Author Archives: karbly

Be Present in the Midst of Transitions
Emily Nilsen, Peace Corps Volunteer, Nicaragua

The Spirit of the One you follow is the spirit of love and peace. That Spirit seeks to abide in the hearts of those who would embrace its call and live its message. The path will not always be easy, the choices will not always be clear, but the cause is sure and the Spirit will bear witness to the truth, and those who live the truth will know the hope and the joy of discipleship in the community of Christ. Amen. -Doctrine and Covenants 161:7

(The following reflection by Emily Nilsen includes insights she and her husband, Andrew, gained as Peace Corps volunteers in Nicaragua.)

We’ve had a lot of transitions. We left our jobs, our homes, our friends, our families. We moved to a foreign place, where I didn’t speak the language (and Andrew was a little rusty). It felt as if we were in a place of constant transition.

So how do you “be present” through all of that? To me, to live more in the present means to focus on where I am in this moment, and spend a little less time worrying about the future or ruminating on the past. It is wonderful to think of countless memories we have with friends and family back in the States, but those same memories can also make us miss home and loved ones. It can be exciting to think about our future career paths, grad school, and family, but it can also bring up anxiety about still not knowing what we want to be when we “grow up.”

This struggle between reminiscing about the “good ol’ days” and being terrified of a yet unknown and undefined future is very common for Peace Corps volunteers. It is also very real for most 20-somethings. We are in the phase of life researchers call “emerging adulthood.”

Andrew and I have narrowed insights about this time in life to a few simple guidelines:

Acknowledge whatever we’re feeling in the moment. Maybe we’re feeling awesome after one of our fantastic Community of Practice experiences, or maybe we’re feeling homesick because we’re away from home. Pretending the feeling isn’t there doesn’t help. We start with acknowledging it, naming it, and just feeling it.

Realize that whatever we’re feeling is just that-a feeling. It will pass, as the moments and circumstances do. Our lives are full of ups and downs. There are good days and hard days. Sick days and awesome I’m-in-love-with-my-life-here days.

Strive to practice gratitude for the things we’re so incredibly blessed to have.

Try to engage with people as much as we can, especially when our down moments hit. We feel most alive and at home when we connect with the people here. This is especially important during times of transition and sadness.

Prayer Phrase

“Light dawns on a weary world.” CCS 240

Spiritual Practice

The Light of God

Epiphany invites us to focus on the light of God. Close your eyes and draw your attention to your breath. As you breathe gently in and out, reflect on the statement, “The light of God is in all things.” The light has a bright, soft beauty and radiates God’s healing love. The light of God reaches you and permeates you with a deep sense of peace. Rest in the light as it surrounds and fills you. Thank God that you live in God’s light and it lives in you.

Today’s Prayer for Peace

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Better Than Light
Vera Entwistle of Tarneit, Victoria, Australia

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him… Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. -1 John 3:1, 7

As a child growing up in England, New Year’s Eve was always an exciting time. My parents invited many guests to our home for dinner, followed by a sing-along around the piano. At midnight, the tallest man was sent out by the back door of our home. He walked around to the front door where he waited for the local church bells to chime in the New Year, and then he knocked loudly. My mother and dad would open the door and would shout, “Happy New Year!”

After we had all greeted each other with hugs and kisses, my dad would recite this poem:

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”
And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”

It was many years later that I learned of the significance of this poem which had been shared by King George in 1939 in a speech to the Empire during the Second World War. I learned that my dad had carried this poem in his wallet throughout his 13 years of army service.

In today’s world where it seems there is always war somewhere, the poem still resonates with me. My New Year’s resolution is to be sure to hold on to the hand of God a little tighter, knowing that God is my security.

