“Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The LORD is with you.”

The angel Gabriel was sent with a message of an assignment for a teenaged Jewish woman. He began his message with the same assurance that we begin with each Sunday: “The LORD is with you.” As you set your heart and your prayers towards peace, God-sized peace for our world, sit with this unshakable truth for a few minutes: “The LORD is with me!”.

“Do not be afraid.”

It looks like Gabriel needed a second serve; his first approach left Mary uneasy. The second serve began with “Do not be afraid.”  For those of you who need to hear these words today (I do!), sit with the phrase “Do not be afraid.” Chew and swallow it! It isn’t that there aren’t reasonable things all around us to be afraid of (there are!). Our peace comes because the One who says “Do not be afraid” is stronger than all that seeks to terrify us.

Pray bold prayers today. Don’t waste your praying. Pray big prayers of gratitude for the God-sized kindnesses you have experienced. And pray God-sized requests for our world, for your community, and for your family. Let’s be accused of asking too much of our LORD, rather than too little.

“For no word from God will ever fail.”

Praying for peace with you this day.

Andrew