Design time

Can you find a woman with a noble character? It is so much more valuable than gems.

Hurricane when disaster and trouble overwhelm you.

Her husband has full confidence in her and has no value

It is good for him every day of her life, not harmful.

She gathers wool and linen and works diligently with her hands

වෙළඳ Like merchant ships carrying food remotely

She wakes up at night; She provides food for her family and shares for her maids

She considers a field and buys it; She planted a vineyard from the profits

She sets her work strictly; Her hands are strong for her tasks

She sees that her trade is cheap and her lamp does not go out at night

She grabs the spade and grabs the spindle with her finger.

She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.

When it snows, her family is not afraid; Because they are all dressed in scarlet.

She makes upholstery for her bed; She is dressed in fine, purple linen.

Her husband is honored at the city gate, where he lives among the elders of the country.

She makes linen clothes, sells them, and makes clothes for merchants.

She is dressed in strength and dignity; She can smile in the days to come.

She speaks wisely, reliable advice is on her tongue.

She oversees her housework and doesn’t eat the bread of indifference.

Let her children rise and bless her; Her husband, too, praises her.

‘A lot of women do great things, but you go beyond them.’

Charm is deceptive, beauty is instantaneous; But a woman who fears the Lord should be praised.

Respect her for all she has done with her hands, and let her praise her deeds

The city gate.

Psalm 1

Blessed is he that walketh in the way of the wicked, and walketh in the way of the wicked.

Man is like a tree planted by springs of water, which bears fruit in its season and does not wither.

Bad people are not like that! They are like a stain blown by the wind.

Therefore the wicked will not be in the judgment, nor the sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For the Lord seeks the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Read the letter of James 3: 1-13 - 4: 3,7-8b

Who is wise and understanding among you? It will be demonstrated by the humble deeds done with their good life and wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and a selfish desire in your heart, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven, but is earthly, spiritual, demonic. Because, where you have jealousy and selfish ambitions, you can find irregularities and all wrongdoing. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first and foremost pure; Then be peaceful, courageous, humble, compassionate, and productive, impartial, and honest. Those who sow peace will reap the harvest of justice.

What causes disputes between you? Don’t they come from your desires that are fighting within you? You have a desire, but no, then kill yourself. You want to but you don’t get what you want, then you fight and fight. You do not have the required permission to sit. When you ask, you do not receive, because you are asking with bad intentions, to spend what you receive for your pleasure.

If so, submit to God. Oppose the devil, and he will flee from you. Move closer to God, and he will come to you.

Gospel of Mark 9: 30-37

And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where his disciples were because he taught them. He said to them, "The Son of man will be betrayed into the hands of men. They kill him and get up in three days, ‘But they didn’t understand what he meant and they were afraid to ask him about it. They came to Capernaum. When he got home, he asked them, ‘What did you argue on the street? Jesus, who was seated, called the twelve and said to them: Whoever wants to be first will be last; He took the child in his arms and said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; I accept, not me, but the one who sent me.

Points for reflection

1. Peace is the heart of the Christian gospel. We live in a world where relationships between humans, nature, and God are severely broken. In Christ, God comes to bring ‘peace’, not only through the spiritual forgiveness of sins, but also to bring back all these broken and broken relationships.

2. The Hebrew concept of ‘Shalom’, often translated as ‘peace’, reflects restored relationships in every dimension: God, himself, neighbors, near and far,and with the earth and its creatures. It is an integrated vision of 'the good life' that combines faith, justice, and peacebuilding - as summarized by the idealized wife of Proverbs 31. Note how she assures everyone and everything can flourish: her family, the poor, the land, the economy! This is a lovely example of being a peacemaker / home-builder / shalom-spreader in very practical local terms!

3. Building on last week’s theme of ‘Wisdom’, James 3: 17-18 states, “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. ” Jesus said ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God’ (Matthew 5: 9). The phrase ‘children of God’ is often applied to those who believe in Christ - the church.

How can we, as the Christian community, be peacemakers both globally and locally, particularly in a context of inequality and unsustainable lifestyle choices?

4. in Mark 9: 36-37, Jesus tells us that in welcoming children we welcome God himself. Today, many children and young people suffer from climate anxiety and despair about the future. How can we welcome the Father, by listening more effectively to the voices of young people and changing our attitudes and behavior in response?

Action Pay attention to what you feel as you contemplate

the fragility, health of Earth.

Is Earth’s ecosystem healthy?

How is this ecosystem at risk of illness?

What are the keys to sustaining the equilibrium and balance of our Common Home?

What niches and diversity must be protected to maintain the health of this habitat? What are the sources of stress that threaten the balance of this particular ecosystem?

Do those stresses drive your co- creatures from their home on Earth?

How do you feel when you consider the fragility of life that depends on the health of this place?

What is your effect on this balance?

How will you protect and steward this planet this week?

A Profession of faith

We belong to the Creator in whose image we are all made.

In God we are breathing, in God we are living, in God we share

the life of all creation.

We belong to Jesus Christ, the true icon of God and of humanity.

In him God is breathing, in him God is living, through him

we are reconciled.

We belong to the Holy Spirit, who gives us new life and strengthens our faith.

In the Spirit love is breathing, in the Spirit truth is living,

the breath of God always moves us.

We belong to the Holy Trinity, who is one in all and Three-in-One.

In God we are all made, in Christ we are all saved,

in the Spirit we are all united.

Together, we belong to the Earth, our common home.

The Earth that is the Lord’s, and all that is in it.