Peace

 

In 1867, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the lyrics to the carol, “I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day,” after his son was injured in the Civil War and his wife died when her dress caught fire. Walking down the street on a cold winter’s day, Longfellow heard Christmas bells begin to play…and he penned this poem:

 

“I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Their old familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet the words repeat

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

 

I thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along the unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

 

And in despair I bowed my head:

"There is no peace on earth," I said,

"For hate is strong and mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good will to men."

 

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,

With peace on earth, good will to men."

 

Till, ringing singing, on its way,

The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,

Of peace on earth, good will to men!”

 

I don’t know about you, but I get it when Longfellow writes,

“And in despair I bowed my head:

‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said,

‘For hate is strong and mocks the song,

Of peace on earth, good will to men."

 

And I get it when he writes,

“Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:

‘God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,

With peace on earth, good will to men."

 

I get the journey from joy to despair and back again.

I understand walking through heartache and grief,

Questioning everything I’ve known to be true,

But deciding, in the end, to rest upon peace.

 

Friends: Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of Love.

And even when life is difficult—

Political upheaval, wars raging, people dying, children suffering—

Love, God’s love, is there.

 

Amen.

Prayer For Peace

 

Tamara played a version of “Make Me A Channel of Your Peace”

For the prelude yesterday morning.

It was based on the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi:

 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

 

I’ve sung two versions of this song in my life.

I wrote one for a friend’s ordination

And I arranged one for a church.

Both the friend and the church are in my past now,

But the songs are still in my head.

I’m glad.

Maybe if I start singing them again,

Then they’ll become self-fulfilling prophecies.

What’s more, maybe if I simply start praying this prayer each day,

Then it will become part of me,

Like the Lord’s Prayer,

And John 3:16.

Prayer for the World

On Saturday, I posted on FB an in-progress picture of the puzzle that my mom and I are working on. It’s a difficult puzzle. I joked that it was hard work putting the world together, yet a couple of people graciously commented that the world was in good hands. One of the comments made me realize that I should turn the puzzle into a prayer puzzle—using my work-time as conscious prayer time—for those I love—and, yes, for the world.

 

Last night, as I worked on the puzzle, I focused my prayers on two things: 1) my mom, and 2) the world. My mom is having eye surgery today. She’s nervous, as she should be, but she’s hopeful that the surgery will remove the cataract and help clear up some glaucoma. So I prayed for the surgery—for a safe trip there and back—for courage and strength—for an eye clear enough to do the surgery today—for the healing process to move quickly so that she can return to puzzling and playing the piano—for my dad to be patient—for everything to go well.

 

And I prayed for the world. Yesterday’s prayer from the Lutheran church prayed for the world, too—for the physical world, for the political world, and for the social world that we find ourselves in. It said:

 

“Lord God, the heavens declare your glory. Renew your creation. Provide leaders in the struggle for clean air and water; protect creatures and crops that rely on healthy ecosystems; give all people the willingness to repent when our way of life pollutes the earth and skies. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

 

Righteous God, your foolishness is wiser than human wisdom. Fill leaders with the foolishness of your peace and mercy. Your law defends the vulnerable. Work through legislators, judicial systems, and systems of law enforcement to protect the wellbeing and freedom of all. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.

 

Loving God, your weakness is stronger than human strength. Protect those who are vulnerable and give courage to all who are suffering…Defend victims of crime and bring redemption to those who have harmed others. Give sabbath rest to all who labor. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.”

 

You may not be able to work on the puzzle with mom and me—although, we can arrange a time for you to visit if you feel so inclined to help! And mom and I may not be able to work on the puzzle together for a few days as she recovers from her surgery. But you can still join me in praying for the world—and in praying for my mom today, on this International Women’s Day—and in putting the world together one piece of love at a time.

 

Amen.

 

Loyal to Suffering

“We are loyal to our suffering,” she said.

“What do you mean?” he said.

“Our human nature is geared toward struggling,” she said.
“And society tries to convince us that
we must always live in fear.”

“But how does that make us loyal to suffering?” he said.

“In the absence of fear or struggle,” she said,
“In the presence of contentment and courage—
We are led to believe that something is wrong.”

“Go on,” he said.

“We find something to worry about,” she said.
“We create something to fear because it feels right.
We are loyal to our suffering.”

“Oh,” he said.
“But that’s not how it’s supposed to be.”

