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.
Heavenly Father, we pray for the many people whose lives have been torn apart by conflict in Gaza and Israel.
We pray especially those who have died, those who are grieving, the injured and those now without food, shelter or medical supplies. Strengthen and support the work of all relief organisations.
We pray also for those who have the power to bring peace. May they be touched by a spirit of compassion and kindness.
Lord hear us as we pray in the power of your Spirit, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Alison Blackbourn 19th May 2024 Toronto Uniting Church This particular piece of calligraphy was, in some ways, a long time in the making. So – a brief background resumé for you. I have taken up calligraphy twice in my life – once in Sydney, briefly, and then when we retired and moved here to Lake Macquarie. From about the time I was 4 or 5 I was taken to Sunday School. Now, Sunday School was held in quite a large room. There was a creche, where I sat on a rug or in a beautiful little chair. Those in the older classes, sat on BIG chairs around their class TABLES. I saw, too, that everyone had a Bible on the table in front of them. As is normal for young children, I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to have a chair at one of those round tables. From that time, I learned about prayer. And, if it was silent prayer, there was no-one to overhear and ‘correct’ me. It gave me a love of being able to talk freely with God. Later, when I was in my early 30s, I went to an Anglican church for the first time and there I experienced my first Service of Holy Communion. So much was explained! Really brought to me the way everything I had learned, in bits, wove me to God, Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit – and to Jesus’ disciples. Then, here, one Sunday several years later, an announcement was made about a forthcoming Understanding the Sacraments course. Oh, YES, I thought – YES thank you Lord! Quite a lot of work, study and written homework ….. t h e n towards the end of the course we were given a project. Paper, pencils, etc were supplied and, individually, we were asked to depict, in art form, what we had discovered about the Sacraments. My mind flew to a red canvas I had painted a few months before. (As a calligrapher, you keep a supply of canvasses you’ve painted in case you get a wonderful idea.) So, as I was saying, I immediately thought of that red canvas and I knew just what I could do with it! It did, of course involve words – not part of the original task set by the Team, however … This is what I produced. My idea was to convey the all-encompassing path Christ Jesus shows us and leads us on. In every part of our lives, we are loved by God and that love, justice, repentance, compassion, joy … – all these things, qualities resonate in our lives. Now, I entered it in the Newcastle Show and the Judges’ criticism was that there was not one single word that claimed attention as the main focus of the work. Of course the Judges did not know that it was done in response to a particular task. Sometimes I ponder – is there a word I could have used to satisfy that requirement by the calligraphy judges? I think not. However, I’d like to ask you to ponder that too: what one word captures for you the essence of Christianity? Alison Blackbourn 19th May 2024
Lord God, Father of all, We, your children, are all members of the same human family, your family. We implore you to help us to accept your peace, To be at peace with ourselves and to live in peace with others. Help us to seek wisdom and justice in all we do. Help us to be more understanding and compassionate when dealing with others, To be ready to forgive when wronged, To be willing to love when hurt and To strive for harmony and peace when threatened. Eternal Father, in your mercy, hear our prayer And grant us your everlasting peace. Amen. Diana Ng-Sutherland, CAFOD supporter
God of refuge, the rock in whom we trust, watch over our sisters and brothers in all countries at war. Bring comfort to those who grieve, shelter to those who are homeless, and sustenance to those who hunger and thirst.
God of mercy, open our hearts to your grace, so that we are filled with compassion and a generosity of spirit, and inspire us to take action. Spirit of love, pour out your peace like a healing balm, which brings hope in place of despair.
We pray for those lives, made in your image, damaged by violence. We pray for those in authority that they may use their power to bind wounds, heal relationships and find common ground. We pray for a transforming peace, turning fear into trust, pain into hope and doubt into confidence for a better future. We pray for world leaders that they may establish structures for justice, protecting human dignity, enabling reconciliation and building God’s kingdom. Amen. Prayer: Sue Cooper/CAFOD
Dear Father of all, help us to see the world through your eyes, without dividing lines, to see just land and water, mountains, trees and skies. Help us to lay aside our class and skin, our background and race, to know our shared humanity, to see a brother or sister in every face. Help us to wear forgiveness, to lay down our pride and pain, to seek first to understand, Lord may peace and reconciliation reign. Help us to feel your compassion so we can freely forgive. May we weave new threads of grace and cause seeds of hope to live. Help us to play our own small part, with acts of kindness and of care. May we arise as your children and seek out what is just and fair. Cause us to make new bonds of trust with neighbours near and far, and so to fashion a world where peace comes to Earth in this hour. Amen
Father God, my heart breaks for those involved in these wars in Israel and Ukraine. So much devastation and loss of life. I know it breaks Your heart as well. You are a defender of the innocent and downtrodden. I’m safe in my little western world, so I can’t imagine the fear and grief the innocent civilians are feeling right now.
I ask, Lord, that You would bring an end to these conflicts. Turn the hearts of the aggressors away from their unrighteous intents. Encounter them as you did Saul on the road to Damascus. There’s been enough loss of life, enough loss of homes and livelihoods. Bring peace, Lord, through Your Spirit.
Turn the hearts of the leaders to You. To me, that feels like an impossible task, but I know that nothing is impossible for You. And I know that You desire that none should perish, but that all would come to repentance. You care more about people’s hearts than a country’s borders. But you care about justice more than “rights.”
Your justice will be served. I know that beyond a shadow of a doubt. So while we wait, bring peace. Not only to these countries torn apart by war, but to the hearts of every innocent person suffering from the decisions and actions of others.
The world needs Jesus, Father. He is the Prince of Peace. And it’s in His name that I 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…
O God of all hope and peace, we bring to you the needs of our broken and hurting world. Our hearts are breaking with images of lives lost and torn apart by grief in Israel, Palestine, Ukraine and other countries at war. We pray for an end to violence and warfare so that the challenging work of rebuilding may begin. Help us, O Lord, to affirm our common humanity so that in our differences we may build together for justice and peace. In Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Dear God, our Father, we give you thanks for all those women and men, especially those we recall today who gave their lives and paid the supreme sacrifice in the hope of bringing peace in the world. We recall their bravery and dedication. Their mateship and solidarity and their compassion and care for those in need. We pray too for their families and those that loved them and for the mates they served with who still bear the scars of war, that they may be consoled in their grief by our love and regard for them. Loving Jesus, Prince of Peace. We pray for peace.
We pray that you would move in the hearts of those that create conflict and that people may resolve differences without resorting to violence. Break down barriers of vengeance, hatred and fear and build up those things that can make for justice, freedom and peace. Holy spirit of love for all humanity. We pray that we may dedicate ourselves afresh to the service of peace following the words of Saint Paul, may we go out into the world in peace, being brave and holding fast to what is good. May we strengthen the faint hearted, support the weak, help the afflicted, and to honour all peoples. We have remembered. We will not forget them. We will play our part in making our world a better place. And now we ask God’s blessing at this time.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen
