Tower and Town, November 2017

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Clergy Letter: There Will Be Peace

There will be peace:
when attitudes change;
when self-interest is seen as part of common interest;
when old wrongs, old scores, old mistakes
are deleted from the account;
when the aim becomes co-operation and mutual benefit
rather than revenge or seizing maximum personal or group gain;
when justice and equality before the law
become the basis of government;
when basic freedoms exist;
when leaders - political, religious, educational - and the police and media
wholeheartedly embrace the concepts of justice, equality, freedom,
tolerance, and reconciliation as a basis for renewal;
when parents teach their children new ways to think about people.
There will be peace:
when enemies become fellow human beings.

David Roberts; 1999

One of the joys of ministry is working in schools and this year I had the privilege of sharing at Baydon’s harvest festival. The children (and their teachers) did an excellent job of creating a service that included fun and challenge. We listened to some light harvest songs and were challenged by the older children to think about the environment and food justice.
Remembrance Sunday also challenges us about issues of justice and peace, especially apt in these days of terrorist attacks.
As we reflect on this season of autumn with its harvests and its Remembrance and anticipate Advent, let us hold onto our Creator God and celebrate our shared humanity and commit ourselves to building peace and relationships in this place.

Heather Cooper