“No,” she said.
“The journey is learning to be fully present
exactly where we are.”

“In bad times and good,” he said.

“Yes,” she said.
“The journey is falling into Peace
And trusting That which passes understanding.”

“Even when it means being okay that things are going okay?” he said.

“Even when it means being okay that things are going okay!” she said.

“Thanks,” he said.

“You’re welcome,” she said.
“Now go be disloyal to suffering.
Go live into Peace.”

You Are

I keep thinking about people who are dying alone.
But I can’t think about it too much
Or else sadness overwhelms me.
So I think about it.
And then I pray for peace.
For the Prince of Peace to go and stand watch over bedsides.
For the Son of Man to manifest himself in the hands and feet of doctors, nurses, and technicians,
For the Light of the World to invade darkness,
For the alone not to feel alone,
But to know that
One is with them who, himself, died
Alone
On a cross so many years ago.
I can’t think about that too much either,
Or else sadness overwhelms me.
So I think about it.
And then I pray for peace.
For the Prince of Peace to come and stand beside me,
For the Son of Man to manifest himself in my hands and feet,
For the Light of the World to dispel darkness,
For the alone of my soul not to feel alone,
But to know that
One is with me who, himself, defeated
Alone
On a cross so many years ago.

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I sit all alone in this beautiful place
I fall on my knees but I stand on your strength
Jesus, You, You Are
I don’t understand why you’ve brought me here
To a place I’d run from, year after year but
Jesus, You, You Are

All my days full of motion, Running from here to there
Split devotions, I don’t know how to bear
Yet you’re the Way and the Truth and the Life on this path
The Sovereign Creator, the First and the Last

Jesus, You are the Life of me
You are the Light I need
You are the Great I Am
The Prince of Peace and the Son of Man
You Are

I look around all at this crazy world
Even your children go against your Word but
Jesus, You, You Are
How can just one person make a difference that lasts
When so many people are stuck in the past but
Jesus, You, You Are

Running round in circles trying to bridge the gap
But the weight of humanity is stronger than that
Yet You’re the Rock I can build on, You’re the Image of Grace
The Holy Redeemer, Love’s Relentless Face

You are the Life of me
You are the Light I need
You are the Great I Am
The Prince of Peace and the Son of Man
You Are

Help, Thanks, Wow! (Sermon)

If you're reading this, then you're reading something that no one else is reading. I'm not posting it on FB. Just here. To see if my three readers will let me know if it makes sense. It's a sermon that I'm writing for Sunday morning. And I'm struggling with the writing. I write all the time. I speak all the time. But for some reason, writing a sermon is a struggle for me. So...here is what I have. Thoughts? Ideas? I'd love the help.

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Opening

Hear these words from Philippians 4:4-9,

5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Let us pray.

…

Last Spring Break, a friend and I took a trip to Phoenix to go to the Antiques Roadshow. While there, we took a day trip to Sedona to see some of the most beautiful country there is. To better catch the beauty of our surroundings, we decided to take a hike…and before I knew it, we were hiking full speed ahead up what looked like a very daunting mountain.

I don’t know about you, but I like to take my time when I’m hiking. Not only does it help me physically, but it also helps me mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. I like to go slow—really take in the sights, smells, and textures of my surroundings. Sometimes I stop to take pictures. Sometimes I stop to write poetry. Sometimes I stop to breathe. But on this hike, I wasn’t stopping for anything. The friends I was with were moving quickly up the mountain and there were strangers on my tail. I didn’t have time to do anything other than pray that I didn’t run out of breath or fall down or off the mountain. “Help, God, help” I prayed. “Help, God, help!”

Despite intense peer pressure to keep going to the mountain’s summit, I decided to stop half way up the mountain. I really had no desire to climb all the way to the top and I certainly didn’t want to do it at break neck speed. After convincing my friends that I really, truly did not want to keep going, I sat down in a little rock crevice on the side of the mountain and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Honestly, I’m still surprised that I found the courage to stand up for myself and stop the hike, but I did. And as I sat in that rock crevice, somewhat anxious about getting down the mountain alone, tears of relief filled my eyes. “Thanks, God, thanks,” I prayed. “Thanks, God, thanks!”

