How do we pray for peace from half a world away?

How can words salve and soothe real wounds,

Assuage real fears, Wipe tears from real eyes?

God of endless compassion, transform our prayers

From words into bridges, that span the distances

Between us, uniting our hearts in yours.

Every time we turn our keys in a lock,

May we remember all who are losing their homes.

Every time we step into our cars,

May we remember all who are having to flee.

Every time we embrace our children,

May we remember all who are trying to shield theirs from war.

May our besieged sisters and brothers

Be drawn into the arms of the suffering Christ,

And may our cry be heard as one voice,

Ringing out from every corner of the earth:

God of endless mercy, grant us peace.

Amen.  (Cameron Bellm)

Blessing for Peace 22/12/2024

As the fever of day calms towards twilight
May all that is strained in us come to ease.
We pray for all who suffered violence today,
May an unexpected serenity surprise them.
For those who risk their lives each day for peace,
May their hearts glimpse providence at the heart of history.
That those who make riches from violence and war
Might hear in their dreams the cries of the lost.
That we might see through our fear of each other
A new vision to heal our fatal attraction to aggression.
That those who enjoy the privilege of peace
Might not forget their tormented brothers and sisters.
That the wolf might lie down with the lamb,
That our swords be beaten into ploughshares
And no hurt or harm be done
Anywhere along the holy mountain.

by John O’Donohue

God of Peace,

Thank you for your Christmas gift of peace, for the birth and life of the nonviolent Jesus, and all the blessings of peace, hope and love he offers us all.

Year after year, we continue to reject those blessings and offerings of peace, but you keep giving them to us. Everywhere we look, we see violence, war, greed, guns, drones, killings, injustice, nuclear weapons and catastrophic climate change. Even within us, we cling to violence and the old paradigms of war. It seems we are dead set on rejecting your life-giving invitations to peace.

Yet you keep coming into our lives and offering the gift of peace. You still invite us to the vision of peace on earth. You still point out the possibilities of disarmament in our hearts, our communities and among nations. You still call us to become, like Jesus, people of loving nonviolence.

Thank you for being a peaceful, nonviolent God. Thank you for blessing peacemakers, justice-seekers, the poor, the mournful, the meek, the pure of heart and children. Thank you for all the ways you work to end war, hunger, poverty and injustice. Thank you for making the sun rise on the good and the bad, and the rain to fall on the just and the unjust.

Thank you for showing us the way forward through the life, death and resurrection of the nonviolent Jesus. As we celebrate his birth and life, give us new strength and energy to carry on his work of peace and nonviolence, that we might become his faithful disciples, apostles, companions and friends, that we might grow up and act like your beloved sons and daughters.

Inspire us to lay down our weapons, put away our guns, dismantle our bombs, ground our drones, abolish our nuclear weapons, feed the hungry, care for the poor and sick, liberate the oppressed and welcome your good news. Help us to learn your wisdom of peace and nonviolence before it’s too late. Break our hard hearts of stone and give us soft hearts of flesh to show compassion to one another. Stir our spirits to change the world so more and more people might live with justice, peace and dignity.

This Christmas, we thank you for the hope you offer in Jesus and his way of Gospel nonviolence. Through his example and inspiration, help us to welcome your Christmas gift of peace on earth, that we might take heart and rejoice once more.  Amen.

John Dear

There is a Facebook Group called “View from My Window” where people, from all over the world, post views outside their windows. For our Prayers for Peace this week, look at the view from outside one of the windows in your own home. You may be looking at the lake, your garden, the bush. It may be raining; it may be sunny or you may be looking at a moonlit scene. Let us take the time now to pray for those people who live in a country at war, who are not looking out onto such peaceful scenes.

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 need you, we always have.

You are our source of strength and you tell us to give you all our concerns.

Bring protection and healing to the people of Ukraine, Gaza, Israel, Lebanon and all other countries at war. Show them that you are with them and that you hear their prayers. Please strengthen anyone who is feeling alone, hurt or broken. Replace any feelings of anxiety, fear and uncertainty with your peace and hope. Draw near to us as we draw near to you.

In Jesus’ name… 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…
Our world in need of peace …
We pray for peace in our world, particularly during this season of Advent, as we await the Prince of Peace to come among us once again; we especially pray for peace in the Middle East, and in Ukraine. As we pray, we remember those who have lost their lives and their loved ones left behind. We remember all displaced peoples and all the poor and suffering of
our world. May compassion and understanding triumph over hatred, violence and fear.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
New South Wales Ecumenical Council
(Thank you to Laraine Jones for this prayer which we first used during Advent last year)

Lord Jesus Christ, who are called the Prince of Peace,
who are yourself our peace and reconciliation,
who so often said, “Peace to you,” grant us peace.
Make all men and women witnesses of truth, justice,
and brotherly love.
Banish from their hearts whatever might endanger peace.
Enlighten our rulers that they may
guarantee and defend the great gift of peace.
May all peoples on the earth
become as brothers and sisters.
May longed for peace blossom forth
and reign always over us all.

