Praying for Peace – St. Nick’s News Sept. 12, 2025

Full St. Nick’s News for September 12, 2025

Dear Friends,

Some weeks, I hardly know where to start. The news scrolls across my screen—another act of political violence, another school shaken by gunfire, more loss of life, another storm of cruelty on social media, and more loss of humanity as leaders and their followers degrade and dehumanize one another. It feels endless, and as a priest, I sometimes wonder, What words can possibly meet this moment?

For me, books (most especially our Book of Common Prayer and our Holy Scriptures) have always been an anchor. They draw me into the life of God and remind me of the wisdom of the saints who have come before me. They remind me that in every time and place, there have been struggles. They also remind me that in every time and place—God is there. Remember just a few weeks ago we heard from Hebrews 13:8 that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

But I must confess, as a Gen-Xer, music brings me refuge, solace, and hope as well. So often, when I cannot find words of my own, I put on a song and let it sing for me. Music becomes the prayer I cannot yet speak.

Dar Williams’ song Echoes has been that kind of prayer lately:

Every time you love just a little
Take one step closer, solving a riddle
It echoes all over the world.

Those lines remind me that even in a world heavy with violence, we still get to choose what kind of echo we will leave. Because let’s be honest: our leaders—across the political spectrum and around the globe—far too often choose poorly. They choose power over peace, self-interest over service, division over reconciliation. Too many times, their choices echo with anger, fear, and despair.

But the Gospel insists that we are not powerless in the face of these failures. In Christ, God entrusts us with personal responsibility. We are called to be co-creators of peace with God—ambassadors of reconciliation, bearers of love in the midst of hate, witnesses to mercy in a culture of vengeance. As Paul reminds us, “We are God’s co-workers” (1 Corinthians 3:9). That means that even when leaders fail us, we are still given the holy work of shaping the world around us in Christ’s image.

Every time you opt into kindness
Make one connection used to divide us
It echoes all over the world.

St. Francis prayed, “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.” That prayer is a plea for God’s help. That prayer is not about perfection—it’s about willingness. We may feel tired, overwhelmed, unsure of what to say or do. But even so, when we choose love over indifference, gentleness over harshness, presence over absence, God’s song keeps playing through us.

So this week, when you feel the weight of the world, I invite you to start with something that brings you back to God. Maybe it’s a book. Maybe it’s a song. For me, today, it is music. Music that reminds me of reconciliation and love. Music that moves from despair back to hope. And today when I listen, I will remember: our echoes matter.

May the echoes we leave behind be echoes of love.

God’s Peace, Love, and Blessings,
Beth+