After sitting still and gathering my wits for about 15 minutes, I finally began making my way down the mountain. I took my time. I helped other people. I stopped and took pictures. I laid on a flat portion of rock for awhile, gazing at the crisp, white clouds in the bright, blue sky, feeling the warmth of the sun hitting my skin. I found an old river bed and imagined what it was like when water raged there. I marveled at the tree roots. I felt the smooth edges of river rock. I looked up at the mountain’s outline and wondered where my friends were. I had an absolutely glorious time alone, and all I could think was, “Wow, God, wow!” “Wow, God, wow!”

Help. Thanks. Wow. Three simple, yet almost essential, prayers of our faith.

Help

*play/sing “Lord, I Give It All To You”*

In our passage of scripture today, we find Paul in jail. He is writing to a people whose very lives are a source of worry. In the early church, in addition to the normal everyday worries of being a human being, there was added the worry of being a Christian, which meant taking one’s life in one’s hands. For early Christians, like the Philippians, being a person of faith was going against the accepted norm. It was risky. It was dangerous. It was life-threatening. Yet Paul’s solution to these worries? Prayer.

In vs. 6, Paul writes: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition…present your requests to God.

Did you hear that? In every situation. Paul stresses that we can take everything to God in prayer: We can pray for ourselves. We can pray for others. We can pray for forgiveness from the past, for the things we need in the present, and for help and guidance for the future. We can commit to God those near and far who are within our memories and our hearts. And we can pray for things that are easy to pray for as well as the things we’d rather not admit. Think about like this:

Any family with many children knows the struggles that go on daily to keep a good appearance in the front hall where visitors enter. Some convenient hiding place where all the clutter can be thrown under the stairs when company approaches is part of the equipment of any well-ordered home. To all appearances, guests find a neat house, but we would not have them see the disorder in the closet.

We all have something like a hall closet, where we conceal what we do not want company to see. We have ingenious ways of trying to forget what is in that closet—we keep very, very busy; we never take time to think; we seek continuous distractions and stay with the crowd. This is why Paul insists on making everything known to God in moments when we are alone and still with our decisions.

Such prayer is nothing more or less than putting ourselves in a position where ‘there is no place to hide.’ For inside each of us is that secret place where no human being can ever enter. Only God shares that. Help me deal with the mess that I am, God! Help! God! Help!

…

When we move on to verse 8, we read: Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.

I don’t know about you, but I struggle to keep my mind on things that are true, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy. Instead, I find my mind wandering to the lies of fear and doubt; to the juiciness of gossip and sin; to the ickiness of the world that we live in.

Turn on the news or nighttime television for just five minutes and it’s plain to see how easy it is to focus on the things of this world rather than the things of God—
• Things that are True and will not will not let us down;
• Things that are Honest and dignified rather than cheap and attractive;
• Things that are Just and carry a duty to God and others;
• Things that are Pure and morally uncontaminated;
• Things that are Lovely—kind; sympathetic; patient; not vengeful, punishing, bitter, fearful, critical, rebuking, or resentful;
• And things Of Good Report that are fit for God to hear.

God, help us to focus on all that is excellent and praiseworthy.

God, help us to live lives worthy of your calling.

God, help us to focus on your love and your ways.

God, help us to look forward to a future of freedom while letting go of the weight of the past.

God, help us to have courage and strength as we pass through pain.

God, help us to be breathe when patience is running thin.

God, help us to stand up for ourselves when we know we are in situations where we do not feel right.

God, help us to know and to take the next right step.

God, help those we love. Please God, help those we love.

Help, God, Help!

Help, God, Help!

Thanks

But it’s not just help that we should pray for. Go back to verse six. We read: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

The church in Philippi was actually one of Paul’s favorite churches and the people some of his favorite people. They were the only church that Paul had accepted financial gifts from and they had sent gifts of money, help, and prayer to him throughout his ministry.

In his letter to the Philippians, then, Paul is not writing to clarify theological doctrine or to offer advice on how to be the church, rather he is writing to say thank you to a people he loved and missed and to declare that there is joy in Christ for all who believe.

In fact, that theme of joy in Christ runs throughout the entire book. In verse four of today’s text, we read: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Rejoice! Be thankful! Let your heart overflow with the goodness of God through Jesus Christ!

And not only that, but: Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

In other words, let your thanksgiving translate into gentle action toward all, for God is near, all around, moving and working in our every day lives, through all times and circumstances…but it is up to see it.

