Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) Blogs

Season of Peace

Daily Reflections

A Season of Peace: Monday, October 1, 2018

  Peacemaking and practice: growing hope   By Doug Dicks  Psalm 9:9–10 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.   Reflection: The Nassar family of Bethlehem has been struggling for years to hold on to their family land. Located southwest of Bethlehem, this area of about 100 acres… Read more »

A Season of Peace: Sunday, September 30, 2018

  Peacemaking and practice   By Rev. Patrick D. Heery John 4:4–30, 39–42 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty.”   Reflection: Two thousand years ago, a scar ran across the land of Palestine, separating Judea from Samaria — two groups of people ideologically and… Read more »

A Season of Peace: Saturday, September 29, 2018

  The church and its witness: cultivating joy   By Rev. Teresita Regidor Oton Psalm 100:1–5 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth.   Reflection: In Dubai and Abu Dhabi, I have met secretaries, bookkeepers, receptionists, caregivers, and salespersons, all Filipino, all in situations of forced labor, all overworked and tired. Yet, I… Read more »

A Season of Peace: Friday, September 28, 2018

  The church and its witness: remembering God’s redemption   By Rev. Cathy Chang Deuteronomy 5: 1–6, 12–15, 21 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.   Reflection: The first time I preached about human trafficking and modern-day slavery, I struggled… Read more »

A Season of Peace: Thursday, September 27, 2018

  The church and its witness: in times of exile   By Rev. Joram H. Calimutan Esther 7:1–10 and Luke 4:18–19 “He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”   Reflection: Queen… Read more »

A Season of Peace: Wednesday, September 26, 2018

  The church and its witness: life in exile   By Rev. Cathy Chang Psalm 137:1–6 By the rivers of Babylon — there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion.   Reflection: This psalm evokes the pain and loss from the Babylonian exile. Jerusalem, once the center of the people’s faith… Read more »

A Season of Peace: Tuesday, September 25, 2018

  The church and its witness: answering the call for help   By Rev. Marie Sol Sioco-Villalon Psalm 28:1–9 To you, O Lord, I call; my rock, do not refuse to hear me.   Reflection: In the course of my serving victims of human trafficking, I receive many phone calls and Facebook messages from Filipino… Read more »

A Season of Peace: Monday, September 24, 2018

  The church and its witness: protecting migrant workers   By Rev. Cathy Chang Esther 4:4–17 “Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.”   Reflection: In my Filipino colleagues I see the courage and determination of Queen Esther as they advocate for the lives of their… Read more »

A Season of Peace: Sunday, September 23, 2018

  The church and its witness   By Rev. Patrick D. Heery Genesis 37:18–28 “Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites.”   Reflection: Long ago, Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery. It’s a story still being lived out today, as 21 million people live and work in conditions of forced labor, many of them… Read more »

A Season of Peace: Saturday, September 22, 2018

  Go and see: an idol of silver   By Rev. Alan Jenkins Acts 17:16–34 “Since we are God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of mortals.”   Reflection: The Bible’s teaching on idolatry seems a simple,… Read more »