I want to live in a world which cares for the lost and the lonely.
Which gives company to the isolated.
That gives hope to the displaced.
That gives welcome to the marginalised.

I want to live in a world that looks after creation.
A world that cares for the planet,
With people who are attentive to how waste is disposed of,
In community which thinks about what world it is leaving for the next generation.

I want to live in a world where people live in peace,
Not just striving for it, not just hoping for it,
Not just holding peace as a golden, yet unattainable aspiration
But wholeheartedly embracing the challenge of living in peace.
Living it out within their communities,
with friends and enemies,
Family and neighbours,
Those we love, and those we struggle to love.

I want to live in a community of love.
Where grace and forgiveness are present in abundance,
A society where sacrificial hospitality and costly generosity are always practiced.
A community which lives in perpetual gratitude and thankfulness.
A community which lives in equality and equity.
Where all human beings are given the dignity and worth that they deserve.

What sort of world do you want to live in?
What sort of society do you want to be part of?
What values do you hope it would live by?

I want to live in a God-soaked community.
A community of love. Of truth. Of hope. Of peace.

An extract from a beginning of sermon for Sunday 12th November 2023, Remembrance Sunday.