Daily Prayer for Peace  | |
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Daily Prayer for Peace
Daily Prayer for Peace
1:00 p.m.
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Sri Lanka
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Gathering in Silence
Call to Prayer
Lighting of CandleInvitation |
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We greet you in the name of the
God who has called 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 Sri Lanka in our prayers. Sri Lanka
is located off the coast of India in the Indian Ocean. This small
island, teeming with bird life and once known as Ceylon, achieved full
independence in 1948. However, stresses between the majority Sinhalese
and the English-speaking, Christian-educated minority have developed and
have continued since then. In 2001 there seemed to be a possibility of
peace, but the peace process stalled in 2003, and then the tsunami in
December 2004 damaged 80% of Sri Lanka’s coastline, with more than
35,000 people being killed and tens of thousands left homeless. The
vital infrastructure is working again because of international aid, but
long-term rebuilding is going slowly, affected by both the world’s
attention turning elsewhere and continued clashes between the government
and the Tamil Tigers rebels.
Let us worship together and lift up an ensign of peace, and make a
proclamation for peace unto the ends of the earth. |
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| Scripture Reading: Psalm 36:5-10 IP |
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Your love, Adonai, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
Your justice is like the mountains in their splendor, Your judgments
like the great deep.
Whether human or animal, Adonai, you keep us all in your care.
How precious is your love!
Whether creatures of heaven or children of earth,
we all find refuge in the shadow of your wings.
We feast on the bounty of your estate, and drink from the stream of your
delights.
In you is the wellspring of Life, and in your light we become
enlightened.
Prolong your love for those who know you, and your justice for upright
hearts. |
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Prayer for Peace by Judy M. Kramer,
Independence, Missouri |
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God of all creation, I approach you today, mindful of
the victims of war and praying that the power of your spirit will work
within all people to bring peace to the world.
God of all creation, hear the cries of your people:
The cries of infants who suckle but receive no nourishment,
The cries of toddlers who have no energy to play,
The cries of children who reach out to relief workers for food,
The cries of those who receive none,
The cries of starving mothers who watch their children starve.
God of all creation, hear the cries of your people:
The cries of those maimed by weapons of war,
The limbless, the sightless, the grotesque,
The cries of those who cannot purge from their minds the witnessing of
other’s injuries,
The cries of children watching their parents die,
The cries of parents watching their children die,
The cries of those commissioned to heal, finding the task is too great.
God of all creation, hear the cries of your people:
The cries of those who wage war, but know not why,
The cries of the orphaned, the starving, the homeless,
The cries of those who are totally alone,
The cries of those who are bereft of hope,
The cries of those who work for peace, but begin to despair.
God of all creation, hear our cries.
In the name of the Prince of Peace we pray. Amen. |
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Hymn - Lord of All Nations - Hymns
of the Saints #467 |
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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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You are the way of peace, O God. Come into the
brokenness of our lives with your healing love. Help us to be willing to
bow before you in true repentance, and to bow to one another in real
forgiveness. By the fire of your Holy Spirit melt our hard hearts, and
consume the pride and prejudice which separate us. Fill us, O Lord, with
your perfect love which casts out fear, and bind us together in Divine
unity. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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We pray for all interfaith initiatives, and all occasions which bring
together people of different traditions and customs. Help us to see the
good in all people as we remember the people of Sri Lanka. Be with the
leaders of this country that they may consider the good of the people in
all they do. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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We thank you and praise you for love that sustains us, for wisdom that
directs us, and for desire that beckons us toward peace in our world. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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At this time we remember our private concerns. Hear our petitions we
humbly ask. |
| 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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We pray these things in the Spirit of Peace. Amen. |
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| Sending Forth |
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We conclude our service today with meditation music. You
are invited to remain to pray or meditate in the quiet of this place for
as long as you may wish.
Go now and be peacemakers. |
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| Ministry of Music |
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