Daily Prayer for Peace
1:00 p.m.
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Bangladesh
Would you like to learn more about Bangladesh?
Visit Lonely
Planet.
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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
God who has called us to peace. 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 Bangladesh in our prayers.
Bangladesh is located in southern Asia, and became an independent
country in 1971. A densely populated, fertile agricultural low country,
it is prone to repeated monsoonal flooding, and is one of poorest
countries in the world. A series of bombings of political and religious
gatherings continues to puzzle authorities. Although the major parties
blame each other, extremist Islamic groups may also be a factor.
Let us worship together and lift up an ensign of peace, and make a
proclamation for peace unto the ends of the earth. |
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| Scripture Reading: Doctrine and Covenants 160:7 |
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The Spirit of the One you follow is the
spirit of love and peace. That Spirit seeks to abide in the hearts of
those who would embrace its call and live its message. The path will not
always be easy, the choices will not always be clear, but the cause is
sure and the Spirit will bear witness the truth, and those who live the
truth will know the hope and the joy of discipleship in the community of
Christ. |
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Prayer for Peace by Laurie Gordon, Livermore,
California |
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Holy and Eternal God,
In this still moment and in this sacred place we gather to recognize You
as the Source of Being and the Bringer of Peace. You are the One whose
Presence fills the vast and empty reaches of space; and You are the One
who is the Light of the Universe. You are the One whose Presence fills
the empty places in the heart of every child, woman, and man; and You
are the One who is the Light in our innermost beings. We come to pray
for peace, to open our hearts to your Spirit of Peace and to offer our
lives in bringing Your Peace into the world.
This peace for which we pray is a peace that may be born in our hearts
in still moments such as this one when we are aware of You. This peace
we seek is a peace that feeds and is fed by the unfolding of compassion
within, a peace that spills over into our relationships with our loved
ones and is extended into a troubled world. We want to offer hearts,
touched by Your Spirit and ever aware of Your Presence to those around
us, to the earth and to the world.
We do not expect Your Peace to be easy, an absence of conflict, but
rather an intense participation in life that fiercely embraces the
reality of difficulty and harshness as well as delight and joy. We would
participate in life in a new way, in a manner of living that transforms.
We recognize also that our hearts are hard, resistant to Your Spirit,
often rigid and unyielding--just as the heart of the world can be so
harsh and unwilling to surrender. We seem to feel that our hearts must
be protected from the restlessness and disturbed nature of the world,
but instead You ask us to let our hearts be broken. So we open before
You and ask... soften the rigid places in our hearts that we might
embrace life with an intensity that is at once gentle and
strong...soften the rigid places in our hearts that we may give
ourselves more intently to the children and lonely ones, to our families
and to those without family...soften the rigid places in our hearts that
we might care for this earth and all creatures upon it. Perhaps if we
can experience softening our own hearts and opening to Your Peace we
will learn something about softening and opening the heart of the world
to Your Peace.
The Spirit of Peace enters the world through us when our hearts know
You. We know this kind of peacemaking is no easy task, yet we want to
participate with you in this new Creation. As instruments of Your Peace
may we transform, by Your Spirit, violence, ugliness and sorrow into
peace, beauty and joy. May the Spirit of Peace in the temple of our
hearts be free to spiral out into the world.
In remembrance of the Christ, we pray. Amen. |
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Hymn - Hope of the World - Hymns of the
Saints #209 |
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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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O God, come into the brokenness of our lives and our
land with your healing love. Help us to be willing to bow before you in
true repentance, and to bow to one another in real forgiveness. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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By the fire of your Holy Spirit melt our hard hearts, and consume the
pride and prejudice which separate us. Fill us, O Lord, with your
perfect love which casts out fear, and bind us together in Divine unity. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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We pray for the people of Bangladesh as they struggle with the injustice
of the world. May they live in peace as their leaders solve their
problems . |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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We thank you and praise you for love that sustains us, for wisdom that
directs us, and for desire that beckons us toward peace in our world. At
this time we remember our private concerns. Hear our petitions we humbly
ask. |
| 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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We pray these things in the name of the Prince of Peace. Amen. |
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| Sending Forth |
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We conclude our service today with Ministry of Music.
You are invited to leave quietly or remain to pray or meditate for as
long as you may wish.
Go now and be a peacemaker. Amen. |
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| Ministry of Music |
