Daily Prayer for Peace
1:00 p.m.
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Lebanon
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Gathering in Silence
Call to Prayer
Lighting of CandleInvitation |
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We greet you in the name of the
Prince of Peace who call us to worship. Thank you for joining us. Each
day in this Temple, dedicated to the pursuit of peace, we pray to God
for peace in our world. In addition, each day we pray for a different
country.
Today we will hold up the people of Lebanon in our prayers. Lebanon is
located in the Middle East, where it’s history is almost as old as the
earliest evidence of humankind.At different periods of its history,
Lebanon has come under the domination of many foreign rulers. Despite
foreign domination, Lebanon's mountainous terrain has provided it with a
certain protective isolation, enabling it to survive with an identity
all its own.
Its proximity to the sea has ensured that throughout its history
Lebanon has held an important position as a trading center. Lebanon has
a Middle Eastern culture colored by Western influences. Although Lebanon
traditionally considered itself the only Christian majority country in
the 'Arab' world, by the 1970s the Muslim population was believed to
have been greater than that of the Christians, a situation that led to
sectarian unrest and struggles for political and economic power.
Blessed is the name of our God who is mindful of us as we worship in
faith and joy. |
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| Scripture Reading: Ephesians 2:4-10 |
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But God, rich in mercy and loving us so
much, brought us to life in Christ, even when we were dead in our sins.
It is through grace that we have been saved. God raised us up and, in
union with Christ Jesus, gave us a place in the heavenly realm, to
display in ages to come how immense are the resources of God’s grace and
kindness in Christ Jesus. And it is by grace that you have been saved,
through faith—and even that is not of yourselves, but the gift of God.
Nor is it a reward for anything that you have done, so nobody can claim
the credit. We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to do the
good things God created us to do from the beginning. |
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Prayer for Peace by Wallace B. Smith,
Independence, Missouri |
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Eternal God, present in all of life that is significant
and holy, hear us now as we lift our voices in thanksgiving and praise,
in confession, and in supplication.
We give thanks for your word of encouragement that enables us to face
each new day. We also thank you for your word of faithfulness that gives
us hope for the future. And we give thanks for your word of guidance
that directs us as we seek to better understand your ways.
Gracious God, deliver us from the shallowness of our commitments, from
the thousand ways our strivings separate us from each other. And most of
all, deliver us from our fears that alienate us from you.
O God of faith, hear our prayer as we light our flame of peace and love
at this hour and in this sacred place. May the flame here kindled grow
within each heart, that all may sense more fully your spirit in the
warmth of our concern for one another. Refresh us when we grow weary of
opposing injustice and oppression, terrorism and war, and send us forth
from this experience of dialogue and worship strengthened to bind up the
wounds that afflict our world.
Grant us peace, O God - not the peace of slumber, but of quiet
confidence in the triumph of your word. For the sake of all your
creation, we pray. Amen. |
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Hymn - Lord of All Hopefulness - Hymns of
the Saints #185 |
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Prayers of the People
Please join us now, praying the Prayers of the People. During the
moments of silence, you are invited to pray silently or meditate. |
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Creator of sunrises, mountains, and seas, we praise you
and come before you with gratitude in our hearts. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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Keep us alert for ways to practice peace. Open our eyes to new solutions
for old problems. Forgive us when we become discouraged by daily
challenges rather than seeing them as opportunities. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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As we consider the years that the people of Lebanon have lived under the
yoke of war, we cry, "How long, God, must your creation live without
peace?" Bless the leaders and the people of this nation as they seek
ways of peace, we pray. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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We pray for those gathered here today. Bless us with the assurance of
your presence, making lighter the burdens which we bear. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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Please use this space to pray for any
current concern or event in our community, city, state, nation or world
that you feel needs to be held up to God for prayerful consideration.
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| The People Pray in Silence |
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God of all nations, we offer our hearts and minds and bodies to you to
be peacemakers in this world. Please bless our efforts, we pray in
Jesus’ name. Amen. |
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| Sending Forth |
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We conclude our service today with Ministry of Music. We
invite you to remain in the quiet of this place to pray or meditate for
as long as you may wish.
May the God who is peace, the God who is hope, and the God who is love,
guide us and bless us as we go forth to serve the Divine purpose created
in us. Amen. |
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| Ministry of Music |
