By Deb Crowley of Urbandale, Iowa, USA

Heed the urgent call to become a global family united in the name of the Christ, committed in love to one another, seeking the kingdom for which you yearn and to which you have always been summoned. That kingdom shall be a peaceable one and it shall be known as Zion.

A quiet, unassuming, shy minister was to give the sermon on a Sunday following a week of conflict in the congregation. Nerves were raw; everyone was on edge; trust was broken.

All this was the result of a series of emails that hurt individuals. Before long, sides were drawn, and an almost-visible line appeared down the aisle of the church. How could this unpretentious, quiet minister speak to the congregation in a way that might bring healing and reconciliation?

What followed was profound. He said that as he prayed in preparation for Sunday, he sensed the Holy Spirit urging him how to share. He set a telephone and toy car on the podium.

He stated that everyone with a computer ought to have a computer-smashing party! Then they should pick up the phone or get in their car, drive to one another’s home, and talk—in person, by phone, face to face, or one on one.

Above all, he counseled that God wept for their pain.

They must not let their differences separate them, and they must remember that with love in action, wounds would heal, and the people would be helped toward wholeness.

There are times God surprises us by using the most unexpected, untrained, shyest characters to remind us of what matters most. Jesus chose fishermen, tax collectors, those with no college degrees, no standing in political circles or the religious realm. Simple, hardworking people who said “yes” and followed Jesus.

So watch out! Once the Holy Spirit empowers us, an awesome journey begins!

Prayer Phrase

“Bear one another’s burdens…” (Galatians 6:2).

Spiritual Hunger

Jesus discerned hungers of body and spirit, and he fed them through a physical, verbal, spiritual ministry of presence. In a time of listening prayer, ask God to help you discern physical or spiritual hungers of people in your congregation, community, and global family. Invite the Spirit to move you to one hospitable act that “feeds” someone’s hunger today.

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.