For our weekly WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER over the season of Advent, I will be following the same themes as the Advent candles we light each Sunday. That means that this week in our prayer time, we will be reflecting on PEACE. Recall with me the message of the angels who appeared to the shepherds, after the announcement of the birth of Jesus and sang, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth PEACE to those on whom His favour rests.” (Luke 1:14) We as individuals are aware of a longing for PEACE. With the bombardment of daily updates on Covid cases and the precarious nature of any plans we might consider making for Christmas, PEACE may not be the first thing that comes to our minds this Christmas season. Still, Jesus came into our troubled and uncertain world to bring PEACE. The PEACE that Jesus makes possible does not depend on ideal or predictable circumstances. Jesus came to live among us to demonstrate that we can discover PEACE in the most unlikely of times for PEACE. The PEACE of Jesus is something for us to pray for ourselves and for our world. We can be part of ushering in the PEACE of God when we are praying for PEACE and extending God’s PEACE in all of our relationships. I continue to find Scripture from Philippians helpful when it comes to looking for PEACE. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the PEACE of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-8) What are the places in your life right now where you are searching for PEACE? What are the anxious thoughts that you need to turn over to God so that you can find His PEACE? Among other things this year, Christmas shopping is different. I want to suggest that a wonderful gift we could pray for people to receive this year would be PEACE. As you are able, please plan to join tomorrow, December 2nd at 1 pm for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER.Then each of us can be looking actively for the ways that God answers our prayers for His PEACE to “guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” We can make our sincere prayer, ” Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.”
Into Your Presence we come today, our God, and we look forward to experiencing Your PEACE. Thank You that PEACE is highlighted at Christmas because when Your Son Jesus entered our world, He came to bring PEACE. There are many aspects of our current situation that could leave us feeling anxious. Instead, we want to bring everything and everyone to You and we pray for Your PEACE. You already know the details of what makes us feel anxious and we bring that to You. We pray for a PEACE that does not deny our own needs and the needs of those around us. Thank You that we can openly admit our struggles and the cares that are weighing us down. Thank You that as we wait for answers to our prayers, that You can and will sustain us with Your PEACE. Our God, You know how much the safety and well being of those we love is on our minds. Thank You for PEACE that comes in trusting them to Your care. We pray now remembering those who live alone and do not have support and interaction with others. We pray that You will inspire us with ways to reach out to bring PEACE instead of loneliness to them this Christmas. We pray for families who will not be together this Christmas and who will really find that hard. We are asking that You will bring PEACE instead of regret and disappointment. When we think of meaningful Christmas traditions that we will not have this Christmas, we thank You that we can still celebrate the simple and powerful truth of You entering our world to bring PEACE on earth. We pray for PEACE for those who feel a heavy burden of responsibility in decisions being made to try to ensure safety. Please provide Your wisdom and PEACE for those who need Your Divine direction. In each of our lives, there are unsettling thoughts of how we are going to continue to manage throughout this pandemic. Thank You for lessons You are teaching us about depending on You that can result in PEACE. We do pray that the gift of PEACE that You give, a peace that really is beyond our understanding, will be welcomed and received by people that we bring to You now by name… Thank You that our prayers reach You and You respond by sending Your PEACE to those we have brought to You. Our God, it is not just that we look to receive Your PEACE now leading up to Christmas. We really do need Your PEACE to keep on guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Again we pray for this lasting PEACE for the times when anxious thoughts press in on us. There will be days ahead when we will need to be reminded to recognize Your PEACE and to choose Your PEACE when we feel shaken and unsteady. Oh God, we cannot face any day without You. Thank You that Your PEACE keeps us guarded and close to You. That’s where we want to be. As You guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, please make us generous in bringing Your PEACE to all we meet, for Jesus’ sake and in His Name we pray, AMEN.