Litany for Peace

 

 

I just wanted to share some prayers from a prayer service for peace at house church last week.  The litany and closing prayer are original.  Let us pray and work for peace.

 

We are molded, each one of us,
in the image of God,
and within our souls there is a fingerprint
none can erase.
We pray for those who have no regard
for anyone but self,
who put no value on human life.
For nations and individuals who abuse and kill.
We are not called to be judge or jury,
but we are called to be agents of change,
and if the butterfly that flaps its wings
should be our attitude to others
then so be it, Lord,
and may the hurricane this generates
somewhere within the world
reach into the hearts and souls of those
for whom we pray, and reveal to them
how precious are those
for whom they have no love,
and how precious are they
who now bring tears to the eyes of God.
©John Birch

We imagine a world
where the deaths of innocent children are never viewed as inevitable and justifiable.
We imagine a world
with no guns, no bombs, no armies, no soldiers.
We imagine a world
free of violence, exploitation and oppression.
We imagine a world
where every human life is honored and regarded as sacred.
We imagine a world
where selfishness and apathy are no longer the norm and good people are no longer silent.
We imagine a world
where grace, gentleness and compassion are prized much more than money, power and status.
We imagine a world
where the triumph of justice, righteousness and peace become an every day occurrence.

Gracious and loving God to you now we turn.  No other help do we know.  For the violence in our hearts, for the violence in the words we’ve spoken, for the violence done on our behalf aided by our apathy and inaction, forgives us, wash us and convert us.   Help us to continue to dream your dream for the world and give us the courage to spend our lives making your dream a reality.  Send us to our homes in peace and out into your world to make peace.  In the name of Jesus, whose very life was pierced by the violence we seek to end Amen.

Following the Way,
Kevin Vetiac