Daily Prayer for Peace  | |
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Daily Prayer for Peace
Daily Prayer for Peace
1:00 p.m.
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Gathering in Silence
Call to Prayer
Lighting of CandleInvitation |
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We greet you in the name of God
who calls us to worship. 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 Turkey in our prayers. Located in
Europe, Turkey is a place where Orient meets Occident, a crossroads for
ideas, beliefs, and cultures. Ruled by Rome for almost three centuries,
Turkey began its dominance over the area in the 11th century, with the
Ottoman Empire lasting until the late 19th century. After World War I,
the Allies began separating Turkey, precipitating a War of Independence
that ended in 1922. By 1938 a constitution had been adopted, polygamy
abolished, and women had the right to vote. Following World War II,
Turkey was able to transition into a true democracy, but there have been
continuing problems caused by political infighting and civil unrest. In
the 1990s Turkey suffered from an unhappy human rights record, a shaky
economy, and a destructive struggle with the Kurds. Since 2001, the
country has been moving forward, but Kurdish separatism remains a
significant issue.
Let us contemplate the symbol found in the candle of peace, for Christ
is our peace. In Christ, God made all one and broke down the dividing
wall between them, to create out of us a new humanity, thereby making
peace. So Christ came and proclaimed the good news; peace to you who
were afar off, and peace to those nearby. |
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| Scripture Reading: adapted from Jeremiah 29:4 11 |
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Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of
Israel, “Build houses and live in them; seek the welfare of the city
where I have sent you and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its
welfare you will find your welfare. I know the plans I have for you,”
says the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future
and a hope.” |
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Prayer for Peace by Carolyn Brock,
Independence, Missouri |
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Holy One, Mysterious One, we have entered this quiet,
curving, spiraling space in search of peace. Muted colors, softness and
safety surround us, almost enfold and cradle us.
It is good to be here in this place where our minds can be still, our
breathing can slow, our spirits can be soothed.
We need these moments. Within them we can open our deep places, our soul
places to you. And it is in you that we find the possibility of peace
awakening and igniting our dreams once more.
We become weary, God. Weary of believing in the healing of all nations,
weary of hoping for the reign of your compassionate justice in all
lands.
We become afraid of the violence and toxic hatreds that engulf the human
family.
We weep for the children, for the mothers and fathers of the children.
We hope we will not have to hear another story of human life, beautiful,
miraculous life wasted frivolously as though it were of no value.
But the world outside these walls is a sea of such stories. And at times
we feel we will drown in the tears of earth's peoples, your people, God.
Creator, we come with dissonance in our beings: A longing for the holy
peace that would name all persons sacred and in which none would hurt or
destroy in your holy mountain forever more.
And coexisting with this longing, a knowledge of brutality and suffering
of such magnitude we cannot bear to understand the depth of its reality.
Meet us now, God, in this aching, yearning, empty space and break our
hearts wide open. Connect us with both the suffering and the sacredness.
For if you are the strand of grace between these realities, we shall be
able to bear the anguish of the "not yet" as we live into the healed,
holy creation of the "yet to be." Breathe your enlivening spirit upon
our weary frames. Wipe the tears from our eyes, lift the dark curtain
from our minds, enflame our cold hearts with the bright joy of your
love. Speak peace, your peace into the silence of this moment, Creator.
And we shall believe it in this moment and work for it in all the
moments to come. In the name of your Son, Jesus. Amen. |
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Hymn - Put Peace into Each Other’s Hands -
Sing for Peace #15 |
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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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Great God, we praise you for sending the Prince of
Peace. We praise you for families and friends, food and shelter, warmth
and joy, and we pray for those who do not have these necessities of
life. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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We praise you for holy forgiveness and claim its touch for our sins of
commission or our sins of omission. We lay our sins at your feet, and
pray for your touch on each of us. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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We praise you for all the peoples of the earth, but especially remember
and pray for the people of Turkey this day. May the people know your
peace, and the leaders be sensitive to their needs. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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We praise you for your goodness in listening to our own cares and
concerns. Fit a blessing to our needs we humbly pray. |
| 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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Hear our prayer, O God, and guide us as we strive to be instruments of
your peace in our world. Amen. |
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| Sending Forth |
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We conclude our service today with meditation music. We
invite you to remain in the quiet of this place to pray or meditate for
as long as you may wish.
As we leave this house of worship, we go with God's love to comfort us,
God's wisdom to guide us, and God's power to lead us in the paths of
peace. Let us go and do peace in this world. Amen. |
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| Ministry of Music |
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