Dear Friends, 

Greetings of love and peace. 

As I write this, many Christians around the world are observing the season of Advent, a time of preparation and expectation for the birth of love and healing light into the world on Christmas.

Here is a line from an Advent hymn that has always called to me and inspired me: 

          And let each heart prepare a home where such a mighty guest may come. 

Each Advent, I meditate on how I might best prepare my heart for the birth of new love and healing light within me and in our world. How do I best cleanse myself of fear, of animosity, of doubt, of a feeling of woundedness, and open myself anew to the life transforming gift of divine love and healing light? 

This year I am privileged to have as part of my preparation a week participating in the first session of a groundbreaking URI peacebuilding program based on a remarkable book called The Moral Imagination, by John Paul Lederach, noted theoretician, teacher and practitioner in the field of global interfaith peacebuilding. 

URI’s program, which will last for over a year, will bring together leadership teams from CCs actively involved in peacebuilding work in Uganda, India, Ethiopia and the Philippines. In addition, these teams, leaders/participants include John Paul Lederach; his colleague Herm Weaver; visionary peace practitioner, Libby Hoffman; global staff support, Barbara Hartford, Sally Mahé, Charles Gibbs.  

In the beginning of his book Dr. Lederach asks this core question: How do we transcend the cycles of violence that bewitch our human community while still living in them? The answer, his years of reflection, teaching and experience have led him to believe, lies in the moral imagination, which he defines this way: the capacity to imagine something rooted in the challenges of the real world yet capable of giving birth to that which does not yet exist. 

Those of us privileged to participate in this year-plus pilot project, which will include meetings hosted in the home countries of some of the participating groups, will be exploring Dr. Lederach’s core question, with a special emphasis on how we can best activate the moral imagination in our efforts to end religiously motivated violence and create cultures of peace, justice and healing for the Earth and all living beings. We will be participating with the intention that this work will support the on-the-ground efforts of URI’s CCs in Uganda, India, Ethiopia and the Philippines; and support the work of the entire URI network to fulfill our Purpose. 

Personally, I can’t think of a more appropriate way to prepare myself for the birth of love and healing light within me and in our world. And, as part of my preparation, I pledge to share my experience in this extraordinary project with the URI network. 

In return, I invite you to keep the participants in your prayer and meditation. 

In the meantime, may each of us find new ways to prepare a home in our heart for the birth of love and healing light within us and in our world. It is a privilege to be with you in this preparation and to share this journey with you. 

Love,Charles