Read: Ephesians 2:15-19

Reflect: We often think of “peace” as the absence of war or violence. Indeed, we long for this kind of peace for people living in many parts of the world where violence exists within a nation or between nations. “Peace” is also an active way of life that is marked by mutual respect, reconciliation, and cooperation so that all may thrive. Our failure to actively live in this way of peace leads to broken relationships, broken promises, and a broken world. In the coming days, notice the labels that divide people from one another. How might you work for greater understanding in your own relationships, and in the assumptions you make about strangers?

Prayer: Holy God, out of your great love for the world, your Word became flesh to live among us and to reconcile us to you and to one another. Rekindle among us the gift of your Spirit so that we seek to live in unity with all people, breaking down the walls that divide, ending the hostility among us, and proclaiming peace to those who are near and to those who are far away; through Christ Jesus, in whom we all have access in the one Spirit to you, both now and forever. Amen. (from All Creation Sings, p. 48. ©2020 Augsburg Fortress, used by permission.)