Services every Sunday at 7:00 P.M.
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Services every Sunday at 7:00 P.M.
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"A Day of Peace ...A Lifetime Journey" 9/20/09 Lection -Micah 4:1-4 (New Revised Standard Version) In the days to come the mountain of the Lord's house 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 God may teach us God's ways and that we may walk in God's paths." For out of Zion shall go forth instruction and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. God 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 anymore; but they shall 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. In 1982 the United Nations established an international day of peace. A day devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both in and among all nations and peoples. September 21 was the date chosen so that each year people around the world would intentionally think and act in peaceful ways. This one day gives us the opportunity each year to plant the seeds for a life time lived in peace, Imagine for a moment what a world with peace would look like. No wars, not one country fighting another country. No guns, no family having to loose a child because of a drive by shooting. No enemy that we have to spend hours and hours of time figuring out how we'll get revenge. No lost sleep because our minds are filled with anxious thoughts about situations that can't be solved in the middle of the night anyhow. Peace, shalom that one little word that could change our lives and our world. Peace -- what brings peace to your life? In many ways peace comes to us in stillness and rest. It comes when we can quiet the world around us and listen for God's still small voice. Peace comes when we can get away from the hectic activities that would drain us emotionally I physically I and spiritually. But peace also can come when we are in the midst of our every day activities. When we know we are doing the right things, when we are sure that are life is in order. Peace can come also in the midst of our deepest worries and conflicts when we are at rest with God. When we trust that whatever is happening God is the midst of it. Some of our moments of deepest peace can even come when we've experienced the worst moments of human living, when we know without a shadow of a doubt that this is where we are suppose to be and this is what we are suppose to be doing. Peace in the calm of restful tranquility, peace in the eye of the storm. What makes both of those possible? -- faith that God is there in both places. In our every day relating to one another we have the opportunity to take the peace of God with us to all who we meet. When we look into the eyes of another and offer respect, dignity, and the willingness to walk alongside one another. When we offer words of hope and forgiveness, instead of words of anger or blame. When we can allow each other to be different and to express our differences without judgment. When we can be open to new ideas and thoughts. When we can really listen to what each other is saying. When we work through conflict in a healthy way. When we deep in our hearts want what is best for another person and in our actions work to make that happen. We have the responsibility and the great opportunity to breathe words of peace into our world by all that we say and do. I believe ours can become a world of peace and that peacemaking begins in our individual hearts. Find out this day what brings peace to your life. Nurture those activities such as meditation, sitting in nature, prayer, taking time alone -anything that brings quietness to your life. In that quietness let God know your fears and anxieties. Be honest about those things that bring you unhappiness and that keep you from being all God wants you to be. What keeps you up at night and haunts your days. Those may be some of the things that keep you from experiencing peace in your heart. Secondly I invite you to look at the ways you can bring peace to the people you meet during your week. What are the words you can offer to another that will build them up and bring them God's shalom, God's peace? Begin with the people in your home, then where you work or go to school or the organizations you belong to? Who there needs peace? How can you act as a peacemaker when conflict arises, when times are difficult? Our world has the potential to be a place of peace as each one of us prays for peace, has peace in our hearts, and lives out that peace in our daily activities. Jack Kornfield writes this prayer for International Day of Peace: "May I be filled with loving kindness. May I be well. May I be peaceful and at ease. May I be joyous and happy. May my heart be open and available. May I be compassionate and understanding towards myself and others. May I embrace forgiveness and reconciliation. May Peace prevail on Earth. Let Peace begin with me.
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