Giving Thanks for the Peacemakers

Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

Summary: This Veterans Day, I invite us to give thanks for those who have served, make room for what they and their families carry, and pray for peace.

Dear St. Augustine family,

We give thanks today for those among us, and those we carry in our hearts, who have served our nation in the armed forces. Some of you served. Some of you waited for someone to come home. Some of you are remembering a person you wish you could sit beside again. I’m thinking of all of you today.

Before you read any further, I invite you to take a moment of silence. Bring to mind those who came home and those who did not. If a name comes to you, you might say it softly and hold that person before God.

[A moment of silence]

If you’ve served, I want you to know that there’s room here for whatever this day brings up for you. You may feel proud of your service, miss the people you served with, or carry memories that are hard to talk about. You may feel all of those things in the same afternoon.

If you want to tell a story, I’d be glad to hear it. And if you’d rather sit quietly with someone, there’s room for that here, too.

I also want us to remember what war asks of people. Lives are lost. Families spend months apart. For some, the effects of trauma are still felt years after coming home. I think about the people who have learned to live with pain and the loved ones who help them get through an ordinary Wednesday. So much of that care happens quietly.

When Jesus blesses the peacemakers, I hear an invitation for all of us. I wonder what peace might ask of me this week. Maybe it begins with a phone call, with listening long enough for someone to finish a difficult story, or with asking what kind of help would actually help. And I’ll keep praying for a world where fewer families have to say goodbye to someone they love because of war.

With love and gratitude,

Pastor Anny+

Prayer for the Week

God of mercy, we thank you for all who have served in the armed forces and ask you to give them rest, healing, and wholeness, especially those who carry wounds of body, mind, or spirit. Hold those who grieve, guide us to care for veterans and their families with compassion and understanding, and lead us toward your kingdom of peace, mercy, and reconciliation. Amen.