Liturgy of Commitment: Peace

Here’s a liturgy of commitment to peace and global justice.  It was posted on the Uniting Church of Australia website.

Liturgy

We believe in God,
creator of the world and of all people;
and in Jesus Christ,
incarnate among us, who died and rose again;
and in the Holy Spirit,
present with us to guide, strengthen, and comfort.

We believe.
Lord, help our unbelief.

We rejoice in every sign of God’s kingdom:
in the upholding of human dignity and community;
in every expression of love, justice, and reconciliation;
in each act of self-giving on behalf of others;
in the abundance of God’s gifts
entrusted to us that all may have enough;
in all responsible use of the earth’s resources.

Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to God’s people on earth.

We confess our sin, individual and collective,
by silence or action:
through the violation of human dignity
based on race, class, age, sex, nation, or faith;
through the exploitation of people
by greed and indifference;
through the misuse of power
in personal, communal, national, and international life;
through the search for security
by military and economic forces
that threaten human existence:
through the abuse of technology
which endangers the earth and all life upon it.

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

We commit ourselves individually and as a community
to the way of Christ;
to take up the cross;
to seek abundant life for all humanity;
to struggle for peace with justice and freedom;
to risk ourselves in faith, hope, and love,
praying that God’s kingdom may come.

For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.

~ from the 15th World Methodist Council, Nairobi, Kenya, 1986.  Posted in A Service of Remembrance posted on the Uniting Church of Australia website. http://www.uca.org.au/