"Bringing Peace to Our Nation"

Here's an instant replay of what happened in worship:

We recognized that our nation is not a peaceful place. As long as there is hunger, violence and injustice, people of our nation or any nation will never truly know peace. But what are we supposed to do about it?
We thought about how John the Baptist told us to "prepare a way" for the Lord, make his paths straight. In Advent, we also wait for the return of Jesus. How can we make straight paths for the Prince of Peace? Do some work for peace while we wait.
We read Isaiah 32:16-18 where we learned that the fruit of righteousness, of doing what is right in God's eyes, is peace. In Psalm 85:10, it says that righteousness and peace will kiss each other in God's Kingdom.
We realized that the Church, the body of Christ, has not always lived in righteous ways that bring peace. We read an excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail, in which he laments that the Church has often sat on the sidelines and watched injustice. He says that the Church used to be a thermostat in the world, but now we are merely a thermometer. We acknowledged that not much has changed in the 45 years since that letter was written.
We prayed for God's help in being peacemakers in our world.
We celebrated communion at the table of love.