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 all whose lives 
have been touched by tragedy,
whether by accident
or a deliberate act.
For those who mourn,
immerse them in your love
and lead them through this darkness
into your arms, and light.
For those who comfort,
be in both the words they use
and all that’s left unspoken;
fill each heart with love.
We ask this through Jesus Christ,
whose own suffering brought us life,
here and for eternity. Amen

©John Birch

Dear God,

We offer this prayer against war.

We specifically pray for ____________________________ (name of country, ethnic group or region)

We pray your strength, guidance and intervention to end war

Expose all evil intents and strategies

Protect all in harm’s way

Raise up heroes, champions of rights and peacemakers

Protect all soldiers from physical, mental and emotional harm 

Strengthen resolve to respect the value and dignity of human life

Defeat all selfish ambition, thirst for domination and greed for the resources of others.   

Protect us from feuds, political fights, lies, revenge and rage  

Grow respect for all people and help us see them as your precious children

Give us courage when we must resist and fight

And success when we take a stand

May we aid those engaged in strife

And provide nurture and care for refugees of war

Rebuild that which is destroyed

And bring new life to the trampled fields

We pray for the coming time when you promise that war will cease and swords will be beaten into ploughshares. 

Arm us with prayer and love

Until the peace of God reigns forever on earth.

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…

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

Tonight’s prayer is from Dr Jane Goodall. It encompasses many subjects including peace.

We pray to the great Spiritual Power in which
we live and move and have our being.
We pray that we may at all times
keep our minds open to new ideas and shun dogma;
that we may grow in our understanding of the nature of all living beings
and our connectedness with the natural world;
that we may become ever more filled with
generosity of spirit and true compassion and love for all life;
that we may strive to heal the hurts that we have inflicted on nature
and control our greed for material things, knowing that
our actions are harming our natural world and the future of our children;
that we may value each and every human being
for who he is, for who she is,
reaching to the spirit that is within,
knowing the power of each individual to change the world.

We pray for social justice,
for the alleviation of the crippling poverty
that condemns millions of people around the world
to lives of misery – hungry, sick, and utterly without hope.
We pray for the children who are starving,
who are condemned to homelessness, slave labour, and prostitution,
and especially for those forced to fight, to kill and torture
even members of their own family.
We pray for the victims of violence and war,
for those wounded in body and for those wounded in mind.
We pray for the multitudes of refugees, forced from their homes to alien places
through war or through the utter destruction of their environment.

We pray for suffering animals everywhere,
for an end to the pain caused by scientific experimentation,
intensive farming, fur farming, shooting, trapping,
training for entertainment, abusive pet owners,
and all other forms of exploitation
such as overloading and overworking pack animals,
bull fighting, badger baiting, dog and cock fighting and so many more.

We pray for an end to cruelty,
whether to humans or other animals,
for an end to bullying, and torture in all its forms.
We pray that we may learn the peace that comes with forgiving
and the strength we gain in loving;
that we may learn to take nothing for granted in this life;
that we may learn to see and understand with our hearts;
that we may learn to rejoice in our being.

We pray for these things with humility; 
We pray because of the hope that is within us,
and because of a faith in the ultimate triumph of the human spirit; 
We pray because of our love for Creation, and because of our trust in God.
We pray, above all, for peace throughout the world.

prayer for world peace – Dr. Jane Goodall

Prayer for Peace 05/11/2023

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…

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. 
Where there is hatred, let me sow love; 
Where there is injury, pardon; 
Where there is doubt, faith; 
Where there is despair, hope; 
Where there is darkness, light; 
Where there is sadness, joy. 

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek 
To be consoled as to console, 
To be understood as to understand, 
To be loved as to love; 

For it is in giving that we receive; 
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; 
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life. 

Saint Francis Of Assisi 

You may like to listen to this rendition of the prayer while you are praying this week.

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)

Prayer for Ukraine, Israel and Palestine and other War-Torn Countries 22/10/2023

Today, let us look at this photo of a Peace Dove and the many different ways to say “Peace”. Imagine that you are joining with all of these countries to pray for Peace in the many different places where war is being waged at this very moment.

