Hey all…so there’s this old musician joke that asks, “How do you get a guitarist to turn down?”  The answer is, “Hand them a sheet of music”. It isn’t that kind to guitarists, but then that sort of joke doesn’t usually set out to demonstrate kindness. I heard a related remark this week regarding the upcoming American election. “How do you get the person in the room with the loudest political opinions to turn down?”.  “You ask them for their position on a policy”.  The point, as this person presented it, was that when it comes to this particular election cycle we are essentially experiencing what happens when the sacred trust of political discourse gets hijacked by “entertainment”. It’s not only ugly, it can generate a tremendous amount of anxiety and unrest-the opposite of the “peace” that is often presented as the desirable outcome of electing the right candidate.

And that’s just one easily accessible instance of the lack of peace in our world. There are many others where the violence is more overt and egregious, and the outcomes are not speculative but constantly present in daily life.

So this week we’re going to spend the “talky bit” time slot praying for peace. We’ll pray together, in a responsive liturgy, interspersed with some songs that have been chosen to share that same space. You will be welcome to participate or (as always) to simply be present in whatever way you can. My hope is that we will all leave with a deeper sense of both the Divine commitment to peace and the call that is on all of us to be the ones that make that peace present in the world.

Time: 10:30

Location: Pantages.

Kid’s Table: Green light!

Also, a reminder that as mentioned last week, the crew that is helping the sustainable agriculture project happen in Zimbabwe need a couple of smart phones and laptop computers. They can be used, but should be in good working order. If you’ve got anything like that around the place, bring it on Sunday and I’ll get it to Pugeni. One of the people from the U of M is traveling out there in November and has room in their luggage to take these items along.

I’ll see you on Sunday.

Until then, peace be with you.