Prayer Phrase

“Light dawns on a weary world.” CCS 240

Spiritual Practice

The Light of God

Epiphany invites us to focus on the light of God. Close your eyes and draw your attention to your breath. As you breathe gently in and out, reflect on the statement, “The light of God is in all things.” The light has a bright, soft beauty and radiates God’s healing love. The light of God reaches you and permeates you with a deep sense of peace. Rest in the light as it surrounds and fills you. Thank God that you live in God’s light and it lives in you.

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.

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Love One Another
Melvin Crowley of Urbandale, IA, USA

Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; …mark the blameless, and behold the upright, for there is posterity for the peaceable. -Psalm 37:7a, 37

When I was in the second grade my family moved from California to Georgia. I knew about the Civil War but didn’t think much about it. It had happened so long ago. Curiously the favorite game children played in my new home was “Yankee vs. Rebel.” The game consisted of the designated Yankee running and the rest of the group chasing him or her. What a joy it must have been to not have to take turns now that they had a real “Yankee” to chase. And I did my part as a terrific “Yankee”!

I never felt they were being malicious or that they held it against me, but since then, I have wondered about the subtle prejudice embedded in that game.

We don’t always think of ourselves as prejudiced, but a word, a look, a snarky comment often dehumanizes groups of people. For whatever reason persons or groups become scapegoats. It’s said that our country is a melting pot for nationalities. Perhaps it is better described as a crucible where so many are tested by fire as they fight for equality, justice, and acceptance.

The point is how subtly prejudices pass on from generation to generation. This prevents healing in our society, our country, our heart. Despite our shortsightedness, we are brothers and sisters in Christ. And, according to Jesus, love of one another is not an option.

Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another (John 13:34).

Prayer Phrase

“Light dawns on a weary world.” CCS 240

Spiritual Practice

The Light of God

Epiphany invites us to focus on the light of God. Close your eyes and draw your attention to your breath. As you breathe gently in and out, reflect on the statement, “The light of God is in all things.” The light has a bright, soft beauty and radiates God’s healing love. The light of God reaches you and permeates you with a deep sense of peace. Rest in the light as it surrounds and fills you. Thank God that you live in God’s light and it lives in you.

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.

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I Was Lost, but Now Am Found
Grace Andrews of Independence, MO, USA

God, the Eternal Creator, weeps for the poor, displaced, mistreated, and diseased of the world because of their unnecessary suffering. Such conditions are not God’s will. Open your ears to hear the pleading of mothers and fathers in all nations who desperately seek a future of hope for their children. Do not turn away from them. For in their welfare resides your welfare. -Doctrine and Covenants 163:4a

After getting a new prescription for eyeglasses I drove to a large store with a reputable optical group where I had gone before. Finding a parking place in that sea of cars was challenging, but eventually I was able to find one. I locked my car and walked toward the nearest entrance. It has long been my habit to count the cars between my vehicle and the front of any facility to enable me to easily return to my car. In this instance I counted five cars and two rows from the entrance. Easy!

It took all of ten minutes for my paperwork to be approved. I walked out of the store and to my car. Not so fast! Five cars and two rows later, my car was nowhere in sight. I checked the rows around me, with people going to and fro, to no avail. I stopped in the middle of one lane and held up my key fob. Pressing the button, no familiar sound came back to me.

Suddenly out of nowhere a young teenage boy approached and asked if he could help me. I explained my embarrassing situation, and he asked for a description of the car. Together we walked up and down a few aisles with no luck. Finally, I thanked him for his help, but told him he had better things to do and likely his family was waiting for him. I assured him I would be fine, and he reluctantly left me. One last suggestion he made in parting was that I think carefully about the store entrance and from which direction I entered it.

I began to search again. I have never been good with directions, always saying, “I am directionally challenged.” Feeling quite lost, I stopped and prayed, “Oh, God, help me. I’m all alone out here.” Then I remembered the boy’s words and thought again about the entrance to the store. I was completely mortified to realize I was on the opposite side of the huge parking lot. Heading in a new direction I was overjoyed to see my car just where I had left it. I whispered a prayer of thanks to God for helping me and returned to the safety of my home.

How often have we been lost in one way or another? I do not know the name of the young boy that came, like an angel, offering help and giving wise words of encouragement. I spent countless minutes of near panic before I finally turned to God and asked for direction. Why do I do that? Instead of being wild-eyed and going helter-skelter in the wrong direction, at the first moment of loss, God should have been uppermost in my mind. I will likely lose my way again, but when that happens, I hope I will seek God’s direction first.

Prayer Phrase

“Light dawns on a weary world.” CCS 240

Spiritual Practice

The Light of God

Epiphany invites us to focus on the light of God. Close your eyes and draw your attention to your breath. As you breathe gently in and out, reflect on the statement, “The light of God is in all things.” The light has a bright, soft beauty and radiates God’s healing love. The light of God reaches you and permeates you with a deep sense of peace. Rest in the light as it surrounds and fills you. Thank God that you live in God’s light and it lives in you.

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.

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Testimony of the Worshiper’s Path in the Temple
Gene Allen Groner of Independence, MO, USA

For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. -Isaiah 55:12

Jesus gave water to the Samaritan woman and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water (John 4:13-15).

This statement of Jesus is engraved in a large granite stone that sits behind a rectangular shaped pool at the head of the Worshiper’s Path leading up to the sanctuary at the Community of Christ Temple in Independence.

I have walked up this curved pathway many times. I was there just last Friday, in fact. Walking up the path we first saw on the left a large granite wall engraved with the image of Christ and a figure kneeling before Him, seeking forgiveness. A little farther up on the left is a large rough-cut wooden cross, with light emanating from behind it and casting a shadow of the cross in front of and across the path. When you walk past it, you must walk through the “shadow of the cross,” a sobering and worshipful reminder of the tremendous sacrifice of our Lord.

We walked on past an Ikebana flower arrangement, and finally the bronze statues depicting the “dark night of the soul,” or “La Noche Oscura Del Alma,” a reference to the poem and subsequent book, The Ascent of Mount Carmel which was written about St. John of the Cross, a Spanish priest who lived of the 16th century.

The first of the statues is on his knees bent over in deep pain and depression. The second looks upward from the same kneeling position, and the third stands with arms outstretched, reaching up to the heavens. That display makes me cry, remembering my own “dark night of the soul.” I feel deep inside me the anguish, loneliness, and deep depression. Then arising on my knees with hands reaching up to my Savior, I see myself begging his forgiveness and mercy. Finally standing on my feet with outstretched arms, I look upward in complete surrender and praise to my Lord Jesus Christ, full of mercy and grace. To walk past that display and pause to reflect on my own situation not that long ago is a deeply emotional experience. No wonder it makes me cry-cry in humble gratitude for God’s grace and mercy.

Before reaching the sanctuary, the path stops at the large pool of water. A waterfall gently flows into the pool below. To me, this pool was for baptism, following the repentance witnessed on the path behind me. Powerful imagery. The presence of God. Spirits lifted high. Ready to enter the sanctuary in worship and praise. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Redeemer, Amen.

Prayer Phrase

“Light dawns on a weary world.” CCS 240

Spiritual Practice

The Light of God

Epiphany invites us to focus on the light of God. Close your eyes and draw your attention to your breath. As you breathe gently in and out, reflect on the statement, “The light of God is in all things.” The light has a bright, soft beauty and radiates God’s healing love. The light of God reaches you and permeates you with a deep sense of peace. Rest in the light as it surrounds and fills you. Thank God that you live in God’s light and it lives in you.

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.

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Racial Justice Day
Cathi Cackler-Veazey, World Church Diversity and Inclusion Team, co-leader

The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.'” -1 Samuel 3:8-9a

How many of us ask ourselves if we are willing to answer God’s call with “Here am I, Lord!” when doing so is difficult. How will we answer if we may face retribution, condemnation, or the loss of friendships? By simply saying “Here am I, Lord” we also must determine if answering “yes” means sacrificing our comfortable position in our family or community.

