March 21, 2021 Prayer for Peace and Peace Moment
Introduction
Each week we will hear a Peace Moment in addition to the prayer for peace. Hopefully all will be blessed with these devotional thoughts.
This week’s Peace Moment is by Glenn Johnson.
PEACE MOMENT
In today’s scripture, Jeremiah speaks of how the people of Israel broke the covenant with God, they violated the law of Moses. In today’s society, we are bombarded with images of crime in news, dramas, and literature. And sometimes the very real nature of crime impacts our lives in the form of economic crime, crimes against the environment, and even crimes of violence.
Howard Zehr, a recipient of the Community of Christ International Peace Award, is known as “the grandfather of restorative justice,” Zehr began as a practitioner and theorist in restorative justice in the late 1970s at the foundational stage of the field. He has led hundreds of events in more than 25 countries and 35 states, including trainings and consultations on restorative justice, victim-offender conferencing, judicial reform, and other criminal justice matters.
Zehr was an early advocate of making the needs of victims central to the practice of restorative justice. A core theme in his work is respect for the dignity of all peoples. As he puts it: ““Rather than obsessing about whether ‘offenders’ get what they deserve, restorative justice focuses on repairing the harm of crime and engaging individuals and community members in the process.”
The Zehr Institute which he founded advocates for restorative justice as a social movement, and is also a convener of spaces where knowledge about restorative justice practices and programs can be shared among practitioners and learners, by facilitating conversations and cultivating connections through activities such as conferences, webinars and both in-person and online courses. As we pray for peace today, let’s remember the good work of the Zehr Institute.
Please join me in our prayer for peace.
Great Mystery,
You are far beyond our understanding God, but help us to know you better—know you in our brother and sister; know you in the homeless man we avert our eyes from; in the teen mum that is judged by society without compassion and understanding; in the stranger from another land who we can’t understand as they ask for help.
We know that all works of love are works of peace, so help us become peacemakers. Grant us courage to risk the unknown, to show love to the stranger and compassion to the teen mum and hospitality and dignity to the homeless.
May we be responsive to your promptings in the pursuit of peace, Lord. Amen.