Grant Us Peace

Dona nobis pacem. God, grant us peace.

This year, that is my only prayer. God, grant us peace. Bring peace once again to this troubled world. Bring rest to the hearts who have known only grief. Bring joy to those who have known sorrow. Come again into our world and heal the divisions that we have created between us. Bring peace within families, between friends and between enemies. Cause the conflict between nations to cease and terror to end. This is not a welcoming world, but please come again and bring with you the peace that we have lost. On this night, come into this world and bring us peace.

Dona nobis pacem. God, grant us peace.

Looking For The Light

Historically, Jesus Christ, the saviour of the world, was probably born in March. However, the reason for celebrating the birth of the bringer of light in the middle of winter does seem fairly self evident to all those who live in the northern hemisphere. This is the darkest time of year for us and also the coldest. Daylight hours are at a premium and it can be very difficult to gain the energy to get through the day. It is at this time, more than any other time of year, when we are called to look for the light.

Tonight is the longest night of the year and I have to admit that I am looking for light more this year than any other. Perhaps it is a process of aging that I am looking forward to finding hope in the season of Advent and Christmas than the festivities that I am sure will be exhausting. I am looking for the light that will illuminate our lives once again. I am worried that once this season ends, the light will once again leave. History is filled with truces and times of peace in order to appreciate and celebrate the birth of the Christ child who came to bring life and light to the world. Whether the peace lasts for 24 hours or 24 years, it is always something that is appreciated. With all the conflict that exists in our troubled world, we need the light to come into it once again.

I am looking for the light tonight, the light that will illuminate my life, my family and my future. I am waiting for the return of The Light, the one who will come again to save the world, not to condemn it. I wait and I look for the light that seems so absent and yet so present. I look, along with so many, for the light to become present once again for all.

What a World for a Welcome

"Tears are falling, hearts are breaking, how we need to hear from God. You've been promised, we've been waiting, welcome to our world."

What a world for a welcome. Even I, who wear my rose colored glasses with pride, realize that this world is not a welcoming one. For all that I am concerned, aliens may well exist, but they have simply avoided earth because it is a horrible place. Is this actually a place that we can expect to welcome our saviour into?

There is war, famine, sickness, hatred, ignorance and prejudice. There is no compassion to the suffering of millions. There is materialism, war in the name of God, child soldiers and so much more. This is not a world that I am content to live in. Why should God want to enter into it again? When Christ first appeared, the Jewish people were waiting. They had been waiting for hundreds of years. The difference between then and now is that they actually expected him to appear within their midst. The problem for many of them was that Yeshua did not appear in the manner in which they expected and so many of them ignored it. If the saviour were to arrive on Christmas day, would we even be aware to know that the gift of God is once again on earth? Would He appear again in a guise that is so unexpected and shatters so many expectations that we simply walk past? If God were to appear in the body of a person with a disability, or as a woman would we recognize that as our saviour?

In a time when strangers do not speak to each other, when religious talk is regarded as not politically correct, when those who are different are marginalized and ignored, when suffering is accepted as a fact of life so long as it is not us who are suffering, who are we to welcome God into our midst? When are we going to change that?

The Life That Late I Led

Last night when I called my partner, he was out at a party with many of our mutual friends. I was in bed, desperately trying to get some sleep before my alarm went off six hours later. It served to remind me of how different my life is now. Last night that reminder served to reduce me to tears because I didn't get the chance to go out and have fun, but upon more reflection as much as I do miss the parties, I am so thankful that I am where I am.

My life no longer focuses on me but on many wonderful people who I have been blessed to have as a part of my life story. Here, when someone asks you how you are, they actually care about the answer. I don't ignore moments in order to make it to a deadline because the moments are the point. In a place where I live at work, relationships much exceed acquaintances. My life is richer, deeper and fuller than it has ever been before. While I do miss the opportunities to get dressed up and go out to socialize, I realize that I may momentarily miss the life I used to lead, when I leave the life style I am now following I will grieve deeply for that loss. The life that late I led is nothing compared to the life that I am leading now.