Pray your own prayer for Peace in all of these places.

Amen

God of Comfort,

send your Spirit to encompass all those whose lives

are torn apart by violence and death in Israel and Palestine.

You are the Advocate of the oppressed

and the One whose eye is on the sparrow.

Let arms reach out in healing, rather than aggression.

Let hearts mourn rather than militarize.

God of Justice,

give strength to those whose long work for a just peace

might seem fruitless now. Strengthen their resolve.

Do not let them feel alone. Show us how to support their work

and bolster their courage. Guide religious leaders to model

unity and reconciliation across lines of division.

Guide political leaders to listen with their hearts as they seek peace and pursue it.

Help all people choose the rigorous path of just peace and disavow violence.

God of Love,

we lift up Palestine and Israel — its people, its land, its creatures.

War is a monster that consumes everything in its path.

Peace is a gift shared at meals of memory with Christians, Muslims, and Jews.

Let us burn incense, not children. Let us break bread, not bodies.

Let us plant olive groves, not cemeteries.

We beg for love and compassion to prevail

on all your holy mountains.

God of Hope,

we lift up the cities of the region: Gaza City and Tel Aviv,

Ramallah and Ashkelon, Deir El Balah and Sderot,

so long divided, yet so filled with life and creativity.

Come again to breathe peace on your peoples

that all may recognize you.

God of Mercy,

even now work on the hearts of combatants

to choose life over death, reconciliation over retaliation,

restoration over destruction. Help us resist antisemitism in all its forms,

especially in our own churches. All people, Israelis and Palestinians,

deserve to live in peace and unafraid, with a right to determine

their future together.

God of the Nations,

let not one more child or elder be sacrificed on altars of political expediency.

Keep safe all people from unjust leaders who would exploit

vulnerability for their own distorted ends.

Give wise discernment to those making decisions to pursue peace.

Provide them insight into fostering well-being, freedom, and thriving for all.

Teach all of us to resolve injustices with righteousness, not rockets.

Guard our hearts against retaliation, and give us hearts for love alone.

Strengthen our faith in you, O God of All Flesh,

even when we don’t have clear answers,

so that we may still offer ourselves non-violently

for the cause of 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…

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

How can words salve and soothe real wounds,

Assuage real tears, 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 those 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

Last year in August, we prayed while listening to or reading this song, God of the Poor, (Beauty of Brokenness)

Let us do that again this Sunday.
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…

Beauty for brokenness
Hope for despair
Lord, in your suffering
This is our prayer
Bread for the children
Justice, joy, peace
Sunrise to sunset
Your kingdom increase!
Shelter for fragile lives
Cures for their ills
Work for the craftsman
Trade for their skills
Land for the dispossessed
Rights for the weak
Voices to plead the cause
Of those who can’t speak
Friend of the weak
Give us compassion we pray
Melt our cold hearts
Let tears fall like rain
Come, change our love
From a spark to a flame
Refuge from cruel wars
Havens from fear
Cities for sanctuary
Freedoms to share
Peace to the killing-fields
Scorched earth to green
Christ for the bitterness
His cross for the pain
Friend of the weak
Give us compassion we pray
Melt our cold hearts
Let tears fall like rain
Come, change our love
From a spark to a flame
Rest for the ravaged earth
Oceans and streams
Plundered and poisoned
Our future, our dreams
Lord, end our madness
Carelessness, greed
Make us content with
The things that we need

Friend of the weak
Give us compassion we pray
Melt our cold hearts
Let tears fall like rain
Come, change our love
From a spark to a flame
Lighten our darkness
Breathe on this flame
Until your justice
Burns brightly again
Until the nations
Learn of your ways
Seek your salvation
And bring you their praise
Friend of the weak
Give us compassion we pray
Melt our cold hearts
Let tears fall like rain
Come, change our love
From a spark to a flame
Friend of the weak
Give us compassion we pray
Melt our cold hearts
Let tears fall like rain
Come, change our love
From a spark to a fla