September 5 - October 3

We are all invited to join this four-week journey to focus on what it means to be a “people of peace.” This year’s theme returns to a text that the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program has used for a number of years to guide its work. It is the concluding hope of the second letter to the Thessalonians: “May the God of peace grant you peace at all times in all ways” (2 Thessalonians 3:16).

Through the daily “Path of Peace” reflections, we are encouraged to define and deepen our calling as peacemakers. “This season is a time of encouragement, challenge, inspiration, and education,” said Carl Horton, teaching elder and coordinator of the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program.

This resource is designed to culminate in the Peace & Global Witness Offering on Sunday, October 3. The daily reflections offer insight and connection among Presbyterians, inviting the Spirit to strengthen and support one another in shared life and ministry.

You may subscribe to the reflections for daily email delivery here or print the entire collection as a devotional resource from the link here.

I’m often asked how we, as Presbyterians and Christians, define “peace” and how do we really expect to be peacemakers in today’s world? In his article for Presbyterians Today (July/August 2021), Carl Horton offers a clear perspective of the peace we seek. We are reminded that peace is a dominant biblical theme that brings us back to the realization that peace in all terms is a gift from God.

Horton describes how Presbyterians have been “…bearers of peace” in our response to conflict and injustice and through the denomination’s peacemaking program. The program is recognized “as the work of the church at all levels.”

I seek to more fully serve God as a peacemaker and when I fall short, I am reminded to accept God’s gifts with gratitude. Horton’s thoughts on the work of peace inspire me to carry on this task. He states:

For Presbyterians, peace is more than an idea or a declaration. It is the work we do, and it requires both compassion and justice. As peacemakers, we are both compassion-bearers and justice-seekers, meeting the needs of the world around us and righting the wrongs that, still today, impede justice for all.

Find the full article here: https://www.presbyterianmission.org/story/pt-0721-wpb/.

– Barbara Myers, Peace and Justice Team