And how do we see God moving and working in the world around us? Through adopting an attitude of gratitude based first and foremost on our salvation and the redeeming power of Jesus Christ in our lives.

Once we have adopted that attitude, we can live a life thankful for the people, things, places, and experiences that make our lives what they are. Remember what Paul said: Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS. And again I say Rejoice! We do not rejoice because things are always perfect.

Take Paul as an example. He was in jail, awaiting a trial that very well may have ended his life, and yet he was still able to rejoice and to commend his favorite people to do the same. We, like Paul, rejoice because we have more than enough in Jesus Christ our Lord…

I want you to take out a pen or pencil and some paper if you have them. If you don’t, reach in the pew in front of you and use the little golf pencil and an offering envelope or your bulletin.

I’m going to give you two minutes to write down as many as you can of the people, places, and things for which you are thankful. Write down anything that comes to mind—nothing is too big or small. Rejoice in the Lord, ALWAYS. And again, I say rejoice.

No matter what you may be going through, take two moments to rejoice now.

(wait two minutes)

Oh, God, we give you thanks today. Thanks, God, Thanks! Thanks, God, Thanks!

(pause)

Wow

A few summers ago, I had the privilege of traveling to Iceland. I’ll never forget my first overseas experience and just how beautiful it was. In fact, my first visit in Iceland, a waterfall, was so beautiful that I just stood there and cried. I couldn’t formulate any other thought than Wow. As Ann Lamott says in her book Helps Thanks Wow:

“Wow is often offered with a gasp, a sharp intake of breath, when we can’t think of another way to capture the sight of shocking beauty or destruction, of a sudden unbidden insight or an unexpected flash of grace. ‘Wow’ means we are not dulled to wonder. We click into being fully present when we’re stunned into that gasp, by the sight of a birth, or images of the World Trade Center towers falling, or the experience of being in a fjord, at dawn for the first time. ‘Wow’ is about having one’s mind blown by the mesmerizing or the miraculous: the veins in a leaf, birdsong, volcanoes.”

Wow. We’ve all had Wow moments in our lives. In preparing for this sermon, I had quite a few wow moments in my reading. This scripture passage alone is a Wow moment if you really think about it!

Remember: Paul wrote this passage to a group of people who loved and supported him but who were not living on Easy Street. Just to be a Christian in those days was quite a risk. There was only a handful of people in Philippi defending the faith against a hostile ruling class. Yet the Philippian church was faithful. And Paul saw their faithfulness and wanted to write his words of love and thanksgiving to them…all while he had been stripped of everything in the world that human beings naturally want. And still he writes:

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Wow!

Here is a man in prison, likely to be beaten and killed, writing about the joy and peace of Christ!
Wow!

There is a mystery to this joy and peace of Christ. Such a peace is really quite different from the peace that we often think about. We tend to think we want peace that passes understanding, but what we actually want is a peace that is very easily understood. We want the peace that grows out of the tranquility of our surroundings, the pastoral scene where all goes well, the peace of being made to lie down in green pastures and being led beside the still waters. But the peace that Paul had in mind was past all understanding because it was his amid tempestuous surroundings, amid riot and storm, and under the threat of the headman’s ax.

So what is the peace of God? It is our outlook on life. Paul wrote that the peace of God allowed him to be satisfied with what he had in any situation. The peace of God, then, allows us to see every situation with wisdom.
• We can see if something is really important or not, whether it is worth troubling with.
• We can see the places where we should place our attempts to do God’s will.
• We can know that no matter what happens, God is working in every situation to redeem.

God’s peace allows us to understand:
• That our lives are important, but our problems are not the only things to be considered;
• That there are things we can do to help, but we must rely on God in the final analysis;
• And that we always have help and comfort through his spirit.

The peace of God passes human understanding and is available to those who believe. Wow, God! Wow! Wow, God, Wow!

(pause)

Conclusion

Do not be anxious about anything, church, but in every situation, 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.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things…And the God of peace will be with you. Now and forevermore.

Help.
Thanks.
Wow!

Amen.

Benediction

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit now and always, and To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

I Believe In You

Kindergarteners can be space aliens. Sometimes, I look at them wandering around the room, being super silly, completely happy not doing anything I ask, and I think, “I really hope no one comes into this classroom right now because it looks like I have no control over my classroom.” And, well, sometimes it feels as if I don’t.

