Prayer for Advent Day 15 - More Peace!

I have just got in from leading perhaps the nicest and most powerful carol service I have led and shared in for years. We tried a different, lighter, all age approach to it tonight in one of my "temporary" churches. Part of the service was getting people to write prayers for peace on post it notes while I read the powerful Christmas Truce poem by Carol Ann Duffy. (Beware fellow leaders of worship if you use this, there is a LOT of German in it!) Then I asked people to bring prayers forward as we sang Silent Night. I was deeply moved how many people came forward. We shared the prayers later in the service and then afterwards we placed the prayers in our foyer for others to see and share. There were some heartfelt pleas for peace.

This morning, I received a horrible letter which rocked me. I needed peace tonight and found it. I needed to know I am not going mad. I needed to know I can remain who I am and even if some people accuse me of stuff if I remain faithful and myself all will be well. I reminded the congregation of all ages tonight that Christmas maybe is about God seeing small bits of potential in us by coming into our lives and encouraging us to be us. So many people want to destroy our peace and our hope and our journey. So thank you my friends at Little Common tonight for putting me back together.

God, it is encouraging when people put their prayers together for peace. We all want a better world. We all want to make a difference. I pray for carol services this year and people who are encountering this story. Perhaps they are coming for some peace. I pray for difficult situations and problems that never seem to go away that peace might come. I pray for people who are not at peace with themselves at the moment. I pray for their healing. Most of all, thank you God for the privilege of sharing worship with others. May our prayers tonight offered for peace be answered and may we, by being community be peace bringers into the hurting places around us. In Jesus name, the Prince of Peace. Amen.