Most of us are surrounded by people who look like us, think like us, or live like us. We usually are not called to sacrifice much, so long as we don’t challenge the norms around us. In the biblical story, Samuel was called by God three times in the night and ran, asking Elijah, “Did you call me?” After denying he had called him, Eli realized it was God who had called. So, he told Samuel to answer, “Here I am, Lord” and receive the message.

When he did, Samuel was confronted with a real challenge because the message God gave him was to tell Eli that he and his family were not following God’s will. How difficult that must have been!

What would we do if challenged to confront wrong? Would we say, “Here am I”? Today we confront injustice that God calls us to stand against. Injustice based on ethnicity, race, religion, gender, orientation, and so many other diversities. Are we willing to stand and say, “Here I am, my Lord” and speak truth to those around us? Truth to power about the injustice that others experience. Are we willing to stand with others when they are marginalized, treated cruelly, or treated unequally?

The message in the biblical story of Samuel is that not only did he have to learn to know the voice of God, but he had to be willing to answer the call. And once Samuel answered the call, he had to have the courage to embrace the message and share it with Eli. He could have lost everything had Eli been offended.

So the question is, are we willing to answer God’s call to stand with others of diversity when it might cost us the approval of those whose opinions we value? Are we willing to place right before reputation or favor? Are we willing to be as brave as Samuel was when he had to go to Eli and say God has a message for you today?

Prayer Phrase

“Light dawns on a weary world.” CCS 240

Spiritual Practice

The Light of God

Epiphany invites us to focus on the light of God. Close your eyes and draw your attention to your breath. As you breathe gently in and out, reflect on the statement, “The light of God is in all things.” The light has a bright, soft beauty and radiates God’s healing love. The light of God reaches you and permeates you with a deep sense of peace. Rest in the light as it surrounds and fills you. Thank God that you live in God’s light and it lives in you.

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.

Click here to comment or read online.

That Which was Lost
Julie Conway Sword of Gainesville, FL, USA

Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. -2 Corinthians 13:11

Luke 15:3-32 (IV) presents the climax of the story of the Lost Son in these words: “…his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”

Now, in my upper 80s in age, I often lose things. Recently, while putting on my mask to answer the front door, my left hearing aid became entangled in the left band of my mask. Later, I checked to make sure I had reattached that hearing aid. But, no, it was gone, lost. As usual when I lose things, I began to pray, “Lord, you know where it is. Show me that I might recover it.” In just a day of searching, praying, looking, I spied my hearing aid lying on my front doormat. What joy I experienced in answered prayer-my recovered hearing aid!

Similarly, when our 16-year-old daughter left home, my husband and I prayed for her safe return. In my heart, I knew that she had been warmly loved and taught; so she had a foundation to which she could return. After several months of praying and waiting, like a prodigal son, she “came to herself,” phoned us, and returned home. We experienced joy beyond words as we welcomed her back into our family with open arms. She worked then to obtain her GED, complete a nine-month business course, and find employment. Later, she attended college night classes, worked as a computer programmer, and raised two wonderful daughters.

God knows our needs, our concerns. When our hearts are broken, God’s heart is broken. When a lost child is found, there is great joy in heaven, and God rejoices with us!

Now, during this pandemic, I feel a sense of loss in past connections. Life has changed and we’re living during a transition time. However, just as I awoke Sunday morning, the Lord continued to cheer us on. These words from the second stanza of “We Thank You, O God, For a Prophet” CCS 180 were on my lips, “…there is hope smiling brightly before us, and we know that your kingdom is near.”

Prayer Phrase

“Light dawns on a weary world.” CCS 240

Spiritual Practice

The Light of God

Epiphany invites us to focus on the light of God. Close your eyes and draw your attention to your breath. As you breathe gently in and out, reflect on the statement, “The light of God is in all things.” The light has a bright, soft beauty and radiates God’s healing love. The light of God reaches you and permeates you with a deep sense of peace. Rest in the light as it surrounds and fills you. Thank God that you live in God’s light and it lives in you.

