{"id":2108,"date":"2024-09-09T06:00:36","date_gmt":"2024-09-09T06:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.presbyterianmission.org\/weekly-offerings\/?p=2108"},"modified":"2024-08-15T13:12:03","modified_gmt":"2024-08-15T13:12:03","slug":"sowing-the-seeds-of-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centernet.pcusa.org\/weekly-offerings\/2024\/09\/09\/sowing-the-seeds-of-peace\/","title":{"rendered":"Sowing the Seeds of Peace"},"content":{"rendered":"\"\"\n

\u201cSowing the Seeds of Peace\u201d (Zechariah 8:12)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all witnessed it, haven\u2019t we?<\/p>\n

Flowers miraculously blooming across a ravaged landscape. Children holding hands and smiling in the face of war.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all seen it and wonder how it\u2019s possible. Such scenarios seem unlikely when we\u2019ve all but given up hope.<\/p>\n

And yet \u2026<\/p>\n

The prophet Zechariah casts a vision for peace. He shows forth a world where each person \u2014 old and young, all genders and races, people from north, south, east and west \u2014 lives without enmity, fear and destruction. In Zechariah\u2019s vision, there is \u201ca sowing of peace\u201d where the world is restored, made whole and abides in peace. People in Zechariah\u2019s prophecy bind themselves together in love for one another, imbued in them by God, where all people have dignity and worth.<\/p>\n

The Presbyterian Confession of 1967 invites us, the Church, to be \u201cemissaries of peace.\u201d It also reminds us that \u201cwith an urgency born of this hope, the Church applies itself to present tasks and strives for a better world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peacemaking is central to the gospel and the mission of the Church. Peace is<\/em> possible, and it begins with us sowing the seeds of peace in every interaction and decision we make.<\/p>\n

The Peace & Global Witness Offering is one way we can begin to bring peace. Through our generous support, our gifts will combine with churches across the PC(USA) to sow seeds of peace around the globe. Twenty-five percent of this offering will stay with our church to promote peace through our own ministries, and 25% is retained by our presbytery for peace and justice ministries in our region.<\/p>\n

This World Communion Sunday, let us remember the Christ who we meet at the Table of Grace and affirm that in Christ all Christians are one, regardless of nationality, race or ethnicity.<\/p>\n

Please give generously, for when we all do a little, it adds up to a lot.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Let us pray: <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

God, you are the bringer of peace. We recommit ourselves to you as you bring peace to our world. May the works of our hands, the marching of our feet and the meditations of our hearts join with you as we sow the seeds of the peace only you can bring. In your name we pray, <\/em>Amen<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cSowing the Seeds of Peace\u201d (Zechariah 8:12)   We\u2019ve all witnessed it, haven\u2019t we? Flowers miraculously blooming across a ravaged landscape. Children holding hands and smiling in the face of war. We\u2019ve all seen it and wonder how it\u2019s possible. Such scenarios seem unlikely when we\u2019ve all but given up hope. And yet \u2026 The… Read more »<\/a>","protected":false},"author":333,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99,31],"tags":[3749,3750,20,960,33,6,59],"class_list":["post-2108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-communion","category-peace-and-global-witness-offering","tag-peace-global-witness","tag-peace-global-witness-offering","tag-peace-global","tag-peacemakers","tag-peacemaking","tag-special-offerings","tag-stewardship"],"yoast_head":"\nSowing the Seeds of Peace - Where Your Heart Is...<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/centernet.pcusa.org\/weekly-offerings\/2024\/09\/09\/sowing-the-seeds-of-peace\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sowing the Seeds of Peace\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cSowing the Seeds of Peace\u201d (Zechariah 8:12)   We\u2019ve all witnessed it, haven\u2019t we? 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