Daily Prayer for Peace
1:00 p.m.
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Botswana
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more about Botswana?
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Gathering in Silence
Call to Prayer
Lighting of CandleInvitation |
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It is good to share the prayers
for peace with you today. Welcome, and let us 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 Botswana in our prayers. Located in
Southern Africa, stable and comparatively prosperous, semiarid Botswana
has blossomed since independence from the United Kingdom in 1966. This
democratic nation enjoys an outstanding human rights record. Diamond,
copper, and nickel mining boost the economy, but cattle ranching remains
the principal occupation. Careful management of abundant and diverse
wildlife, fast disappearing elsewhere in Africa, ensures a brisk tourist
trade. Botswana has one of the world's highest known rates of HIV/AIDS
infection, but also one of Africa's most progressive and comprehensive
programs for dealing with the disease.
Let us unite as one in supplication to our God for guidance in
peacemaking. The God of peace will be with us. |
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| Scripture Reading: Psalm 72:1-7 The Inclusive
Psalms |
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O God, give your anointed one your
judgment—
and your justice.
Teach your chosen one to govern your people rightly
and bring justice to the oppressed.
The mountains will bring the people peace
and the hills justice!
Your anointed will defend the oppressed among the people,
and save the children of the poor.
The reign of the anointed will endure
as long as the sun and moon—
throughout the generations.
The rule of the chosen one will be
like rain coming down on the meadow,
like showers watering the earth.
Justice will flower through the days, and profound peace,
until the moon be no more. |
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Prayer for Peace by Tammy Canterbury.
Edgerton. Kansas |
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Yahweh, Jehovah, Abba, God,
You are known by many names yet you are the creator of us all. The
people who speak your name are as diverse as the names themselves. Yet
we are all your children.
Our differences so often blind us to our kinship. Forgive us for this
blindness that keeps us from seeing the beauty and worth of each soul
you have created.
In this day, in this moment, we embrace the beauty of your diverse
creation as represented in the peoples of all the nations of the world.
We open our hearts and call each one brother or sister.
Many of our brothers and sisters live in situations of oppression that
hinder the full expression of their unique talents and gifts. We pray in
earnest for their freedom so that their lives and indeed the world might
be enriched from the open sharing of all they are.
O God, enlighten our minds to the reality that until our brothers and
sisters are free there can be no true peace. Burden us with the
knowledge that peace is only present when the worth of all your children
is affirmed. May this burden move us to respond through the empowerment
of your Spirit so your promise of peace might be fulfilled.
In the name of your son, Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace we pray. Amen |
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Hymn - Word of God, Come Down on Earth -
Hymns of the Saints #227 |
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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, Creator of all that is or has ever been, we
praise you for knowing us, a small portion of your creation. We thank
you for all the blessings of this life: for family, friends, and those
who give particular meaning to our lives. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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We confess our shortcomings before you, even our sins that prevent us
from being the persons you created us to be. Forgive us, we humbly pray,
and guide us into paths of truer servanthood. Help us to be the
peacemakers we yearn to be. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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We lift up before you the country of Botswana and its inhabitants. May
they know peace among themselves and with others. Bless them that peace
may always be their goal. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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May our desires be a reflection of your plan for all creation as we ask
your blessing on our needs and concerns this day. |
| 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, as we offer ourselves to be instruments of your
peace. Amen. |
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| Sending Forth |
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We conclude our service for 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.
Now as we leave this place, peace arises from the wellspring of hope and
we are empowered. Go in peace to serve the Lord. Amen. |
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| Ministry of Music |
