Lead Us 

Lord, 
Lead us from death to life,
From falsehood to truth.
Lead us from despair to hope, 
from fear to trust. 
Let peace fill our hearts, our world and our universe.
Let us dream together, pray together and work together, 
To build one world of peace and justice for all.

Author unknown 
– it is thought to be either an adaptation of a Hindu prayer or of a hymn. The first time that it was known to be publicly spoken was by Mother Teresa in 1981.

Lord God,
No one is a stranger to you
And no one is ever far from your loving care.
In your kindness, watch over refugees and victims of war,
Those separated from their loved ones, 
Young people who are lost,
And those who have left home or who have run away from home.
Bring them back safely to the place where they long to be,
And help us always to show your kindness
to strangers and to all in need.

– Author Unknown

18/06/2023

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… 

God of peace and justice,
we pray for the people of Ukraine today.
We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons.
We pray for all those who fear for tomorrow, 
that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them.
We pray for those with power over war or peace, 
for wisdom, discernment and compassion
to guide their decisions.
Above all, we pray for all your precious children, at risk and in fear, 
that you would hold and protect them.
We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Amen.

Archbishop Justin Welby
Archbishop Stephen Cottrell 

11/06/2023

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… 

O God, author and giver of peace,
in whose image and likeness each of us has been created
with a human dignity worthy of respect on earth
and destined for eternal glory,
Listen to the cry that rises from every corner of this fragile earth,
from our human family torn by violent conflict:

Give peace in our time, O good and gracious God,
that peace which, as your son Jesus Christ told us
and as we have experienced in these days,
is a peace which the world cannot give.

To world leaders grant the wisdom
to see beyond the boundaries of race, religion, and nation
to that common humanity that makes us all your children
and brothers and sisters to one another.

To those who have taken up arms in anger or revenge
or even in the cause of justice
grant the grace of conversion to the path of peaceful dialogue
and constructive collaboration.

To the innocent who live in the shadow of war and terror,
especially the frightened children,
be a shelter and strength, their haven and hope.

And to those who have already lost their lives
as victims of human cruelty and chemical warfare,
open wide your arms and enfold them all
in the embrace of your compassion, healing, and everlasting life.

Grant this through Jesus Christ, your son, our Lord.      Peter J. Scagnelli

04/06/2023

Did you know that there are 32 countries at war or engaged in some form of conflict at the moment? Let us pray for them all.

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 hold before you
all who live close to war and conflict;
and all who live close
to the threat of war and violence. 

We remember especially at this time,
people in Ukraine (and the other 31 countries in some form of war or conflict).
We pray for nonviolent and peaceful resolutions of conflict. 

Give us to us all
hearts of hospitality and sanctuary,
forgive us all our hostility and hatred. 

Bring all people to the humanity you give us, and to the reconciliation and healing for which you give your life. 

Strengthen us all
to work with you
to build justice and peace, reconciliation and healing,
in our hearts and homes,
in our streets,
in all communities, neighbourhoods and nations. 

Bless all who live lives
for the peace and wellbeing of others,
and make
their service fruitful.
In the name of Christ.  Amen 
Prayer written by Revd Dr Inderjit Bhogal,
Honorary President of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. I have added ‘and the other 31 countries in some form of war or conflict’.

28/05/2023

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, 

We need You. We praise You for giving us courage and strength of upheaval. Their homes and environment are changing from minute to minute. Men, women, and families of all ages are leaving their homes to escape the violence of war. Trains, buses, and other vehicles are lining up to provide refuge and help each person hopefully find peace. 

As the people gather some of their needed belongings and try to keep their family together, please give them courage. Cover each person with the full armour of God. Help the people to make the right decisions according to Your plan.

Fill each man, woman, and child with the courage to endure the unknown and fearful days and nights. Build them up with the strength only You can provide.

Please give courage to the doctors, nurses, other medical professionals, and volunteers as they seek to provide comfort and care to those in need.

As warning sirens continue to sound and blasts light up the night sky, we ask for You to give everyone courage. Remind them of Your love and mercy, dear Father.

We pray these things in the name of Jesus, Amen. Christianity.com

21/05/2023

Mother’s Day was last Sunday, but during the week I found this prayer for the mothers of Kyiv in Ukraine.

God of love we cry for the people of Ukraine and pray for the innocent, the displaced and the frightened.

We rejoice in the spirit of motherhood which surrounds Kyiv.

God of Peace we pray for the families separated

We pray for the precious children at risk and in fear.

We pray for the mothers and the mothers of mothers taking on alone the burden and responsibility of family

God of mercy. We know one of your son’s last acts on earth was to ask the beloved disciple to take care of his mother. We ask you to do the same for the mothers of Ukraine

Give us the strength and courage to do likewise.

We thank you God for all mothers for all their love and care. Amen.

This 40-foot-high mural in Kyiv, painted by Oleksiy Kislov, represents the spirit of motherhood protecting Kyiv. In one hand she holds a child, her other arm is wrapped protectively around the town

14/05/2023

Our prayer this week comes from the first part of Greg Newton’s Prayers of the People from last Sunday. Thank you, Greg.

In this place we gather, seeking truth,
listening beyond words for the rhythm of the Divine.
We gather seeking mercy,
for we find within our own hearts, the presence of shadow.
We gather seeking justice, too many walls shutting out the light.
Yet too, we gather to share the things our lives have found to be true.
We gather to heal and shoulder burdens not our own.
We gather to forgive – freeing each other into hope and new life.
We gather to stand shoulder to shoulder with those who need our prayers, as ones who walk a common road. (Greta Vosper)

Let us pray: for peace…

• In Sudan — may the cease fire hold for people to flee and needed care be brought to all desperate for aid. May deeper peace be sown and its roots strengthen.
• In Ukraine now in their second year of fighting to protect families, homes, hospitals, schools – their entire way of life.
• In Israel and Palestine.
• And we pray for the United States where mass shootings happen sofrequently in places that shelter children and the most vulnerable citizens. for courage…

• For children in Afghanistan and across the world whose access to education is impacted by violence, poverty and regulation.
• For the LGBTQ community in Iran who rose up in protests this week asking for rights, to be seen and accepted as they are, for who they love.for healing…

• In Syria and Turkey for earthquake survivors recovering physically andemotionally as they piece together lives within so much rubble, trauma andloss.
• In Afghanistan where many young children die every day from preventablediseases that could and should be cured with the right medication. The Taliban’s recent ban on women working for non-profit organizations has made it harder for humanitarian agencies to operate, putting even more children and babies at risk.
• For all those world-wide living with chronic illness, long-COVID, depression, anxiety and terminal disease.This we pray in your name, Lord…Amen (Greg Newton)

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…

Merciful God, tonight we pray especially for the animals terrified, wounded and killed as a result of the brutal war in Ukraine. 

We pray for dogs, cats, horses and other beloved companion animals left behind by their people unable to take them as they flee raining rockets of destruction. 

We pray for animals who have already died or are near death – the victims of shrapnel, gunfire, collapsing concrete and steel from exploding buildings, many months without much food, water or human care. 

We pray for the rescuers of these animals, who risk their lives in the rubble, dodging gunfire and mortars, and give thanks for their generosity, courage and faithfulness in their determination to help. We pray for their safety.

We pray for the missile-ravaged towns and cities and their wooded outskirts where wild creatures are traumatized by every percussive blast, for those that are killed, maimed or displaced and unable to find food or shelter in the chaos of war.Bottom of Form

Dear God, we pray for all your creation, and for a time when war will be no more. Amen.

The Rev. Marya DeCarlen