Grace and peace to you! It has been a hecticly full couple of weeks so far, and you’re wearing me out (In a good way)! I give thanks for the energy and excitement you’ve shown, not only for the beginning of our pastoral journey together, but for life and ministry in Fountain City.

On Sunday, I gave thanks for the end of the Gaza War and prayed for a lasting peace. The next day, news reached us that the ceasefire had already been breached. As gunfire and rockets resume, we might reflect on the nature of human agency.

When the deal was signed and ratified, there was a great deal of back-thumping, with praises heaped in lofty words upon the various people who had been instrumental in securing the release of the hostages and cessation of hostilities. Victory laps were taken, lauds offered, and pride in human accomplishment permeated the air. And perhaps that last part is why the peace was so short-lived: pride in human accomplishment.

Last Sunday’s sermon explored the parable Jesus told to “some who trusted in themselves.” And the parable, in part, testified that our trust should be in God, and our righteousness to be found in God rather than in ourselves. Human beings have consistently shown that we are incapable of maintaining–let alone creating–peace. The prophets testify again and again that it is God who will put an end to war forever. In the meantime, we are given to understand that our hope is not in human princes, but the Prince of Peace who counsels us, teaching us the ways of peace and preparing us for its reality.

Trust only in God, and place your hope in the Prince of Peace. Be blessed by being a blessing.

Rev. Susan