Our Father God, in the name of your son and our saviour Jesus Christ, we come before you at this time as we reflect upon the gift of your peace.

O Lord Jesus, you have said to us  ¢â‚¬ËœPeace I leave with you. ¢â‚¬â„¢
This peace that you give is not that of this world:
it is not the peace of order, when order oppresses;
it is not the peace of silence, when silence is born of suppression;
it is not the peace of resignation, when such resignation is unworthy.

Your peace is love for all people,
is justice for all people,
is truth for all people,
the truth that liberates and stimulates growth.Lord, it is this peace we believe in because of your promise.

Grant us peace, and we will give this peace to others.

Lord God, you are the God of life.
Transform us in the depths of our hearts
into people, through whom your peace
is carried out into your world.
Send your Spirit into the hearts of those
who are captured in the net of violence
be it as perpetrators or as victims
and let us never give up the search
for the chance to talk to them.

O Lord Jesus Christ, whose perfect life met death by
violence and was not extinguished; so enter our hearts and minds and the hearts and minds of those affected by violence, that frailty may give
way to your strength, loss to your pain, bitterness to your
total and victorious love.

O Lord of peace, may we live in respect ofeach other, in a spirit of truth and affirmation, rejecting all jealousy, overcoming evil withpatience, wiping it away with pardon and bringing in the reign of peace through goodness.
For your name ¢â‚¬â„¢s sake. Amen.

Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

(Prayer written by Rob Perkins for our Wednesday Koinonia group meeting, where the theme was Peace).

~~

Peace: A Reflectiion   (Leanne Thomas, WK, May 9, 2012)

What is it not?

Anxiety Matt 6:25-34; Philippians 4:6
Conflict
War
Poverty
Grumbling
Discord
Disunity
Pollution
Fear
Boredom

What is it?

Malagasy word  ¢â‚¬“ go slow miandana  ¢â‚¬“ to be wealthy, free from worry,
abstract noun  ¢â‚¬“ fiadanana – peace

The Hebrew meaning of word for peace is  ¢â‚¬Å“Shalom ¢â‚¬ , with which Jesus greeted his disciples after his resurrection.

Comes from the OT idea of peace in the Land that God was giving the people of Israel.
Freedom from enemy attack,
Justice and righteousness
Care for the alien and the widow and the orphan
Abundant harvest
Times of feasting regularly throughout the year
Freedom to worship God in a variety of offerings
Sabbath days, years, and year of Julilee

Shalom means that people are
= in a good relationship with God
= with themselves and their bodies
= with their neighbours (all other people)
= with the earth.

For people to be in shalom means that their life is balanced and that they relate to the whole of what surrounds them with a peaceful spirit.
Who here lives a balanced life?
Is a balanced life possible?

Aspects of Peace
1. Peace is making things right with God.
“So now, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith in His promises, we can have real peace with Him because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” Romans 5:1 (TLB)

2. Peace is a gift from God.
 ¢â‚¬Å“Peace, I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid. ¢â‚¬  John 14:27  ¢â‚¬Å“The Lord will give strength to his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace. ¢â‚¬  Psalm 29:11 (NRSV)

3. Peace results from loving God’s law.
” Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.” Psalm 119:165;  ¢â‚¬Å“For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. ¢â‚¬  Romans 8:6

4. Peace is a worthwhile objective.
” So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” Romans 14:19.  ¢â‚¬Å“But the meek shall inherit the land, and delight themselves in abundant peace. ¢â‚¬Å“Psalm 37:11

5. Peace is security.
” Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!  ¢â‚¬Å“May they be secure who love you!
7 Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers!.” Psalm 122:6-7

6. Once I find peace, how do I keep it?
“He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in Him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord! Trust in the Lord God always, for in the Lord Jehovah is your everlasting strength.” Isaiah 26:3-4 (TLB)

7. Blessing comes from working for peaceful relationships.
“Blessed are the peacemakers ¢â‚¬”they shall be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9 (NIV)

8. Peace is part of the now and not yet of the Kingdom of God.
 ¢â‚¬Å“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them…. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. ¢â‚¬  Isaiah 11:6-9

Thoughts:
These are typical evangelical responses mostly dealing with peace with God ¢â‚¬“ what about the rest of shalom?
– Body
– Neighbours
– Earth

What do others say about peace?

One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal we seek, but that it is a means by which we arrive at that goal. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means. –Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

How does this challenge us in our attitude towards war?

Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice. – Benedict Spinoza

Peace, like charity, begins at home. –Franklin D. Roosevelt

What does this look like?

http://www.bibleinsong.com/Promises/Temporal_blessings/Peace/Peace.htm

Ideas for discussion:

How do we explain many people ¢â‚¬â„¢s experience of  ¢â‚¬Ëœlack of peace ¢â‚¬â„¢ in any of the categories?

What can I/we do today/ tomorrow/ this month/ this year to establish peace?
For ourselves
For our families
For our communities (Strangers are Fiction, urban seed)
For our nation
For our world