That happened this afternoon. As the little aliens pushed all my buttons, I took one deep breath after another, trying everything I knew to do to remain calm and teach proper behavior…until…I exploded. And the true irony of it all? I was trying to teach the students about peace while standing in front of them far from peaceful.

…

Earlier today, a student made and gave me a drawing. It says my name and includes the phrase, “I believe in you,” along with the words hope, love, and light. I imagine that he was taking a cue from a piece of art that I have hanging above my desk, but still…I love his drawing…and I want to believe that when he comes to music class, he feels hope, love, and light, and that I believe in him.
…

I’ve been teaching about MLK, Jr. in preparation for the holiday that’s coming on Monday. At the end of his famous “I Have A Dream” speech, MLK referenced the song, “Free At Last.” He said, “…we will speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands in singing the words of the old Negro spiritual, ‘Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, I’m free at last.” Then he figuratively dropped the mic and walked off stage. Five years later, his tombstone was carved with those same words: Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, I’m free at last.

…

Friends: There will be times in our lives when we get it right—when we speak words that will be remembered for all of eternity or act in ways that we’re everything we’ve ever wanted to be. But then there will be times when Kindergarten space aliens cross our paths and we can only pray that no one walks in to witness the cacophony.

That’s how life is. It is up and down, push and pull, failure and forgiveness, positive and negative, give and take.

Yet through it all, God is there, offering true peace—extending hope, love, and light—gently whispering, “I believe in you.”

…

Amen.

Worship Despite Ourselves

Sometimes I have no direction. I have a theme. I have a scripture passage. I have a sermon title. And yet I have no direction. Songs play in my head, but they don’t feel right. Songs fall under the right category in the hymnbook index, but they don’t feel right. The words aren’t what we need. The melody isn’t familiar. The message, tune, and/or tempo don’t fit with the mood or flow of the service. And so I find myself at a loss.

Sometimes I ask my mom for help. Sometimes my dad. The truth is that my mom knows more about the hymnal than I’ll ever know and that my dad knows exactly what he is hoping a worship service will convey. Sometimes their suggestions directly pull me out of my rut. Sometimes they give me a directional tug. But sometimes even they don’t feel right. So sometimes I ask my praise team members for help. And the same thing will happen. Sometimes their suggestions pull me directly out of my rut while other times they give me a directional tug.

Yesterday’s worship service was a combination of all of the above: My mom directly chose what ended up being the Call to Worship and the second and third hymns while Rebecca the Children’s Minister chose what ended up being the special music. The thing that I wrestled with was where to place the songs that we had selected…and knowing that the praise team hadn’t practiced either song that we were supposed to play.

Truth be told, I hadn’t made a final decision about the order of yesterday’s music when I arrived at church. I knew my options, and I had a pretty good idea of what we would be doing when, but nothing was solid. As the praise team’s pre-service warm-up began and the members began to rag-taggedly arrive, I quickly determined that we would do the special music and settled into practice.

Here’s what happened, though: The first time we practiced the song that Rebecca the Children’s Minister had suggested, it was me, Rebecca, and Ethan the Bass Player and Vocalist. We figured out the vocal arrangement, and then Rebecca had to go do something else. Then David the Keyboard Player arrived. So Ethan and I practiced with David. I tried to figure out which guitar style sounded best with the song—strum or pick. Then Leslie the Vocalist and Guitar player arrived. So I handed her my guitar, showed her the strum part, shared with her what we had decided for the vocalists, got out my other guitar, and began playing the pick part. The combination of everything together sounded good, but Leslie’s guitar wasn’t coming through the sound system. Then Jeff the Vocalist and Sound Guy showed up. So I shared with him what we had decided for the vocalists, practiced one verse, and then asked him to see if he could figure out what was wrong with Leslie’s guitar pick up.

By this point, quite a few people had gathered in the sanctuary for worship. The rag-tag nature of how everyone had arrived was evident in how we were set up; Jeff and I were having to yell at each other to figure out the problem with Leslie’s guitar (the sound booth is at the back of the sanctuary in a room above the sanctuary); and the choir was waiting on me in the choir room. As soon as we got the guitar amplified and our equipment set up in such a way that it did not reflect chaos, I went to the choir room to get the choir ready for the service. After a quick warm-up and a prayer, we entered the sanctuary for worship.

