Light a candle, as a visible sign of the light of Christ, who is the light of the world.
Take a deep breath. Feel the breath of God that has given you life.
Centre yourself and pray…
We pray for Ukraine and the safety and security of its citizens.
Bless those fighting to protect their homeland
with resources, courage, determination, and strength.
We pray for the refugees evacuating their homes.
Watch over them on their journey, provide for their needs,
and enable them to return swiftly to Ukraine.
We pray for the Russians protesting this invasion.
May their voices be heard and magnified,
and help bring an end to the conflict.
We pray for the countries offering humanitarian aid.
Bless them with abundant resources
to feed, clothe and shelter the refugees.
We pray for our world leaders determining history.
Bless them with wisdom, clarity, and unity
and enable them to act decisively for the greater good.
We pray for those who are suffering, grieving and afraid.
Bless them with hope and healing, comfort and connection,
and the knowledge that they are not alone.
We pray for our broken world, and the people in it.
Bless us with the ability to work together
to usher in an era of abiding peace.

– Rev Simon Hansford (Moderator)

O God, our God, the world is not what it was;
the ground has shifted,
the earth has taken people we knew and loved 
and we don’t know what to do,
or how to understand.

Hear our grief,
hear our lostness,
hear our prayer. 

We pray for the people of Türkiye and Syria,
as they are addressed by chaos.
As they act to save others, to provide safety,
to recover those who have died,
be present in all the destruction,
in grief, in calamity,
in every sign of hope and life.

Hear our grief,
hear our lostness,
hear our prayer. 

Urge governments to act, especially in Türkiye and Syria,
and in every nation,
that resources might be made available,
for hope, for recovery.

Hear our grief,
hear our lostness,
hear our prayer. 

Spirit with us, keep us mindful of our neighbours,
welcomed from that region of your world,
that we might share meals, and grief,
and stories with them,
offering them hope and hospitality
in their bewilderment.

Hear our grief,
hear our lostness,
hear our prayer. 

We pray, in time, that you lead these nations, these families,
these people, to life again;
holding their grief,
and enabling them to know your presence
is with them in every aspect of their lives,
even in their worst moments.

Hear our grief,
hear our lostness,
hear our prayer. 

May the hope we find in the risen, crucified Lord,
find them now and every day.
Through Christ we pray.

Amen.

Light a candle, as a visible sign of the light of Christ, who is the light of the world.
Take a deep breath. Feel the breath of God that has given you life.
Centre yourself and pray…
The news can be difficult to listen to and to read.
When that news relates to faces we know
And to voices familiar to us,
It becomes all the harder to hear.
Lord God,
We ask you to hold the people of Ukraine deep in your heart.
Protect them, we pray;
From violence,
From political gamesmanship,
from being used and abused.
Give, we pray,
the nations of the world the courage
and the wisdom
to stand up for justice
and the courage too,
to dare to care – generously.
Lord in your mercy,
Take from us all,
The tendencies in us
That seek to lord it over others:
Take from us those traits
that see us pursuing our own needs and wants
before those of others.
Teach us how to live in love
And dignity
And respect – following your example.
In your name and for your sake,
Amen

In 2012 and again in 2018, Dallas and I travelled to Russia. The first time we journeyed by boat from St Petersburg to Moscow and the second time from Moscow to Astrakhan which is on the Caspian Sea. The other day I found out that one of the cities we visited in 2018, Saratov, has an airbase which is instrumental in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Ukraine has, in turn, been targeting the Saratov airbase in retaliation. I was very much ‘taken-a-back’ to think that less than 5 years ago, I was visiting that area in complete safety.
I also listened to a podcast the other day on Trauma Therapy for Children in Ukraine. The Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhia has been a battleground for months now, it’s the target of Russia’s newest offensive. Fighting there could be about to get a lot worse. Ukrainian forces are readying a defence, but the war effort in this part of south-eastern Ukraine involves more than fighting back on the frontlines.

Dr Natalya Mosol is a psychologist, and for the past year, she’s been working with people who have seen the worst of the war. These people, which includes children, wake up every day with the knowledge that there is a big chance that they might be killed before the day’s end.
Almost one year ago, on 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has caused tens of thousands of deaths on both sides and Europe’s largest refugee crisis since World War II.

