Daily Prayer for Peace
1:00 p.m.
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Libya
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more about Libya?
Visit
Lonely
Planet. |
Gathering in Silence
Call to Prayer
Lighting of CandleInvitation |
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Welcome today to this sacred
place. 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 Libya in our prayers. Located in
northern Africa, water-poor, oil-rich Libya has the highest per capita
income of continental Africa. The largest water development project ever
devised, the Great Man-Made River Project, will bring water from
aquifers under the Sahara to the coastal cities. Since 1969 this former
Italian colony, independent since 1951, has been socialist. In 2003,
Libya accepted responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing and agreed to
pay compensation to the families of victims. That same year, it
repudiated weapons of mass destruction, and the following year was
visited by British Prime Minister Tony Blair. There has recently been
something of a revival of the arts in Libya, especially in the field of
painting, and private galleries are springing up to provide a showcase
for new talent. The tradition of folk culture is still alive and well,
with troupes performing music and dance at frequent festivals, both in
Libya and abroad.
As we light the Candle of Peace, let us reflect on the absence of peace
and its effect on our world. (silence) Now let us worship together as we
seek new ways to pursue peace and dedicate ourselves to ongoing peace. |
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| Reading: Psalm 34:11, 13-14 |
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Come, children, listen to me! I will teach
you reverence for Our God. Keep your tongue from gossip and your lips
from telling lies; turn away from bad and practice good; seek peace and
pursue it. |
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Prayer for Peace by Scott Liston,
Independence, Missouri |
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On this day, Lord, we come with one accord. We realize
how wonderful is our opportunity to share with you our feelings about
peace. These feelings are mixed with concerns. They are surrounded with
hopes and desires.
Within ourselves we admit we stand before you in ignorance of just what
peace is. The peace we understand is that which we sense is nearby. Yet
we know that peace is not just for us. It is for all of your creation
and that peace is not out of our reach or our sight.
We would like to raise our voices and "Shout the Tidings of Salvation"
to those who have never heard before. We would like to stretch our arms
to include those who know not your kingdom. We want to make our hearts
so large that we will give more of ourselves to follow the example of
sacrifice set by your son.
O, Lord, if we cry out "PEACE, PEACE," let not the words be wasted in
the winds of war, to be wafted about among the machines of destruction.
May words of peace be picked out of those winds by persons who are
beating their machines of war into plowshares which will produce the
whitened fields ready for harvest.
Give us wisdom to discern how to enlarge our capabilities to reach out
to those who are hungering after righteousness. If there are those who
do not know what it means to have this kind of hunger, then Lord, let
them have peace. Let them know peace. Let them know we desire to be
peacemakers. Then bless them with a righteous desire to be peacemakers.
Our Father, hear our prayer. Let there be PEACE! AMEN! |
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Hymn - The Spirit of God Like a Fire Is
Burning - By Request #18 |
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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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It is a most wonderful feeling to hear "make yourself at
home." It is beyond human telling when it is God who welcomes us with
these heartwarming words, "Make yourself at home." We thank you, God, for your presence here with us and your gracious love
for us. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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Let the counsel, "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand" call us to
a specific response to the ministry of the Lord Jesus in our lives. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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We look forward to the day when all peoples are free from injustice and
persecution. Help us to be instruments of change; to offer hope to those
who are less fortunate, to offer comfort and aid to those who are
helpless, and to work in our homes and communities to further the cause
of equality. Help us to remember that we are all parts of the same
family, all deserving of love and respect. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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This day we pray for the country of Libya. May the people and their
leaders learn to know and teach peace. |
| 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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Gracious God, our words seldom truly express our heart's desires. There
is a feeling that just beyond our words lies a truer expression of our
prayers. Hear that prayer, O God, and help us to discipline our hearts
and our minds that our prayers come ever closer to expressing your will.
Amen. |
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| Sending Forth |
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We will conclude our service today with Ministry of
Music. You are invited to remain to pray or meditate in the quiet of
this place for as long as you may wish.
Just as the woman in the crowd was healed when she touched the hem of
Jesus' garment, may people be healed as they touch you. May you be
healed as you touch them. Go and heal, in Jesus' name. So shall you be
healed. Amen. |
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| Postlude |
