He is known as the “Cellist of Sarajevo.” Vedran Smailovic, born on November 11, 1956, has also been called a hero. A former cellist in the Sarajevo String Quarter, he made a choice. He took his cello and played Albonini’s Adagio, a composition which symbolizes hope rising from the ashes. Samilovic played this powerful piece of music amid the ruins of his beloved city. He played during funerals even though snipers were a very real threat.
What does it mean to be a presence for peace this season? Our nation is bitterly divided. Racial tensions are high. Economic strain plagues many. Marriages and families experience added stress.
We are called to be peacemakers, standing for peace wherever we are, pointing people to Christ who is the light of the world and the Prince of Peace. It may be that it is as simple as choosing peace, instead of engaging in an argument. It may be as simple as deciding it is more important to be kind than to be right. It may be as simple as choosing to be silent rather than to speak.
St Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226, reminds us during this holy season what is means to be an instrument of peace. May this beloved prayer infuse your body, mind, and spirit with Christ’s peace:
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.
Praying for God’s peace to fill you,
Pastor Cathy Johns