Reconciliation

In fear, we burn down bridges, build up walls.
We work against the good that you intend.
Yet you account for failures, fights, and falls
And bring good anyway, and you can mend
Our rent relationships and broken hearts,
Redeeming what was ruined by these hands.
We shatter graces, scatter all the parts;
You hold all things together in your plans.
Lord, you give purpose even to our pain.
The love we tear asunder, you renew.
You see the growth to come from all the rain,
And you sustain us till we see it too,
Till chosen exile ends in holy rest
And dispossession’s fin’lly dispossessed.


Photo by Aleksandra Sapozhnikova on Unsplash

The God of Peace

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The topics of peace and division have been on my mind lately. In part, this is due to some of my research along those lines this semester (see last week’s post for more on that). But the themes are present outside of the classroom as well. Online interactions show us that division is prevalent in our world, and the bitterness with which people divide makes peace seen almost a myth. And sadly, the church isn’t immune from such struggles to live in unity.

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