Minute for Mission: A Season of Peace

September 4, 2022

The words of Isaiah 55 convey a profound message to us during A Season of Peace: For you shall go out in joy, and be led forth in peace.

 Go out in joy. When we look around our world these days, it is sometimes hard to feel joyful. Yet joy inherently embraces optimism. Joy is the companion of faith and hope. In our polarized world torn by war, famine, and marginalization of the poor and disenfranchised, we are in desperate need of joyful and brave people who are willing to ask the hard questions and live the difficult solutions that make peace possible.

Be led forth in peace. Through the Peace & Global Witness Offering, we connect with each other, as the Church, together, to confront systems of injustice and promote reconciliation in places around the world and right here at home.

It’s easy to see peacemaking in the world as some distant impossibility, too vast and unrealistic to ever engage in effectively as individuals. A Season of Peace is meant to help us remember that engaging with our own internal conflicts, building healthy relationships with each other, grappling with issues of justice in our communities and re-imagining international relations are crucially interconnected steps on the path of peacemaking. 

Daily reflections during A Season of Peace are designed to help participants explore practices for building peace on every scale. This monthlong pilgrimage is designed to deepen the pursuit of peace for congregations, small groups, families and individuals. The theme for the 29 days of the 2022 Season of Peace is “Led Forth in Peace: Critical Areas of Engagement for Peacemakers.”

A Season of Peace begins Sept. 4 and culminates on Oct. 2, World Communion Sunday, when the Peace & Global Witness Offering is received.

We are the church, together. We are peacemakers, together. We are the builders of God’s household of peace. And when, together, we all do a little, it adds up to a lot.

William McConnell, Interim Director, Special Offerings

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff

Carla Dobson, VP, Director of Philanthropic Services, Trust Services, Presbyterian Foundation
David Dobson, President & Publisher, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation

Let us pray

Gracious God, sharpen our vision through the eyes of Christ, that we might practice your peace, at all times and in all ways. Amen.

Today in the Mission Yearbook - Every hymn in ‘Glory to God’ is worth singing sometime

Even the one about the 10 lepers facing constant scorn holds a lesson on stewardship

August 7, 2021

Dr. William McConnell is a Mission Engagement Advisor with the Presbyterian Mission Agency. (Screenshot)

One of the high points so far in my ministry within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has been participation in the development of “Glory to God: The Presbyterian Hymnal.” Although I came on board near the end of the hymn selection process, I had the honor of being involved in the preparation and introduction of this major resource of congregational song for the church.

As I got to know the hymnal’s contents and prepared for introduction opportunities, I developed several workshops for congregations, pastors and music directors. One of my favorite presentations was titled “Hymns Your Pastor Probably Won’t Choose.”

The hymn, “Ten Lepers Facing Constant Scorn” (“Glory to God” #179), was always a hit in that workshop. A hymn about people with leprosy facing scorn doesn’t exactly fit our classic definition of a jubilant song of praise. Why would a congregation want to sing this hymn? Why should a pastor choose it for worship? So much to work with!

Now, to be clear, the Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song decided to use the first phrase of the first stanza of each hymn in the collection as its “title.” In some cases, the hymn writer may not have made the same choice.

“Ten Lepers” is a retelling of Luke 17:11–19, the story of Jesus’ encounter with 10 people with leprosy who came to him seeking healing. In the story, Jesus heals the 10 and sends them back to their communities to show the priests that they are healed. They do as they are told. However, one of those who was healed turns around, runs back to Jesus and offers a heartfelt and exuberant “thank you.”

“A nameless junction in the road

Became a holy turnabout

One awestruck convert spun around

And praising God, began to shout.”

One of 10 — one-tenth of the lepers — returned. Do you sense a stewardship sermon coming on?

Surveys of church-related giving, as well as anecdotal evidence in our church budgets, tell us that our members contribute, on average, far less than a tithe (10%) of their income toward the church and its ministries. But could the story of that one former leper who came back to say thank you for a life-changing gift not challenge each of us to move toward tithes of our time, our talent and our treasure in gratitude for God’s immeasurable 100% gift given for us?

“God, make of us your living tithes; The first fruits fit to work for you. Let each be like that one in ten; Transformed and cleansed, restored, made new.”

And, by the way — once we are able to safely sing in church again, I challenge you to make learning and singing this hymn a goal for your congregation.

Watch a performance of “Ten Lepers” here.

William McConnell, CFRE, is a Mission Engagement Advisor for the Presbyterian Mission Agency serving the Central region of the United States. This article was originally published on Where Your Heart Is … A Weekly Offerings Stewardship Blog.

John Thornburg’s “Ten Lepers Facing Constant Scorn,” © 2003 John Thornburg (admin. Wayne Leupold Editions). Used by permission.

Let us join in prayer for:

PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff

Monique Robinson, Supervisor, Central Receiving Services, Administrative Services Group (A Corp)
Keenan Rodgers, Associate Church Consultant, Church Engagement, Board of Pensions

Let us pray

O God, the source of blessing and abundance, help us to see that your all to mission is our opportunity to give as we have received. We lift up the suffering that you would bring peace to the nation and provide for all its people. In Jesus’ name. Amen.