Faith Matters
Prayer Reflection Term 2 Assembly
Our School Theme for this year is Walk with Me. The theme comes from the Gospel story of the walk to Emmaus. The story begins with a journey of disciples who are unsure what the future will bring, and it's only through coming together in conversation, that they see the direction set for them.Throughout Lent we walked with Jesus in the Emmaus story. We heard how the two disciples didn’t recognise Jesus, even when he spoke to them, and that it wasn’t until they sat to eat - to break the bread - that they suddenly realised it was him. The following scripture continues our story.
The Gospel of Luke 24 13-35
“That same hour the two disciples got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. The others were saying, ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!’ So the two told what had happened to them on the road to Emmaus, and how they had recognised Jesus in his breaking of the bread.
While they were talking together about all this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’“.
Usually when we hear the word ‘peace’ we think of it pretty simply, as the opposite of war. But If we go back to the actual Hebrew that Jesus would have spoken, we get a deeper meaning into what Jesus wanted for his disciples.
Jesus would have actually said “Shalom aleichem” (sha-lom ala chem); peace be upon you. The Hebrew word ‘shalom’ actually means something a lot more than just not experiencing war. It actually comes from the word which means wholeness or completeness. So, when Jesus says to his disciples ‘Shalom upon you’, he wants his disciples to have more than just a hope that they will not know what it’s like to live through war, he wants them to have confidence in who they are; to know that they are fine, whole and complete, just as they are.
Let us pray
Lord, as we walk through this season of Easter, help us create a time to sit quietly within ourselves and invite peace into our lives.
Lord, as we walk through the season of Easter, we ask you to support countries in the world that are unable to find peace. Be with their leaders so that a peaceful resolution can be achieved.
Lord, as we walk through the season of Easter, help us to be people to live Shalom and bring peace to our school, by accepting others and offering friendship to those in our community.
Peace I leave with you, my friends. Shalom my peace, in all you do.
