Thank you, God, for snow!
Thank you for the brilliance of a Canadian winter
and the way snow changes our landscape,
unifying it, showing us new shapes and contours.
Thank you for children who delight in snow,
embracing snowmen, digging tunnels and sliding down slopes.
Thank you for the way snow interrupts our grownup lives.
slowing us down, helping us rely on our neighbours.
The snow is an invitation to experience peace,
the peace of the world in winter.
Jesus, help us live in peace.
Peace with our loved ones,
embracing tenderness and forgiveness,
leaving behind bitterness and grudges.
We want to live in peace in Canada,
embracing inclusion of all people,
even those with whom we disagree,
rejecting completely racist and anti-Semitic words and actions.
We long for peace in Ukraine and Afghanistan and Ethiopia,
rejecting aggression and the bloodshed of soldier and civilian,
and embracing diplomacy and non-violent solutions.
Jesus, why is it so hard for us to live in peace?
Spirit of hope, raise up leaders to be peacemakers,
especially in this time where we need peace with planet earth.
We need to change our hurtful ways
and restore balance and harmony.
Show us how we can be peacemakers
by carefully nurturing love in our own hearts,
and in our church community,
fostering respect and wisdom.
You heard the concerns of our community…. [specific prayers]
We pray for all who are grieving the death of loved ones
or loss because of strained and broken relationships.
Let your peace fall upon us like snow,
blanketing our world, covering a multitude of sins,
restoring a sense of thankfulness and wonder
that we are alive, now, together. Amen.
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I am a Mennonite pastor currently teaching theology at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario. I’ve served congregations in Ontario and most recently, Alberta.