Newsletter: Pray for peace among all peoples

Dear friends,

Some of you may be aware that my spouse, David, is one of the leaders of the Diocese of New Westminster Ecumenical & Multifaith Unit. This is a group whose task is to explore how Anglican Churches in the Lower Mainland can connect and relate to people who are members of other Christian denominations (ecumenical), and to people who belong to other religions (multi-faith). One of the jobs they’ve been doing recently has been to help our bishop send letters of greeting to the leaders of other religions on their special holidays. Click on the button below to read the bishop’s letter to Jewish leaders for Hanukkah.

As the bishop notes, there seems to have been recently a rise in anti-Jewish sentiment, particularly in North America. Jewish people are often stereotyped as being a part of some vast global economic conspiracy, or as somehow less tolerant than the rest of us because of how the state of Israel treats Palestinian people. But these are stereotypes and nothing more. Jewish people, like Christians, like Muslims, include good people and bad people, kind people and mean people, rich people and poor people. Jewish Canadian people who live in Toronto or Vancouver are not responsible for the actions of the state of Israel any more than Scottish Canadians are responsible for the actions of the Scottish parliament.
And, of course, hatred and stereotypes aren’t just applied to Jewish people in the Lower Mainland. The Islamic Centre here in Langley has received death threats in the last couple of years, just as synagogues in Vancouver received threats that they are going to get shot up.

Hatred and violence often seem eternal, and over the centuries Christians have been both on the giving and receiving end of hatred and violence. But this is not the Christian way. Hatred for others is not the Christian way. Violence towards others is not the Christian way. The Christian way is a way of kindness, understanding, and peace.

My invitation to you in this third week of Advent, 2022, is to pray for peace. Here is a prayer from our prayer book to help you with this.

O God, it is your will to hold both heaven and earth in a single peace. Let the design of your great love shine on the waste of our wraths and sorrows, and give peace to your Church, peace among religions, peace in our homes, and peace in our hearts; through Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. Amen

Please search for or write your own prayers for peace and bring them to church to share.

With love,

Andrew

the Rev Andrew Halladay, Vicar