Unfortunately, we still have plenty to pray for.

Light a candle, as a visible sign of the light of Christ, who is the light of the world.
Take a deep breath. Feel the breath of God that has given you life.
Centre yourself and pray in your own words, for an end to this terrible war.

Prayer for Ukraine 29/01/2023
Light a candle, as a visible sign of the light of Christ, who is the light of the world.
Take a deep breath. Feel the breath of God that has given you life. Centre yourself and
pray…
Ever living and ever-loving God,
We give thanks for your loving presence with us.
We pray for transformation in our world — that broken people find healing;
that lonely people find love;
that bitter people find peace;
that fearful people find hope.
God, in your loving kindness, hear our prayer
We pray for renewal for our world,
and wisdom for our world’s leaders and governments –
that communication can be open;
that relationships between hostile people and hostile nations will evaporate; that a hunger
for justice addresses the hunger
for food felt by so many.
We especially pray for Ukraine during this invasion and destruction of their lives..
We pray for this government and the care and governance of the Australian people and this country.
God, in your loving kindness, hear our prayer
We pray for our church –
that prayers will change our minds
instead of trying to get you to change yours; that our lives will make a real difference to real people in the real world,
and particularly for the mission and ministry of this church in our contexts.
God, in your loving kindness, hear our prayer
Loving God, fill our lives with your presence— so that more and more every day,
all that we do and say and hope
an expression of love to others,
in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Leigh Memorial Uniting Church Parramatta Mission

Light a candle, as a visible sign of the light of Christ, who is the light of the
world.
Take a deep breath. Feel the breath of God that has given you life. Centre
yourself and pray…
We grieve over loss and devastation.
We stand with those who are sorrowing.
Empty words without just outcomes,
leave empty hope without resolution.
We hear your voices. We offer our care.
We commit to peace-making and justice-seeking.
Amen.

Light a candle, as a visible sign of the light of Christ, who is the light of the
world.
Take a deep breath. Feel the breath of God that has given you life. Centre
yourself and pray…

God, we pray fervently for the people of Ukraine. The situation they now face is not a new one. The name Ukraine translates to “borderland,” and this nation has been viewed for centuries as just that – a bordering land waiting to be conquered. This nation and its people have seen struggles with Russia for a century, and over 13,000 have already died in the small-scale war that has been raging in the southwestern area of Ukraine since 2014. They are a
resilient people who live in a volatile area of the world that has seen regular
war and upheaval. Yet Jesus walked the earth in a similar part of the world,
plagued by oppression and a ruthless empire. Your word promises in Isaiah
26:3 that, “you keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.” We ask that the people of Ukraine may be safe,
secure, and that they would know not only peace of earth but your true and
unwavering peace. Amen.

Light a candle, as a visible sign of the light of Christ, who is the light of the
world.
Take a deep breath. Feel the breath of God that has given you life. Centre
yourself and pray…
Holy God,
We pray for the people of Ukraine,
for all her people suffering or afraid,
for those who have fled and those who remain,
that you will be close to them and protect them.
We mourn every casualty of this conflict,
and every precious life extinguished by war.
We pray comfort for those who grieve.
We pray for the leaders of Ukraine, of Russia and all our nations,
for urgent compassion and wisdom to guide their choices;
we long that those who have begun this war may have a change of heart
We pray for ourselves and the whole world
that in this moment of crisis, we may reach out in solidarity to one another.
May we walk in your ways
so that peace and justice
become a reality for the people of Ukraine
and for all people.
Amen.

Light a candle, as a visible sign of the light of Christ, who is the light of the
world.
Take a deep breath.
Feel the breath of God that has given you life. Centre yourself and pray…
Holy One. Prince of Peace, Abiding Spirit,
our hearts ache for Ukraine and her people.
We pray for them and all caught in this conflict of warring madness.
Make your presence known.
May your justice flow like a river washing Ukraine free from invaders.
May your peace shine across her darkened Steppes.
May it be so. Amen.
Prayer by Revd Tod Gobledale