
Dear Friends,
As we head into the summer months, some of us are preparing for new beginnings: a new school, a new job, new friendships, and new journeys. For others, it is a time to rest, play, read, listen, garden, walk, connect, and pray. In our church community, we will continue to worship on Sundays, but many small group activities and programs will pause for the summer and resume in September.
We pray that those in need of rest will find the rest they seek; those looking for a new beginning will find it; and those in need of healing will find the healing they require. Whatever our plans for the summer, may God guide our journey, and may we deepen our love for God and one another. May this prayer of peace not be lost in our hearts.
As the fever of day calms towards twilight
May all that is strained in us come to ease.
We pray for all who suffered violence today,
May an unexpected serenity surprise them.
For those who risk their lives each day for peace,
May their hearts glimpse providence at the heart of history.
That those who make riches from violence and war
Might hear in their dreams the cries of the lost.
That we might see through our fear of each other
A new vision to heal our fatal attraction to aggression.
That those who enjoy the privilege of peace
Might not forget their tormented brothers and sisters.
That the wolf might lie down with the lamb,
That our swords be beaten into ploughshares
And no hurt or harm be done
Anywhere along the holy mountain.
—By John O’Donohue (Irish poet, 1956–2008)
—Rev. Chuck Moon
Reverend Chuck Moon will be away on a well-deserved vacation from July 8 to August 13, 2024. See information on our guest ministers during that time.
A version of this message appeared in the Sunday, July 7, 2024, edition of Tidbits.