Looking back, I marvel at the graciousness of God.  He has been extremely merciful.  Looking forward we know that God has His own plans, directions and resources. The Church needs to praise him for all that is past and trust Him for all that is to come.

There is an echo. There is a vibration. There is music. There is  dance.  It emanates from all corners of our nation.  It resounds that “the war is over”.  Yes  the war is over. That is a given reality of our contemporary situation, the moment in which we all live.

This slogan is subjected to many  microscopic examinations. There are many analyses,  many perspectives.  Many interpretations based on people’s political persuasions, economic interests, experiential realities, social environment and even personal  aspirations. The varying experiences  of people in relation to the past three  decades of war and violence has  a direct  impact on their perception.. Whatever the perceptions may be, the fact remains that the Guns are silenced. The war has ended. This fact defines the present moment in which we are gathered here.  It is in a sense a unique moment for those who have lived through the harsh realities of the conflict that has plagued our nation during  the past three decades.

The challenge before us is to discern the signs of our own time.  To articulate the uniqueness of this decisive moment. To pursue the available  opportunities.   The need of the present time is a honest, reflective, soul searching analysis, that will enable us to understand   the root  cause  of the conflict and re-shape our future vision for our  nation  under girded by the values of the Kingdom,  so that we may define the paths that will lead our nation into an island of Peace, Harmony and Prosperity. The present moment is an opportunity to be seized.  An opportunity to comprehend, an opportunity to decisively act.

We as a faith community, as people called Methodists,  need to  comprehend the core centrality of our faith in order to seize this moment of opportunity to rise above our subjective experiences and perceptions, work  collectively together for the common good, for the common welfare, for the common future of our nation.

For this purpose we  need to remind ourselves of the core essence of our faith that defines us, who we are, whom we belong to, and the task ahead of us.