Daily Prayer for Peace
1:00 p.m.
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Belize
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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 peace. Each day in this sacred place, we pray to God for
peace in our world. In addition, each day we pray for a different
country.
Today we will remember the people of Belize in our prayers. Located in
Central America, territorial disputes between the United Kingdom and
Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize until 1981. Peace and
plentiful land attract refugees from troubled neighboring countries,
while tourists flock to see the ruins of the Mayan civilization;
wildlife such as jaguars, howler monkeys, and toucans; and the Western
Hemisphere's longest barrier reef. Tourism has become the mainstay of
the economy. The country remains plagued by high unemployment, growing
involvement in the South American drug trade, and increasing urban
crime. Many Belizeans have had to leave the country to make their
fortunes, sending money home to support a family. Over the past 20 years
Belizeans have been struggling to reintegrate indigenous culture.
Let us lift up an ensign of peace, and make a proclamation for peace
unto the ends of the earth as we worship our God this day. |
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| Scripture Reading: Ephesians 2:14-16 INT |
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Christ is our peace…who broke down the
barrier of hostility that kept us apart. In his own flesh, Christ
abolished the Law, with its commands and ordinances, thus establishing
peace and reconciling us all to God in one body through the cross, which
put to death the enmity between us. |
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Prayer for Peace by Susan Dayle Deitsch, St.
Marys, Ohio |
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We know the part we play.... Each and every day ...
To heal the brokenness of humankind.
Lend a helping hand.... Feed the hungry man....
Mend the separation of the mind.
Crying in the night....We may start to see the light....
The beauty and the balance of the earth.
All creation is our home.... Earth, water, star, and stone,
Love is the cradle of our birth.
Let walls crumble down....Where barriers abound....
And hands touch in kinship never known.
Let joy and laughter break....From the music that we make,
In the voices of freedom we have grown.
You lift us up indeed....As we cast the tiny seed....
Of respect and peace across the universe and into space.
None is more or less....All has sacredness....
As each person finds their purpose, path and place.
His spirit now descends....Enemies changed to friends....
The spiral expands embracing all.
Hear us as we plead....From confusion to be freed....
And move us toward PEACE as our call. Amen |
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Hymn - In Nature’s Voice We Hear You,
Lord - Hymns of the Saints #441 |
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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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Lord of all space, we thank you for knowing us. We thank
you for family, friends, those who will be friends, the earth and all
its bounty. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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We confess that we are less than you created us to be and humbly ask
forgiveness. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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We rejoice when one step is made toward peace between nations but know
the journey is long and the steps are many. On this day, please hear our
prayers concerning the nation of Belize. We lament the causes of
injustice and seek enlightenment that we may understand better our part
in peace for the world. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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We would not forget the need for peace in ourselves, our families, and
our nation. Hear our concerns, we 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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This day, in response to your call, we offer ourselves as instruments of
peace in our world. Amen. |
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| Sending Forth |
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We 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.
Let us think on these things as we go back into our daily living, then,
empowered by the Spirit of Peace we will be the peacekeepers we have
been called to be. |
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| Ministry of Music |
