Daily Worship

Peace at last

June 20, 2016 0 0

Micah 4:1-4

It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it, and many nations shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more; but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.

Today mobile food providers will set up their stalls to feed all the people who are bringing animals, tractors, and products of all kinds to stands large and small. Many caterers are proud to bring their home-grown venison, beef and lamb to show the best of Scotland.  Our  Christian vision however is wider than Scotland as we think of farmers across the world, many of who not only live on the breadline, but work on agricultural land on the front-line of conflicts.

Lord, we long for a world
where farmers can freely enjoy the fruits of their labour
from the fertile earth;
and not live with the constant fear
caused by warfare
and insurrection
that makes lands barren
and destroys the crops before they can be harvested;
where mines make the fields unsafe to walk
and where snipers pick off agricultural labourers.

We long Lord for the world envisaged by Micah
where all can sit in safety on their land
and enjoy with their families
the bounty of the harvest.

For those who work the land in unsafe places we pray.

Amen