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.

Click here to comment or read online.

Here I Am
Gene Allen Groner of Independence, MO, USA

Listen carefully to the many testimonies of those around the world who have been led into the fellowship of the Community of Christ. The richness of cultures, the poetry of language, and the breadth of human experience permit the gospel to be seen with new eyes and grasped with freshness of spirit. That gift has been given to you. Do not fail to understand its power. It is for divine purpose that you have been given the struggles as well as the joys of diversity. So must it always be in the peaceable kingdom. Do not be defined by the things that separate you but by the things that unite you in Jesus Christ. -Doctrine and Covenants 162:4a-b, 5a

When I think about a life of service, I think about Mother Teresa. She is known in the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta. She was born in Albania on August 26, 1910, and passed away September 5, 1997, at the age of 87. She founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 and devoted her life to serving the poor. Mother Teresa and the other members of the Missionaries of Charity take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience. They vow to give “wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor.” In 1979 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work among the poor in Calcutta, India.

“Today, I learned a good lesson,” she once said. “The poverty of the poor must be so hard for them. While looking for a home I walked and walked till my arms and legs ached. I thought how much they must ache in body and soul, looking for a home, food, and health.”

This humble Christian woman has been an inspiration to me. I have long admired her conviction, her lifetime of service, and her devotion to the Lord. She was a person of great courage and a person of peace, exemplifying the ministry of Christ throughout her life. According to former U.N. Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar, “She is the United Nations. She is peace in the world.”

She often spoke of service, and once said, “We can do no great things-only small things with great love.” I have often quoted this saying, reminding myself that whatever small thing I may do for others, it must always be done with great love.

When I think of my journey as a disciple, I am reminded of a hymn, “Hark, the Voice of Jesus Calling” by Daniel March:

Hark, the voice of Jesus calling, who will go and work today?
Fields are white and harvests waiting,
who will bear the sheaves away?
Loud and long the Master calls you;
Rich reward He offers free.
Who will answer, gladly saying,
“Here am I, Oh Lord send me”?

Prayer Phrase

“Light dawns on a weary world.” CCS 240

Spiritual Practice

The Light of God

Epiphany invites us to focus on the light of God. Close your eyes and draw your attention to your breath. As you breathe gently in and out, reflect on the statement, “The light of God is in all things.” The light has a bright, soft beauty and radiates God’s healing love. The light of God reaches you and permeates you with a deep sense of peace. Rest in the light as it surrounds and fills you. Thank God that you live in God’s light and it lives in you.

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.

Click here to comment or read online.

What Was Normal, Is No More
Grace Andrews of Independence, MO, USA

When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent. (Selah) Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord. There are many who say, “O that we might see some good! Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!” You have put gladness in my heart more than when their grain and wine abound. I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety. -Psalm 4:4-8

We watched the horror of war on the black and white newsreel at the theater, searching for faces of loved ones. In those days, we paid 25 cents apiece to see two features, the news and a cartoon. We darkened windows at night to prevent any light shining through that might cause our home to be a target of violence. S & H Green Stamps and Blue Chip Stamps were coveted items. Our little corner grocery store had rationed items. So many other memories of that time and place. Do I want to go back to that “normal”?

In the midst of all of this there were happy moments. In our tiny house, as a child I remember playing Monopoly till midnight on New Year\’s Eve. Then we quietly welcomed the new year in with prayer and ice cream (no fireworks). We experimented with cooking and baking, gathering vegetables from the garden and milk from the neighbor\’s cow. We played Olie-Olie-Oxen-free, Hide and Seek, and rode bikes.

