About the 2024 Season of Peace
September 8th – October 6th
Welcome to the 2024 Season of Peace. This year’s reflections highlight the lives of Presbyterians who have worked to advance peace and justice.
Path of Peace Daily Reflections
Every fall, the Presbyterian Church’s Peacemaking Program extends an invitation to join with people of faith from around the country and the world for A Season of Peace, a month-long pilgrimage designed to deepen the pursuit of peace for congregations, small groups, families, and individuals. This season is a time of growth, encouragement, challenge, inspiration, and education which invites you to consider your own relationship to peacemaking and justice.
In the culminating chapters of the Epistle to the Hebrews, the author rachets up the exhortations and reminders. “We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses” (12.1) they write. This heavenly band shines forth “the peaceful fruit of righteousness,” (12.11) and by their example, they extend both encouragement and a challenge: “lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet.” (12.12-13) This year’s Path of Peace takes up this call in a distinct way. Each day, we offer a vignette of a Presbyterian who contributed to the civic and spiritual well-being of our church and world and made a significant impact on the common good here or abroad. Some battled injustice, others broke down barriers and dividing walls. Many advocated for marginalized communities and made room for them within the church. Each offers us an example of how peace can be pursued in tangible ways.
Our focus on particular individuals also invites one disclaimer. The Season of Peace is not unlimited. We weren’t able to include every Presbyterian worthy of note. The list is not exhaustive, ranked, nor perfectly representative of all the Presbyterians whose examples shine forth for our consideration and emulation. The priesthood of all believers and the kingdom of heaven are, after all, notoriously resistant to our ordinary habits of ranking and classification. But these vignettes are representative of the many saints who have come before us whose lives can encourage and edify us. This fall in particular is a tense and tender time in our church, country, and world. Our hope is that these reflections will spur personal spiritual and moral growth while also serving as a sorely needed balm and a breath of fresh air. May they provide a counter-narrative of good news, true hope, and stirring inspiration that moves us all to work together along the path of peace for the well-being of all of God’s beloved creation.
You have the option of subscribing to these reflections for daily delivery into your inbox or downloading and printing the written portion of the reflections as a devotional resource.
This year’s reflections were written and edited by Andrew J. Peterson.
Subscribe to daily reflections that will be delivered directly to your inbox.
We hope that you will be encouraged, inspired and challenged during this season of peace to continue and expand your work for peace in a world that needs all it can get.
Peace Fair
The Peace Fair is a hands-on, multisensory, intergenerational event that offers peace and justice learning activities.
Peace Cards
Peace Cards are straightforward and easy to use. Each card offers a question for reflection, an action to be taken and a prayer to be spoken. The cards can be used in a variety of settings and occasions – as a daily or seasonal practice with family members, as a sharing activity for small and large groups, as a table activity at church events, or for conversation while on a trip. There are six areas for peacemaking represented on the cards. Look for the following icons on the cards:
Personal (Yellow icon)
Family (Blue icon)
Church (Red icon)
Community (Orange icon)
Environment (Green icon)
World (Purple icon)
We are all called to be peacemakers: reflecting more deeply on peace, doing things to promote peace, and praying for peace in all parts of life. Let these cards lead you to new perspectives and practices for making peace.
Children’s Curriculum
Lessons from the Table is a five-session curriculum that focus on the communion table. It can be used with a broadly-graded children’s group in a variety of contexts.
Adult Bible Study
The Things that Make for Peace is a five-week adult study focusing on the inner and outer paths to peace as foundational to faithful discipleship. Each session has a “dig deeper” section for study throughout the week.
Adult Book Study
Risking Peace is a five or six session companion to the book Five Risks Presbyterians Must Take for Peace by Christian Iosso, published in 2017 by Westminster John Knox Press. The guide helps participants explore reflect upon and apply the five peacemaking affirmations approved by the 222nd General Assembly in 2016.
Children’s Coloring Poster
This reproducible original artwork is based on Ephesians 2: 14-17 and features the text “Peace to those who are near and those who are far away.” The wings of the dove have the word “peace” in 5 languages – Hebrew, Arabic, Spanish, Korean and English. Designed for the 2017 Season of Peace by the folks at Illustrated Children’s Ministry, the artwork can be downloadable in a variety of sizes – 8.5×11, 11×17, 24×36 and 36×48 (in color or black/white). It can be used as individual coloring sheets or enlarged to poster-size for a group coloring project through the weeks of the Season of Peace. You can have a local printer print the file onto poster or foam core board. Then put it up in a community room, narthex or fellowship hall, supply plenty of great coloring pens and invite folks to add color to the poster each week during the Season of Peace.
Intergenerational Peace Fair — The Peace Fair is an inter-generational event that may be held during A Season of Peace, as part of World Communion Sunday, or at another time during the year. Eating together is an important component of the event, so be sure to plan for a meal.
Season of Peace logo— Graphic logo for the Season of Peace for use on websites, newsletters or bulletins.
