Walking the labyrinth of peace

Today the ecumenical centre had two services for the international day of prayer for peace. The early morning was overcast and we were glad to have the lights on in the chapel. Our wonderful choir led the singing and we walked in the labyrinth of peace, which is an artistic interpretation of the logo of the international ecumenical peace convocation - the artists being the stewards from our recent WCC central committee - they were really creative.
I was moved and surprised at how well this worked. It's strange to have a rather crazy idea of turning a logo into a labyrinth and then to see that it actually works as liturgy. At the morning service where there quite a lot of people, it was good to see people greeting one another as they neotiated their paths in the labyrinth of peace. In another way the whole chapel also became a labyrinth where people could got and find and reflect on stones, water, salt or light and pick up Bible verses on those themes. And people did move outside their worship comfort zones and many took off their shoes to walk in the labyrinth.

By lunchtime - as you can see from the photos - the sun had just come out and so although we have no music the chapel itself was snap, crackle and popping as it always does with the first rays of sun as the wood expands - I often say to visitors that it is almost as if the chapel itself goes on praying even when no one is there to say the words. There were fewer of us at lunchtime but we also took time to pray and walk for peace together.

You can download a pdf of the service here along with other IDDP material, there's also an html version here.