GIVE THANKS FOR PEACE

6 November 6 days to go

I will bring my people Israel back from exile. They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. Amos 9:14 (NIV) RESTORATION The Lochnagar Crater sits now in the quiet, rolling countryside of Picardie in northern France. The people live in peace. Visit in July and you can see the crops ripening in the sunshine. The crater is huge – 98 feet deep; 330 feet across. It was created on a very different July morning – 1 July 1916 – the first day of the Battle of the Somme, when British forces detonated explosives under German army positions. The carnage of the Somme battlefield is unimaginable. Lochnagar’s sheer scale is a reminder of what happened. But the setting now is a sign of how God can restore peace to places of unimaginable horror. PRAYER Loving Father, thank you that you are in the business of restoration – of peace and reconciliation. Thank you that nothing, and no-one, is too far gone that you cannot rescue and restore and bring peace, hope and even prosperity where there was once none. Adrian Butcher is director for communications for the Anglican Communion. www.anglicancommunion.org 100 Days of Peace and Hope is available with Bible readings, reflections and prayers for each week to download at www.remembrance100.co.uk/100-days