers? What would that involve, do you think?

I’ve been thinking about this more and more in the days following our peacemaking weekend of conversation, during which we heard about the work of some of our peacemaking partners from around the world. Their stories offered me lots of inspiration—and they also raised questions about what might be possible in our own world.

I want to continue this conversation about peace during worship this Sunday. I hope you’ll join me to reflect more on what might make for peace in our world.

Faithfully,

Hardy

Please join us immediately following the Sunday service for our Coffee Hour

(in-person in Trinity Court or online via Zoom).

bit.ly/SVPCCoffeeHour

Theme for Sunday

I have refused to live locked in the orderly house of reasons and proofs. The world I live in and believe in is wider than that. And anyway, what’s wrong with Maybe?

You wouldn’t believe what once or twice I have seen. I’ll just tell you this: only if there are angels in your head will you ever, possibly, see one.

Mary Oliver, “The World I Live In”

• What’s one thing you think could or should change in our world, to stop the spread of conflict and war? What would that change involve, and how realistic is it?

• When you think about building up peace, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?  

Micah 4:1-5

In days to come

the mountain of the Lord’s temple

shall be established as the highest of the mountains

and shall be raised up above the hills.

Peoples shall stream to it,

and many nations shall come and say:

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

to the house of the God of Jacob,

that he may teach us his ways

and that we may walk in his paths.”

For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,

and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

He shall judge between many peoples

and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;

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 any more;

but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,

and no one shall make them afraid,

for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.

For all the peoples walk,

each in the name of its god,

but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God

forever and ever.