Invocation Not Necessary…
Lu Mountenay
(Reprinted from archives)
So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God. -Ephesians 2:17-22
You say, “Come, Holy Spirit, Come.”
I hear your invitation.
You welcome me…yet you don’t see.
I am already here.
Am I invisible? Then listen!
Am I so silent you do not hear me?
Do you feel me? Do you reveal me?
Do you know me, or have you closed your heart?
Evidence of me is all around-
that which my fingers have made,
that to which my breath has given life.
That which was once hidden, I now trace for your eyes.
When my Spirit touches you…touch me back.
If you cannot find me
grasp the holy hem, the fiber at my feet-
find Christ…it is here we meet.
In the soil, the water, the air-I am there.
So don’t invite me…Invite others to me.
I am present, attentive, waiting, rapt.
I am home…in you. Be home in me.
Prayer Phrase
“Led by the Holy Spirit, we work with God and others to restore peace (shalom) to creation” (https://www.cofchrist.org/enduring-principles).
Spiritual Practice
Embodying God’s Shalom
Find a way to express and embody God’s shalom. Begin by prayerfully listening to your longing for peace and wholeness. Become silent and imagine you can hear the groaning of the Earth’s people, nations, and creatures. Prayerfully open yourself to God’s yearning for peace and the divine vision of shalom.
What images, feelings, and words come to you? What prayer for peace comes to you from your time of listening? Speak or write this prayer. What act of justice, kindness, healing, or peacemaking does God invite you to consider this day?
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.
