Palm Sunday, April 13

by Peter St. Onge

On my first day as a news reporter, I was sent to a neighborhood in Huntsville, Alabama, where a tornado had touched down the previous night. No one was killed in the storm, but the tornado had destroyed more than a dozen homes before leaping back up into the sky.

I walked from yard to yard that next morning, talking to whoever would talk to me. One woman chatted for a few moments, then told me she’d rather not see her name in the newspaper. I didn’t want to just walk away, so I asked: “What are you going to do next?”

She didn’t hesitate. “Well, I’ll pray,” she said.

I didn’t think much of it then, but in the years since, my job has introduced me to many people facing the challenges life brings: a couple whose house had been swept away by the Tar River in eastern North Carolina; an elementary school teacher in Arkansas heading back to her first day at work since a school shooting; men and women facing sudden unemployment or a frightening diagnosis.

Each of them and so many others have talked to me about praying, and I’ve come to realize that they did so not only to ask for something, but to remind themselves of the peace that comes with faith.

“Well, I’ll pray,” that woman said long ago, standing in her front yard. I understand better now, through challenges in my own life, of the peace that comes with praying, and the strength that comes with peace.


Lift in prayer today
Those struggling with depression or other mental disorders

Saturday, April 12

by Mary Ann Tilley
"My Peace I Give"

This gift was given by Jesus in his last days: “Peace I leave with you: my peace I give. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Peace. Shalom. The deep sense of  wholeness, health, well-being.  What is this peace that passes all understanding? How do we know when we have that peace?  What words can even describe this gracious gift - so desired, so beautiful, so necessary to living in this troubled world? God speaks and things happen.

“I am with you always.”  “Love one another as I have loved you.”

 “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

Words! Words of love, encouragement and vocation which call us to action as we live our daily lives through good and bad days. The Word made flesh.

 This peace, so hard for this human to adequately describe, has been given to me through written words, spoken words and the loving actions of a beloved community:

• When my spirit was calmed and settled after reading scripture when circumstances had shattered my life: “The Lord is my light and salvation, whom shall I fear.” (Psalm 27)
• When friends have spoken comforting words and just sat with me  “I am here with you.” “I will not leave you.”  “I am praying for you.”  “I am here to help.”
• When words of confession and forgiveness are said and a relationship is restored
• When watching a gorgeous sunset after a satisfying day of beginning or finishing a project
• When holding my newborn children and grandchildren and feeling awe and a love so intense I could hardly bear it, especially at their baptisms
• When words in a sermon opened my eyes to a new way of serving and living love
• When singing in worship with the whole congregation as one voice, “It is well with my soul”
• When overwhelmed with gratitude for an answered prayer
• When participating in the sacrament of communion and the bread and cup are lifted up, “Do this in remembrance of Me”
• When hearing the words at the memorial service for a loved one, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies: and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die”
• When God breaks into ordinary daily life and you have that “aha” moment and want to shout “yes,” for you have experienced the living God at work in the world
• When one experiences a sense of knowing that one is loved, is here for a purpose created by our living God for his purposes

 The Peace of Christ is a presence of the other. We do not have to do this alone.

“It is finished” were Jesus’ last words on the cross. He had bowed to the will of his father. And then there was the wonder of the resurrection and the words “Go into the world. Make disciples of all nations. I am sending you. Do not be afraid. I will be with you always.”

“Go in peace.” “You are my beloved.” “I will be with you always.” How can one not go out with peace, unafraid, knowing we are not alone!

All thanks be to God for his spoken Word.


Lift in prayer today
Dove’s Nest, helping women
who are battling homelessness and addiction

Friday, April 11

by Jordan Schriefer
"Come, Bring Your Burdens to God"

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.    –Matthew 11:28-30

Our society tells us to go, go, go. There’s hardly any time for rest because there’s always something to do or to be done. This fast paced lifestyle may work for some people, but I am definitely not one of them. As my grandfather reminds me every time I see him, “You cannot burn a candle from two ends, it will burn out very quickly.” How true this is! When we try to do too much all at the same time, we cannot dedicate ourselves fully to one thing; instead, we find that we spread ourselves too thin among many things, not able to give our all. I unfortunately try to believe that I can multi-task and juggle various projects at one time; however, I am quickly reminded each time I do this, that I am not perfect, and it is not practical to be able to do that.

