Daily Prayer for Peace
1:00 p.m.
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Sudan
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Gathering in Silence
Call to Prayer
Lighting of CandleInvitation |
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We welcome you to this sacred
place, and thank you for your coming to share the prayers for peace with
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 Sudan in our prayers. Africa's
largest country in land area, Sudan is dominated by the Nile and its
tributaries, with mountains rising along its Red Sea coast and along the
western border with Chad. Since independence from Britain in 1956, a
north-south war has dominated Sudan's history, pitting Arab Muslims in
the northern desert against black Christians and animists in the
southern wetlands. Sudan remains a politically unstable country. While
the north remains calm, Darfur is wracked by crisis while the
aftershocks of a decade-long civil war continue to reverberate across
the south.
Sudan has also faced large refugee influxes from neighboring countries,
primarily Ethiopia and Chad, and armed conflict, poor transport
infrastructure, and lack of government support have chronically
obstructed the provision of humanitarian assistance.
God of all peoples, all nations, and all religions, we praise you. Open
our hearts and minds to your will at this time of our worship, we humbly
ask. |
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| Scripture Reading: Romans 14:17-18 The Inclusive
New Testament |
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For the kingdom of God is a matter not of
eating and drinking, but of justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
If we all serve Christ this way, we will be pleasing to God and
respected by our sisters and brothers. |
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Prayer for Peace by William McSweeney, Jr.,
National Catholic Reporter |
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Dear Lord, Our God—it is so easy to hate, it
is so easy to anger, it is so easy to kill, it is so easy to
solve national problems and ambitions through war.
The untold devastation that such solutions
wreak upon us as individuals, as families, as communities and as
nations, threatens the very word “civilization.”
Lord, give us the grace, the wisdom and the
understanding to bypass such flawed solutions. Help us to
constantly improve our relationships as we live in our families,
work in our communities and as we collaborate to improve our
nations' response to the problems threatening our world.
Finally, Lord, we pray to you for peace among nations. Give
them the wisdom to reject self-interest, both nationally and
internationally, in favor of negotiated solutions to difficult
problems. Help the nations of the world take the difficult, not
the easy way. Help them work toward that peace for which the
vast majority of world citizens pray. This we ask in your name,
Amen.
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Hymn - This Is My Song - Hymns of the
Saints #315 |
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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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God of all nations and all peoples, by whatever name you
are known, we come before you in praise and thanksgiving. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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Forgive our sins of selfishness and pride, we humbly ask. We would also
ask for your guidance as we try to live by your standards of peace. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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Guide us into the joy of being, and the desire for joyful peace for all
peoples. We pray particularly for the nation and people of Sudan this
day. May they find the wisdom and courage they need to create peace in
their land. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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We pray for the concerns of those gathered here today. Give us guidance
as we seek peace in our lives with those around us. |
| 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. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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Hear our collective prayers, O God of Peace, that your peace may become
the peace of this world. 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.
We have spoken of and prayed for peace this day. Now, go in peace and
teach peace in your part of the world. Amen. |
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| Ministry of Music |
