People from across our diocese and beyond gathered online for a special service of prayer led by Bishop Andrew to mark the International Day of Peace. 

A recording of the service can be found at the end of this article. 

Rev Canon Jean-Bosco, Diocesan Advisor for Peace and Reconciliation preached a sermon reflecting on Isaiah 6. An extract from his sermon is below:

"On this International Day of Peace, we gather to pray for Peace. When we speak about peace, we naturally think of the wars that continue to affect our world, the people who suffer, families who are separated, and children who become victims of violence. We also think about the efforts of the United Nations and the international community to build a more peaceful world.

But after so many years of prayers, declarations, and days dedicated to peace, one question remains: Why does peace still seem so difficult to achieve? Isaiah chapter 6, invites us to look at this question differently.

Isaiah finds himself in the presence of God. He discovers the holiness of God and cries out: “Woe to me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, sinful lips.”

Isaiah does not begin by pointing out the faults of others, nor by judging them, nor by looking at their sins. He begins with himself. Standing before the holiness of God, he recognizes his own weakness and his own sin.

Perhaps this is where peace truly begins: by looking within ourselves. The first step we need to take is to look within…

In our prayers, we often pray: Lord, change the world. Change our leaders. Use our clergy and our bishops. Stop the wars. Reconcile the nations. Bring peace to the world. Yes, these are important prayers, and we should continue to pray in this way.

But perhaps God asks us another question: “And you? What are you willing to change within yourself? What are you ready to do?” As Mahatma Gandhi famously said: “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

We want peace in the world, but do we have peace in our own families, in our own church, in our workplace, and in our neighborhood? Are we able to forgive? Are we able to ask for forgiveness? Can we listen to someone who thinks differently from us? Or do we sometimes carry small conflict and wars within our hearts—wars of resentment, anger, jealousy, and contempt?

Peace between nations also begins with these everyday realities.

In Isaiah’s vision, God first purifies the prophet before sending him. Then God asks, “Whom shall I send?” And Isaiah responds, “Here I am. Send me!”

Pray with us: Diocesan Prayer for Peace and Transformation