The choir sang the Call To Worship. It was literally a musical version of the scripture reading of the day and led perfectly into the first hymn. The praise team sang the special music. One more member of the praise team showed up to sing. Just before we began, Rebecca quietly shared with her the vocal arrangement and then we sang…

There are times when the choir and/or praise team will work on a song for weeks. We will practice long and hard and wait for just the right time to offer our song in worship. And then no one will say anything in response…or if they do then it will be a complaint—the most common of which is that the praise team is too loud and the instruments unbalanced.

Then there are times like yesterday when the choir pulls out an old song and the praise team does the same…and things are a bit scattered and crazy like the episode chronicled above…and then numerous people tell me that the music was absolutely beautiful—the harmonies, the balance, the volume, and the message. When this happened yesterday, all I could say was, “It was God.” Because surely it was. You read about the morning and the uncertainty that led to it all. What else could it have been?

Thank you, God, for using us despite of ourselves. And help us to become the prayer that we sang. Amen.

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Lord, Make us instruments of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let your love increase
Lord, make us instruments of your peace,
Walls of pride and prejudice shall cease
When we are your instruments of peace.

Where there is hatred, we will show his love
Where there is injury, we will never judge
Where there is striving, we will speak his peace
To the millions crying for release,
We will be his instruments of peace

Lord, Make us instruments of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let your love increase
Lord, make us instruments of your peace,
Walls of pride and prejudice shall cease
When we are your instruments of peace.

Where there is blindness, we will pray for sight
where there is darkness, we will shine his light
Where there is sadness, we will bear their grief
To the millions crying for relief,
We will be your instruments of peace.

Lord, Make us instruments of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let your love increase
Lord, make us instruments of your peace,
Walls of pride and prejudice shall cease
When we are your instruments of peace.

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Whispered words of wisdom, let it be

Breathe...Peace

Today is the International World Day of Peace. In preparation for the day, B had the 5th graders make Pinwheels for Peace and placed them in front of the school. I’ve been working with the 5th graders on songs of peace. We’re currently writing personalized verses to the song, “What Can One Little Person Do?”

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On Friday night, I had the privilege of seeing Plumb in concert. She was headlining a women’s conference in Fayetteville. I’d never before seen Plumb and knew very little about her life or music, yet I knew I wanted to attend the concert because I’d recently heard her song “Exhale” and immediately connected with it. In short, the concert was amazing and speaking with Plumb afterward was the same.

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In my example verse for the 5th graders, I wrote that I hoped for sustainability and made a plan to use reusable shopping bags to change the world. I want my students to know that standing for peace and changing the world doesn’t have to be a huge, instantly famous action. I want them to know that, really, it’s the little things that change the world and bring peace—things that they actually can do rather than abstract concepts that seem impossible. If I’d have thought they could fully understand it, though, then I would have written about my hope for mindfulness and self-awareness and my plan to breathe.

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During one of the most difficult emotional periods of my life, one of my friends consistently told me to breathe. I remember getting mad at her for telling me to breathe because, of course, I was breathing. But one night when I found myself in fitful tears, I realized that I was holding my breath instead of exhaling. In that moment, I understood what my friend meant. Breathe. In. Out. In. Out. Breathe. Steady breath calms us.

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After standing in line for at least thirty minutes to meet Plumb, I had the opportunity to speak with her for a few moments. As a formality, I had her sign my newly purchased CD, but I really just wanted to talk with her. So I did. I told her how appreciative I was of the honesty and wisdom in her music and how much I resonated with “Exhale.” She explained her hope that as she inhaled and exhaled grace, the grace would find its way to those around her and surround them with a hug. As she explained this to me, she touched my shoulders to demonstrate the surrounding.

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My first counselor, Jenny, gave me an audio-book called Good Medicine. In the book, the teacher, Pema Chodron, introduces a concept that I personalized to this: Breathe in darkness, stress, gunk, and all things bad; imagine Jesus (who, according to Christian teaching “lives” in the heart) filtering out and getting rid of all of the junk; then breathe out light, grace, hope, peace, love, and all things good.

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Just before Plumb told me her hope that the air she exhales will hug those around her, I shared with her the process that I learned in Good Medicine. I told her that I breathe in darkness and breathe out light for myself, my friends, my family, my students, the world. I presented the concept to her in case she wanted to do the same.

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What can I do to change the world? Live with mindfulness and self-awareness. And breathe… peace.
mi