Today is my last day as Interim Priest-in-Charge of your parish. It has been my delight to minister among you, especially as it was where I began my ordained ministry twenty years ago. I have been impressed with all that goes on here and with the number of people who ensure that things get done, and especially so during the interregnum.

One constant in my time here (and going back well before then) has been the inclusion in our prayers for peace in the many trouble spots of the world. And those intercessions will continue, I know. Below is what Bishop Peter writes in this week’s eLife:

The tragedy of war continues in our world. Both hardly mentioned wars, such as in Sudan, and much mentioned wars such as in Ukraine and Israel-Gaza- West Bank-Lebanon. We pray for peace and for justice to prevail. Only just solutions will yield lasting peace and there is no peace without just resolutions of injustices between peoples. Neither peace nor justice is served by killing people. Nor is peace and justice served by using civilians as shields to hide weapons, indiscriminate firing of rockets and missiles against villages, towns and cities, using conflict as a cover for stealing land from defenceless people. We all want the violence to stop. But ceasefires (let alone lasting peace and true justice) are in the hands of leaders of militant organizations and governments intent on whatever they intend. Sadly, protests in countries far from the actual places of conflict and protestations from the UN General Assembly are making little or even no impact at this time. Prayer to the God who reigns over heaven and earth is a first resort for us as Christians and not a last resort: let’s redouble our prayers for peace and justice in our world.

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