One way I have experienced the peace of Christ is through the Bible studies and devotions I have been involved in throughout high school, and now my collegiate years. My Wednesday night Bible study is something I look forward to every week because I know that no matter what I have going on, it can wait for an hour and a half; nothing is more important than drawing near to our God. Most weeks I find myself physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted by Wednesday yet this is my favorite day of the week; I get to shut the world out of my head and dive into scripture and study with my closest friends. Matthew 11 verses 28-30 tells us that all we have to do is give our burdens and requests to God, and he alone will give us peace and rest. Nothing we do can earn this Peace, this beautiful serene Peace we are given as Children of God, because it is a gift. There’s a song that comes to mind that goes along with this scripture, “Come bring your burdens to God, come bring your burdens to God, Come bring your burdens to God, for Jesus will never say no.” Whenever I feel like there is too much going on, which as a college student seems to be much too frequently, I find a quiet place to sit and close my eyes for a few minutes to just breathe. Just finding a quiet place for a few minutes sends this rush of Peace over me, as if all of my worries are lifted off my shoulders.

We are imperfect beings. Jesus is Perfect. We are weary and burdened. Jesus is Peace.

Come bring your burdens to God, for Jesus will never say no.


Lift in prayer today
Center for Community Transitions,
helping those with criminal records find a productive way of living

Thursday, April 10

by Amy Wright
"Peace in Chaos"

When I ponder on peace in my sometimes hectic life, I first think of quiet. The quiet of a mountain cabin warmed by a wood stove in the dark night, the quiet of a sleeping child after a long day,  the quiet feel of a house when everyone but me has left to go about their business.   But my most powerful memory of peace did not come in a time of silence, but in chaos.

Last fall, I traveled to Haiti with a group from Covenant. It was one of my most difficult, un-peaceful experiences. The Haitian people at the clinic were gracious and welcoming. They were also loud, energetic and overwhelming. The poverty was troubling and very visible. The city was crowded, the traffic seemed to have no rules, and although the architecture was beautiful, most buildings seemed to be crumbling away without care.

We read letters from home in the van on the way to the village.  One letter encouraged us to sing “Here I Am, Lord.”  So we sang. We sang looking out of the van windows at the crowded Haitian city with rough-hewn huts lining the street selling what looked to be Salvation Army leftovers and on into the beautiful countryside. It was for me, among many things, a perfect example of God’s peace that passes understanding. Although I was in a country with problems beyond my comprehension, overwhelming in its hopelessness, God was there.  God holds this world in God’s hands, and singing that I will hold God’s people in my heart gave me a peace and a grounding that made the rest possible. 

Singing has always been important and powerful to me. Singing with a group of people in a foreign land about a God who made everything and still weeps for the people and yearns to heal their pain was a kind of peace that I do not understand, but felt profoundly. It was a peace that did not feel quiet, but instead an undergirding solidness in which to ground myself.


Lift in prayer today
Rebound, a Charlotte Rescue Mission program
helping homeless men who battle with addiction and homelessness

Wednesday, April 9

by Ashlee Cuddy
"A Moment to Receive Peace"

Peace. We all experience times in our lives when we desperately seek peace. In these moments the belief of finding any sense of harmony, tranquility, or serenity seems like an unattainable notion. The amazing thing is that it is a gift that is given to us by God and can be accepted each day. We just fail to grab hold of it sometimes. Why? Because life is busy, the call from God to “be still” can seem daunting; on other days, an impossible task. So you must create a moment of your own for God.

