In November, people from across Australia gathered online to explore this question together.
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Rev John Gilmore, President of the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA), shared a thoughtful reflection on the meaning of peace. Updates from the field were shared by Act for Peace staff, as well as an exclusive preview of the Christmas Bowl in 2025.
Rev Gilmore invited the attendees to reflect on the difference between the peace the world provides, compared with the peace that Jesus gives.
“Shalom is not just the absence of conflict, but the presence of human flourishing.”
~ Rev John Gilmore, President of the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA)
The peace of Jesus, as Rev Gilmore shared, is one of deep personal integrity, marked by forgiveness, healing, reconciliation and hope. That kind of peace is seen in the way Jesus crosses boundaries and welcomes people as they are.
Rev Gilmore reflected on the legacy of the Christmas Bowl as an embodied proclamation of peace. According to Rev Gilmore, the Bowl reminds us that our closest relationships should be relationships of peace; that we are called to cultivate communities where people flourish; and that we must seek a world where people can thrive.
As churches and families around the nation celebrate with the Christmas Bowl, the practices of holding the bowl, placing it on a table and giving to the bowl become a way of proclaiming the hope that peace will come.
This Christmas, we choose to focus on seeking peace with justice.
For Act for Peace, this is an approach that defines how we respond and speak about peace.
Global Solidarity Manager, Aletia Dundas, shared during the webinar how Act for Peace has a three-part approach to peace with justice.
- Humanitarian relief when conflict or disaster strikes – rapid, practical response to crisis that includes food, shelter and urgent support.
- Supporting partners to rebuild lives after conflict – longer-term work so people can restore livelihoods, dignity and stability.
- Advocating for a just peace – standing with partners as they address the root causes of injustice, including climate governance, rights, inequality, and occupation.
Peace This Christmas Starts With Standing Together
“At Act for Peace, peace with justice means standing with local partners before, during and after crisis -responding with compassion, rebuilding with dignity, and speaking up together so people can truly flourish.”
To learn more about how to speak about peace this Christmas, watch the webinar online.
“Peace I leave with you… I do not give to you as the world gives.” – John 14:27
Image Credits:
- Ben Littlejohn/Act for Peace
- Ben Littlejohn/Act for Peace
- Majdi Fathi/Christian Aid
- Ben Littlejohn/Act for Peace