I love a summer holiday and I feel so fortunate to have been able to have a wonderful one this year. We were in Kaiteriteri for 8 nights at the beginning of January. The weather was *chef’s kiss, the sea and the sky were clear and blue. At night I listened to the campsite going to sleep and heard the Ruru’s calling across the valley. We read under beautiful Pohutukawa trees and swam in the crystal clear ocean. We laughed with friends, hunted for treasures in rock pools and ate real fruit ice creams. I am so very grateful for the summer holidays. And I am very aware that many people have not had that luxury. For many people the last few weeks have been filled with pain, struggle and difficulty. It is hard to hold both those facts and not get completely twisted up.
As I have relaxed, rested and walked to the bathroom by starlight in the middle of the night, I held these lines from the Night Prayer in the NZ Prayer Book from the Anglican church.
The night is quiet.
Let the quietness of your peace enfold us,
all dear to us
and all who have no peace.
I am so grateful for the gift of a lovely summer holiday after a busy year, and I pray and hold everything that is going on in the world right now and in the lives of those people around me who are struggling, especially those people who have no peace, entrusting them into the arms of the Prince of Peace.
As we renew our commitment to the kingdom call for peace, justice and mercy for all people in this New Year we pray this prayer knowing that it is a simple and a difficult thing to do. We pray that God’s peace will come in our world and we work together towards that as this year unfolds.