• Pope John Paul II

Gracious God,

We thank you on this day for all the blessings in our lives. You have blessed the world with

so many devoted people who have lived your mission of unity and reconciliation. Continue to spread your love to the world through such devoted witnesses of your love.

We come to you on this day with sorrow in our hearts. Sorrow about so many places in the

world where people are yearning for peace – but there is no peace. We bring before you

suffering in all places where the cycle of violence is going on and on and there seems to be

no end.

In the refugee camps in Sudan, in the ruins of Gaza, in the villages and cities of Ukraine, in

the hills of eastern Congo, in the rainforests of Colombia, in the mountains of Myanmar.

We bring before you the children who lose their fathers in war. The mothers who desperately stand before the dead bodies of their children under the rubble of their bombed homes. 

Through your son Jesus Christ you know the suffering they experience, you know the

forsakenness they feel, you know their despair. We trust you are present amongst them now.

We ask you to move the hearts of those who are suffering. That they may feel your love,

your comfort, your power.

We ask you to move the hearts of those who cause their suffering. That they may feel

empathy. That they may repent. That they may be liberated from the darkness of death into

the brightness of life.

We pray for all of us that we may see the suffering not only on our side but also on the other side. That we may become instruments of peace.

Gracious God, we ask you to fill our hearts

with your spirit so that we may be witnesses of your son Jesus Christ’s love which moves the

world to reconciliation and unity.

God, we lay our own future and the future of the world in your hands. In you we trust. You

are our creator, our sustainer, our redeemer. You will open the door for peace.

Amen

(World Council of Churches)

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…

Loving God,
in the swirling maelstrom of violent conflict, we ask for your peace, your lasting peace,
a peace that turns those who seek to wage war into patient negotiators,
a peace that will not allow children to be harmed or older persons abandoned,
a peace that calms the fear of families faced with leaving their homes,
a peace that means that young men and women will not have to kill or wound,
a peace that speaks the truth and will not descend to lies or deceit.

Loving God,
your peace will become a reality as those who run from conflict are accepted and helped,
your peace will become reality as the powerful ones think twice before unleashing military might,
your peace will become reality as kindness is found amongst the war horrors,
your peace will become reality as confrontation gives way to understanding.

We will know your peace as we listen and as we pray.
We will speak of your peace to those who have power and influence.
We will act in the spirit of your peace to give shelter and end conflict.

We pray in the name of Jesus, who knew violence but lived the hard but peaceful way.

Amen 

―David Sparks

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…

For those who are

fleeing: sanctuary

For those who are

staying: safety

For those who are

fighting: peace

For those whose hearts are

breaking: comfort

For those who see no future:

hope

(Poor Clares Galway)

On Saturday 19^th October the Toronto Uniting Church, in conjunction with the Allira House Op Shop, held a very successful Fashion Parade.  The music for the event was downloaded from freemusicupload.org and we acknowledge the artists and their songs below.

Title: Same Old Story

Author: Beat Mekanik / https://freemusicarchive.org/music/beat-mekanik/

Source: Free Music Archive / https://freemusicarchive.org/music/beat-mekanik/single/same-old-story/

Licence: CC BY-NC-ND / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Title: Just a Taste

Author: Beat Mekanik / https://freemusicarchive.org/music/beat-mekanik/

Source: Free Music Archive / https://freemusicarchive.org/music/beat-mekanik/single/just-a-taste/

Licence: CC BY-NC-ND / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Title: Dollhouse

Author: Beat Mekanik / https://freemusicarchive.org/music/beat-mekanik/

Source: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/beat-mekanik/single/dollhouse/

Licence: CC BY-NC-ND / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Title: Gone Again

Author: Beat Mekanik / https://freemusicarchive.org/music/beat-mekanik/

Source: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/beat-mekanik/single/gone-again/

Licence: CC BY-NC-ND / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Title: Django

Author: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/mr-smith/

Source: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/mr-smith/fever-dreams-1/django/

Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Title: More than Enough

Author: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/1st-contact/

Source: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/1st-contact/single/more-than-enough/

Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Title: Chasing the Sun

Author: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/snoozy-beats/

Source: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/snoozy-beats/single/chasing-the-sun/

Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Title: Feelin Good

Author: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/snoozy-beats/

Source: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/snoozy-beats/single/feelin-good/

Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Title: Doing Good

Author: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/snoozy-beats/

Source: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/snoozy-beats/single/doing-good/

Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/