Dear friends,

As we enter Holy Week, we follow Jesus toward the cross and toward the hope made known in the resurrection. This is always a sacred time for us, and this year it feels especially important to pause, pray, and seek the peace Christ promises.

We are living in days when division, fear, and uncertainty touch many of our communities. Families are strained. Conversations can become hurtful. The world around us continues to experience conflict and loss. In the midst of it all, Jesus reminds us of who we are called to be.

“God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.” Matthew 5:9

Peacemaking begins close to home. It begins in the way we speak to one another, in our willingness to listen, and in our desire to understand when it would be easier to judge. It begins in our churches as we seek to care for one another with patience and compassion. These small acts of grace shape our hearts more than we often realize.

Our prayers also reach far beyond our own households. We lift up places in our world where violence continues and where people live with fear, grief, and loss. We pray for leaders who carry heavy responsibility. We pray for innocent people, for families displaced by conflict, and for those who long for safety and stability.

Holy Week teaches us that the way of Jesus is not passive. It asks us to follow him with courage and humility. The cross reminds us that peace often comes with cost. Yet the empty tomb assures us that God’s peace is real and possible, not through our strength but through God’s redeeming love at work in us.

This week, I invite you to practice peace with intention.

• Pray each day for peace in your home, your community, and our world.
• Look for a moment to extend grace where grace is needed.
• Listen with care, especially in a relationship that has felt strained or difficult.
• Ask how Christ is calling you to be a peacemaker in this season.

My prayer is that the Holy Spirit will lead us, comfort us, and shape us into people who reflect the love and peace of Christ. May we walk through this Holy Week with open hearts and renewed hope.

May the peace of Christ begin with us.

Grace and peace,

Bishop David Graves