I was just about to sink into the relaxed quiet at the end of a busy day when the telephone rang. It was a nurse calling from the local nursing home. She explained that one of the residents was near death and that her family was asking for a minister to come and pray with them. Off I went.

The woman lay on a bed in the semi-darkness of her room. Eyes closed, her frail chest rose and fell with each dry, raspy breath. In the encircling shadows, an upholstered chair, a wooden table, a small television, and an assortment of photographs and cards served as silent reminders of 82 years on this planet.

On one side of the bed stood the daughter, lovingly holding her mother's hand. On the other side stood the son, periodically stroking his mother's white, wispy hair. For a few minutes, we chatted about their mother's life and of her approaching death. Then, forming a ring of held hands, I offered a quiet prayer.

Immediately, spontaneously, both son and daughter literally breathed a sigh of relief and could not tell me enough how they felt a calming peace in the room and in their hearts. I was actually taken aback by the extravagance of their gratitude. I assured them that whatever peace they felt was the spirit of Christ at work in them.

Within a few hours the old woman died — peacefully. Two days later, I conducted a memorial service attended by six family members and one close friend.

Though having confessed that they had drifted from the church, this family reached out to God in a moment of fear and sorrow. And they were blessed with peace.

Prayer: God of peace, our days are often afflicted by fear, uncertainty, anxiety, and stress. Help us to reach out to You in prayer. Help us to be open to the loving support of those You place in our lives. Touch us with promised peace that is beyond human comprehension. In the name of our Saviour, we pray. Amen.

This is a story of two men.

The first was my father. His name was Grant. Grant was born and raised on a small farm in Ontario, Canada. In 1939, while he peered into a mirror and carefully scraped shaving soap and a few sparse whiskers from his young face, the farm radio crackled with the news that Canada was at war. Grant soon bid farewell to his parents and boarded a Toronto-bound train where he volunteered to serve in the Canadian Army.

The second man was named Karl. Karl was born and raised in Germany. When his country went to war, Karl joined the German navy.

The war ended and Grant returned to civilian life, as did Karl. Years passed, and the 1970s found Grant serving as minister of Mackay Presbyterian Church in the northern Ontario mining town of Timmins. Strangely enough, Karl's journey also led him to Timmins, where he found work as a night watchman on a construction site. It was there that Karl met a Christian architect who befriended him, helped him to dedicate his life to Christ, and invited him to worship at … Mackay Presbyterian Church. Karl found a warm reception amongst that faith community.

Not long afterwards, as part of a Remembrance Day Service talk with the children of that congregation, Grant invited Karl to join him at the front of the sanctuary to help share a message of peace with the little ones.

There they were, two men, former enemies, a soldier and a sailor from opposite sides of the ocean, from opposite sides of the war. Some 25 years later, they stood side by side, united by nothing less than the peace and reconciliation of Christ.

Who is your enemy? Who is it that upsets you? Who triggers rage in your heart? Who is it that you find impossible to forgive? Let the names come to you.

And then search for the light of Christ in that darkness. Listen for the voice whispering, "Blessed are the peacemakers" (Matthew 5:9 NRSV), and pray that the reconciling love of our Lord would find a way into human and hurting hearts everywhere.

Prayer: God of all people, You know whom I consider to be my enemies: those who undermine my work; those who tie my stomach in knots; neighbours; relatives; strangers. God of reconciliation, plant seeds of love in my heart, and lead me by Your Spirit, so that together, we may build bridges of peace and unity, in the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

This is a story of two men.

The first is my father. His name is Grant. Grant was born and raised on a small Ontario farm. In 1939, while he peered into a mirror and carefully scraped shaving soap and a few sparse whiskers from his young face, the farm radio crackled with the news that Canada was at war. Grant soon bid farewell to his parents and boarded a Toronto-bound train where he volunteered to serve in the Canadian Army.

The second man is named Karl. Karl was born and raised in Germany. When his country went to war, Karl joined the German navy.

The war ended and Grant returned to civilian life, as did Karl. Years passed, and the 1970's found Grant serving as minister of Mackay Presbyterian Church in the northern Ontario mining town of Timmins. Strangely enough, Karl's journey also led him to Timmins where he found work as a night-watchman on a construction site. It was there that Karl met a Christian architect who befriended him, helped him dedicate his life to Christ and invited him to worship at… Mackay Presbyterian Church. Karl found a warm reception amongst that faith community.

Not long afterwards, as part of a Remembrance Day Service talk with the children of that congregation, Grant invited Karl to join him at the front of the sanctuary to help share a message of peace with the little ones.

There they were, two men, former enemies, a soldier and a sailor from opposite sides of the ocean, from opposite sides of the war. Some 25 years later, they stood side by side, united by nothing less than the peace and reconciliation of Christ.

Who is your enemy? Who is it that upsets you? Who triggers rage in your heart? Who is it that you find impossible to forgive? Let the names come to you.

And then search for the light of Christ in that darkness. Listen for the voice whispering, "Blessed are the peacemakers," and pray that the reconciling love of our Lord finds a way into human and hurting hearts everywhere.

Prayer: God of all people, you know who I consider to be my enemies: those who undermine my work; those who tie my stomach in knots; neighbours; relatives; strangers. God of reconciliation, plant seeds of love in my heart and lead me by your spirit, so that together, we may build bridges of peace and unity, in the spirit of Christ. Amen.

I was just about to sink into the relaxed quiet at the end of a busy day when the telephone rang. It was a nurse calling from the local nursing home. She explained that one of the residents was near death and that her family was asking for a minister to come and pray with them. Off I went.

The woman lay on a bed in the semi-darkness of her room. Eyes closed, her frail chest rose and fell with each dry, raspy breath. In the encircling shadows, an upholstered chair, a wooden table, a small television, an assortment of photographs and cards, served as silent reminders of 82 years on this planet.

On one side of the bed stood the daughter, lovingly holding her mother's hand. On the other side stood the son, periodically stroking his mother's white, wispy hair. For a few minutes we chatted about their mother's life and of her approaching death. Then, forming a ring of held hands, I offered a quiet prayer.

Immediately, spontaneously, both son and daughter literally breathed a sigh of relief and could not tell me enough how they felt a calming peace in the room and in their hearts. I was actually taken aback by the extravagance of the gratitude. I assured them that whatever peace they felt was the spirit of Christ at work in them.

Within a few hours the old woman died – peacefully. Two days later I conducted a memorial service attended by six family members and one close friend.

Though having confessed that they had drifted from the church, this family reached out to God in a moment of fear and sorrow. And they were blessed with peace.

Prayer: God of peace, our days are often afflicted by fear, uncertainty, anxiety and stress. Help us to reach out to you in prayer. Help us to be open to the loving support of those you place in our lives. Touch us with promised peace that is beyond human comprehension. In the name of our saviour we pray. Amen.