Tuvalu

Daily Prayer
for Peace

Would you like to learn more about Tuvalu?
 Visit Lonely Planet.

Gathering in Silence

Call to Prayer

Lighting of Candle

Good afternoon, and welcome. We greet you in the name of God who calls us to worship.  Each day in this Temple dedicated to the pursuit of peace, we pray to God for peace in our world.  In addition, each day we pray for a different country.

Today we will lift up the people of Tuvalu in our prayers. Tuvalu is a group of islands in the South Pacific  that are considered part of Micronesia, although in many ways the country has a closer connection to Polynesia. Mostly ignored by the Europeans until the late 18th century, the islands became part of a British protectorate in 1892 and a crown colony in 1916. In 1978 the country gained full independence. The internet has proven to be a major boon for the country but there is concern about the country’s future because of fears that global warming could cause sea levels to rise to the point of swamping the country, one of the lowest-lying nations in the world. With its admission to the United Nations in 2000, Tuvalu may now have a better opportunity to campaign about the threat of global warming.

God, who is the giver of all, is the creator of light and goodness that we worship and praise today as we pray for peace in our world.

Scripture Reading

Psalm 46:1-2, 4, 10-11 IV

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear...”Be still, and know that I am God!”...The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Prayer for Peace

by Helen Lents, Independence,Missouri

Creator God,

Look on us with your merciful spirit and compassionate understanding as we stumble and struggle in our life journeys.  We are so often distracted by the hindrances of our own making when we neglect to seek and respond to guidance readily available through the gifts of the Holy Spirit so graciously offered.

Moments of enlightenment are as bursts of light in great darkness when we allow ourselves to be still and know of a surety you are God and you are there in both the darkness of night and the brightness of a joyous day.  Help us celebrate the gifts of uniqueness all around us.  We desire to be enriched by the simple and the profound.  Our challenge is to daily see with new eyes the possibilities in each individual person and within changing circumstances of each day's experiences.

We need to gain the wisdom that allows us to see that there is no one right way of experiencing life.  One of your disciples has reminded us that we can find it possible to praise God from the ruins of life as well as in the beauty of nature that surrounds us, in loving relationships and in the integrity of peace and order.  To participate in the glorious task of peacemaking we need to find the beauty possible in the love we share with one another.

God, forgive our lack of diligence.  We need to accept forgiveness and become one of those who carry the light of hope to the shadowed corners of the world.  Direct our journey as peacemakers is our petition today.  Amen.

Hymn:

We Thank Thee, God, for Eyes to See— Hymns of the Saints #465

Prayers of the People

Let us join in common confession of our sins. For the arrogance of our pride of race, of nation, and of class, by which we put down others not of our kind and thus break the community of the human family, we ask forgiveness God of compassion.

The People Pray in Silence

We ask your watch care and blessing for the people of Tuvalu. Continue to bless their activities to foster peace in the world we ask.

The People Pray in Silence

We also ask your blessing and care for the concerns of people gathered here today. Hear us we pray.

The People Pray in Silence

We ask for your guidance as we see the needs and injustices in our families, our communities, and our world. Help as we seek to do your will to be courageous peacemakers.

The People Pray in Silence

Please use this space to pray for any current concern or event in our community, city, state, nation or world that you feel needs to be held up to God for prayerful consideration.

The People Pray in Silence

In the name of the Prince of Peace we pray.  Amen.

Sending Forth

We conclude our service today with ministry of music.  We invite you to remain to pray or meditate in the quiet of this place for as long as you may wish.

Let us hold our tongues when it would hurt another. Let us reserve judgement when our own selfish interests would prevail. Let us promote justice among our families, our communities, all nations and peoples of the earth. The God of light and knowledge will bless our efforts. Let us go and become peacemakers.

Ministry of Music