Psalm 145, 10-12
Something to read
All your works praise you, LORD; your faithful people extol you. They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations.
To read the King James Version, click here
Something to think about
Wouldn’t it be a wonderful things if all our work, not just our work for just peace, was an act of praise, telling of the glory of peace of earth and of the everlasting possibilities of the ways of non-violence. It is the vision of the Psalm that gives us a glimpse of the wonder of such a world, and it is the experience of the IEPC that draws together the living testimonies of peace makers that acts as a sign of the blessing that is indeed the everlasting kingdom of God.
In the singing, and praying, the planting and hoping that we do together, each of us in our own persistently diverse ways, we embody the glorious spendour of the kingdom and enter into its mystery and we come out of such moments of community, solidarity, sanctuary, just peace with new testimonies of the possiblities of a glimpsed kingdom of justice and peace and one which allows us to leave behind despair and live in hope for future generations.
As the sun rises on May 22, Christians and churches across the world are being encouraged by the World Council of Churches (WCC) to celebrate God’s peace in their worship services, to hold a Peace Sunday dawn vigil, to plant a tree as an act of peace or to use social media to share prayers for peace with Christians around the world. The 1,000 delegates in Jamaica at the IEPC will be experiencing Caribbean styles of worship and considering the terrible legacy of gun violence in the capital Kingston, in particular the Children killed in tragic or violent circumstances.
Something to do
Consider organizing the planting of a peace tree to mark the end of the Decade to Overcome Violence, or share prayers for peace through twitter or facebook or by email. Tell out the glory of the Good News of Peace. http://www.overcomingviolence.org/en/news-and-events/news/dov-news-english/article/1323/trees-and-tweets-for-worl.html
Something to pray
Say the prayer for peace written for today and look at the language of one of its many translations: http://www.overcomingviolence.org/en/peace-convocation/world-sunday-for-peace/prayer.html
Today's contributor is Alison Swinfen, a member of the Iona Community