I have been in pastoral ministry for over 20 years, the majority of the time serving in Hong Kong and one of the most meaningful training sessions that I ever attended came from Peacemaking Ministries. Let's face it, conflict is everywhere - in marriages, in the workplace, at school and at church, and knowing how to respond is important. Peacemaker Ministries believe that conflict provides opportunities to glorify God, serve other people, and grow to be like Christ.
When faced with conflict, they suggest the 4-G's of Peacemaking. First, we need to ask ourselves does our conflict Glorify God? Second, they encourage participants to "Get the log out of our eye" - each of us takes responsibility for the role we play in the conflict and seek to repair any harm caused. Third, we need to "Gently Restore" -instead of pretending that the conflict doesn't exist, seek to restore relationships. The final G is "Go and be reconciled" - actively pursuing genuine peace and reconciliation, seeking mutually beneficial solutions to our differences.
Relationships can be complicated, but God made peace with each of us through Jesus Christ. He transforms us and through the work of the Holy Spirit makes us mature so we can reflect the glory of God's reconciling love. As we journey towards Easter, lets never forget that we are reconciled with Christ, the Prince of Peace, and He makes all things new.
Join us this Saturday night for our annual AGM. Bring a dish to share starting at 6:00PM, followed by worship at 7:00PM. Sunday, Anto Ficatier will be preaching at all services on our series: The Crucified Life. In the afternoon, join Jacklien for a light lunch with the movie "Child Disrupted" starting at 12:30PM, bring a friend.
Peace be with you,
Pastor Michele