peace in the middle east

People with angry eyes and sad hearts entered Israel yesterday killing seven Israelis and wounding forty more.  Then, Israeli forces retaliated by killing the sad-hearted attackers and launching air strikes in Gaza.  

The Middle East once again burns hot with tension, hurt, wrath, weeping, and the gnashing of teeth.  Our job now is to pray...

Today we pray without ceasing with the prophet Isaiah who told us about a God who established her house on the tippy-tops of mountains, high above the hills.  A God who opened up her home for all the nations; a God who welcomed all the people flowing into her home saying to one another, “Come, let us go up to the mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob and Rachel; and God will teach us of God’s ways, and we will walk in God’s paths: for out of Zion will go forth the law, and the word of God from Jerusalem.  And God will judge among the nations, and She will rebuke many people: and they will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war any more.” + Isaiah 2

In the presence of pain and violence, in the presence of swords and spears, this is our prayer:

God of mountains tops and houses, God of plowshares and pruning hooks, God of angry eyes and sad hearts...

God, bless all of your children and give them the gift of peace.  Dry their tears with your gentle hands, surround their weeping bodies with your everlasting arms, and banish their fears with a burning vision of Your peace that passes all understanding.

God, this is what we know: on your mountain, fear will give way to love, anger will cease, hearts will be melted, hope will burn through the night, peace will prevail, people will study war no more, and resurrection will happen over and over and over again.

We know this because you taught it to us through your son, our savior, Jesus the Christ.  It is in his gentle name we pray for this and all things, Amen.

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Thanks to Brenda for this inspiring photo!  We especially like the birds...