One of the ways I experience the peace of Christ is during the mornings when I journal. I carve out time each day before the sun is up, before the world awakes to find my peace with God. If you want to hear what peace sounds like, step outside at 5:00 in the morning and take a deep breath. Even if you are not a morning person, try it once. For me it all started about two years ago when I was feeling incredibly stressed. I opened my Bible to Philippians 4: 6 and read, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” So I found an old notebook lying around and poured my heart out to God. I praised him for gifts and his provisions; I lifted others up in prayer and then with thanks listed all my worries. I read the verse again this time through verse 7, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Find the time to create your moment. Not a morning person? Maybe you are a night owl. Maybe it is in your car on the way to work or when taking your lunch break, after the baby goes down for a nap or before the kids get home from school. Whatever works for you. Create this time for you and God to receive his incredible gift of peace. In Matthew 7:7, the Bible reminds us how to find those things we are looking for: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Approach God with Christ-like faith, with persistence and intention, and he will bless you with a sense of calm that can only be described as his peace.


Lift in prayer today
Immigrants

Tuesday, April 8

by Donna Wise
"An Excellent Practice"

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.   –Philippians 4:7

In Paul’s letter to the Philippians we are reminded that God’s peace is greater than our ability to understand, and that this peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ. Several verses later, Paul tells us if we practice excellent and praiseworthy things, this God of peace will be with us.  What a promise that is!

Participating in interfaith activities has become an “excellent practice” for me, and I have found God’s peace in amazing ways. Conversations and experiences with people of other faiths who don’t look to Jesus for salvation have been enriching. I am convinced that the peace of God is what all people of good will are seeking.

In March 2013, Covenant’s Holy Land Peace Seekers hosted new friends from the Islamic faith community. Seated beside Muslim cleric Sheik Bassam, Joshua Ralston from Union Seminary in Richmond explained what Christians believe about the Trinity. We shared a meal together that allowed opportunity for us to get to know each other better and celebrate our similarities.

Along with people from all walks of life, I participated in the United Nations’ International Day of Peace at NoDa’s Neighborhood Theater in September. There was evidence of peace in action when people from many different faith communities danced, played musical instruments, shared native foods and read verses of peace from their various sacred texts.

The next month at a Washington, DC, conference on Peace with Justice in the Holy Land, Christians, Muslims and Jews explored ways to eliminate the walls that divide. At that conference I witnessed peace in every small group, quiet conversation, and newly formed relationship.

It is at times such as these, along with too many more to mention, that I experience God’s peace in new and rich ways. My prayer for you is that you will seek opportunities to share God’s peace with others and that in doing so your lives will be enriched.

Lift in prayer today
Samaritan House,
housing homeless people recovering after hospital discharge

Monday, April 7

by Ann Sanders

We feel peace in knowing that Jesus Christ is our redeemer and savior. But what does salvation mean and how did Jesus achieve salvation for us? 

Salvation is God’s promise of new and everlasting life – a life beyond our life on earth. It is God’s victory over sin and death, and it is achieved through the life and death of God’s son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus was fully divine and fully human. We relate to Christ’s humanity, in that Jesus experienced an earthly life: he walked among us and we have shared human experiences. But Jesus was also divine: a more difficult concept for us to get our hands around. Importantly, he was without sin; this makes him different from you and me.

God forgives us of our sins and also gives us everlasting life through the life and death of God’s son, Jesus Christ. Jesus submitted himself to the will of God, his Father. He allowed himself to be unfairly tried and convicted, and he experienced a painful death of crucifixion. Then Christ descended into hell. Christ submitted to such suffering to make us right with God. Only through his humanity could Jesus reconcile us to God – through his unjust and painful death and descent into hell. 

But that is not the end of the story. Jesus, as a divine being, gives us new life. He returns to life with his resurrection, and with this act, God is triumphant over death, and new life is given to humankind.  Righteousness is restored; that is, God’s mercy and truth prevail, and we are invited to participate in God’s kingdom. We will never be divine (so we shouldn’t act as if we are!), but through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are adopted into God’s family and, as humans, can try to live as Christ did on earth. Walking with Christ as we lead our lives, with the promise of life everlasting, brings us peace and comfort indeed.


Lift in prayer today
Hope Haven, providing life skills and support
for homeless, chemically dependent adults and their families