If you’ve been following this blog for a while, then you know that I seldom post on anything not related to the lectionary. This week I am at the Widening the Welcome Conference which is sponsored by the Disabilities Ministry and the Mental Health Network of the United Church of Christ. The goal of this conference is to, well, widen the welcome of our churches through education, shared experience, and building relationships. On Saturday, I will present a workshop on Congregations and Suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention. The poem below is what I plan to read as I begin. It’s from my book, A Circle in the Dark: Daily Meditations for Advent.
I did happen to write on the lectionary earlier this week. If you are putting a sermon together, you might want to look here.
A Prayer for Peace
Where is our refuge and our shelter?
We sit in darkness and the shadow of death.
War and violence fill our lives
year after year.
Is there no better way?
Lord, in Your mercy,
guide our feet in the way of peace.
We are awash in the bloodstains of judgment
and caught in the storms of hatred.
Ignorance and isolation separate us
day after day.
Is there no better way?
Lord, in Your mercy,
guide our feet in the way of peace.
We burn with shame and guilt
pleading with gods of our making
to offer us forgiveness and life
hour by hour.
Is there no better way?
Lord, in Your mercy,
guide our feet in the way of peace.
We are lost in the wilderness of fear
unable to recall the prophets of old.
We deceive ourselves
moment by moment.
Is there no better way?
Lord, in Your mercy,
guide our feet in the way of peace.
Photo from pixabay. Used by permission.