The years rolled by, and we tried valiantly to make ends meet from paycheck to paycheck, holding carefully to our employment. We worked to keep some semblance of order in our home and ensure that our children were nourished, warm, and happy, making do with supplies we had on hand.  We darned socks late at night. We hung clothes out on the line-then rushed them in when it began to rain. Do I want to go back to that “normal”?

We experienced our ultimate joy as our children accepted baptism. We celebrated birthdays and Christmas. We enjoyed family outings-a road trip to the ocean, collecting shells, walking on the beach, feeling the sand between our toes. Sometimes we simply drove the short distance to the airport to watch the planes fly in and out. We shared our children’s accomplishments in learning and school activities. After packing up and going to family camp with church friends, we sang in the car, watched awesome sunrises and sunsets, made s\’mores on an open campfire. We sat in church, savoring the closeness of the congregation.

So, what is this “normal” that so many seem to wish to return to? Does it include all or just part of the above? Our new normal will likely be nothing like the “old days.” But as in days gone by, with courage and God’s help, we will be strong. We’ll accept a new normal, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Look to the future-do not grieve for the past. In changing our thinking, we are sure to find more joys than we can hold in our hearts.

Prayer Phrase

“Light dawns on a weary world.” CCS 240

Spiritual Practice

The Light of God

Epiphany invites us to focus on the light of God. Close your eyes and draw your attention to your breath. As you breathe gently in and out, reflect on the statement, “The light of God is in all things.” The light has a bright, soft beauty and radiates God’s healing love. The light of God reaches you and permeates you with a deep sense of peace. Rest in the light as it surrounds and fills you. Thank God that you live in God’s light and it lives in you.

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.

Click here to comment or read online.

The Darkest Hour Is When Blessing Comes
Steve Bolie of Clive, IA, USA

You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. -Matthew 5:14-16

There is irony in Exodus 17:4-6 (NRSV). Moses is about to be stoned by his frustrated and thirsty followers, and the Lord said to Moses, “Take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” The divine solution involves stone-the rock at Horeb. Just when things are the bleakest, prayers (and complaints) are answered in a surprising way.

My heart has a tendency to go into atrial fibrillation; the condition isn’t life-threatening, but blood clots can form and potentially cause a stroke. In the early days I went to the emergency room and was admitted to the hospital for treatment with medication. One of those times, I awoke in the morning down and disheartened. “I’m still in afib,” I fretted, “and they will want to do an electrical shock treatment.” I slipped through disappointment to sadness and to mild depression. The clock in front of my bed said 7:25. At 7:30 the nurse came in. “Good news!” she said. “Your heart converted to regular rhythm just five minutes ago. You’ll be going home today.” I learned that morning that sometimes God’s blessings come at the darkest times. When the present is darkest, prayer is answered, and a blessing is given.

Another example involves the congregation we attend. Several times over the years, an active and gifted family has, for one reason or another, left the congregation to take other opportunities. We have asked ourselves, “What will we do now? How can we replace them?” Just as often a new family has moved in and blessed the congregation with their giftedness. When an irreplaceable person or family is leaving, instead of wondering what we will do, we should run to the door to see what new family is driving into the parking lot. This has happened enough times to be a pattern. We have learned that when the present is darkest, prayer is answered, and a blessing is given.

What a promise and a blessing. It should be a line in a song: “The darkest hour is just before dawn,” for example. The 1960s group, the Mamas and the Papas, could sing it. It would probably be a hit. (Oh wait, they already did-and it was.)

Prayer Phrase

“Light dawns on a weary world.” CCS 240

Spiritual Practice

The Light of God

Epiphany invites us to focus on the light of God. Close your eyes and draw your attention to your breath. As you breathe gently in and out, reflect on the statement, “The light of God is in all things.” The light has a bright, soft beauty and radiates God’s healing love. The light of God reaches you and permeates you with a deep sense of peace. Rest in the light as it surrounds and fills you. Thank God that you live in God’s light and it lives in you.

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.

Click here to comment or read online.