Passionate God, we are ever grateful for your love for us, for your patience and trust. This day we are thankful for the joys of community. We see signs of love everywhere—from handshakes and hugs to conversations and praying for one another. We pray for our community, that you continue to be with us in our happiness and weariness, celebrations and struggles.
O God, hear our prayer,
and in your love answer.
Merciful God, we pray for our world that faces so much violence. We pray especially for the people suffering war conditions and the threat of war. May leaders at every level learn to speak in favour of humanity and justice. We pray that all people can walk the path of peace, the path of forgiveness, the path of equality.
O God, hear our prayer,
and in your love answer.
Embracing God, we pray for those who suffer in our community and throughout the world. We remember friends [all those] who face daily persecution and discrimination. Enfold them in your loving arms. Teach us the power of love and forgiveness, that our words may be ones of healing.
O God, hear our prayer,
and in your love answer.
Almighty God, we offer prayers for those voices that have been silenced. We ask for your spirit of reconciliation to be near. We pray that there may be an end to bullying in schools, harassment in homes and workplaces, discriminatory laws and practices. May we learn the call to be bearers of peace and spread this vision through love and solidarity.
O God, hear our prayer,
O God, hear our prayer,
and in your love answer.
In silence now, we offer concerns and prayers of our hearts, knowing you are always there to listen even when we may not have the words.…
O God, hear our prayer,
and in your love answer.
Let us pray now, with the words Jesus taught us, saying…
Our Father….
— The United Church of Canada/L’Église Unie du Canada Worship Service—Peace in Community, prepared by Miriam Spies.
For more worship resources about peace, click on Peace Sunday resources in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page.
For other prayers and prayer resources on this blog, see this Scriptural Prayer Index or this Topical Prayer Index.
