Daily Prayer for Peace
1:00 p.m.
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Sudan
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Gathering in Silence
Call to Prayer
Lighting of CandleInvitation |
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Greetings to you, and welcome
today to this sacred place. 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 hold up the people of Sudan in our prayers. Africa's
largest country in land area, Sudan is dominated by the Nile and its
tributaries, with mountains rising along its Red Sea coast and along the
western border with Chad. Sudan was ruled by Egypt 1822, but revolted in
the 1880’s and finally achieved independence in 1956 after a period of
British dominance. Sudan remains a politically unstable country. While
the north remains calm, Darfur is wracked by crisis while the
aftershocks of a decades-long civil war continue to reverberate across
the south.
In this season, we celebrate the Prince of Peace. Let us worship with
new awareness concerning the need for peace in our time. We greet you in
God’s name and call your attention to the lighted peace candle as a
symbol of expectation. May the light sent from God shine in the darkness
to show us the way to peace. We say with the prophets, “Come, O come,
Emmanuel! May your peace fill our world.” |
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| Scripture Reading: Philippians 4:7 NASB |
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The peace of God, which surpasses all
comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. |
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Prayer for Peace by Donald Brown, Pueblo,
Colorado |
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O Holy One,
Once again we gather in this sacred, silent space to lift our prayers to
you. Help us to clear our minds, to center our souls upon the concerns
and needs of our hearts, to rise above the trivial and mundane which
fills so much of our daily existence.
In places near and far are many who are preparing to celebrate the birth
of your Son, Jesus. And yet we are disturbed, God. We are surrounded by
voices of materialism and commercialism, by messages of the absurd and
profane. Even while we sing and celebrate in comfort and safety,
injustice, brutality, and oppression seem to reign in so many parts of
the Earth.
We confess that too often our efforts as peacemakers are vague,
fleeting, and halfhearted. We confess that we raise our voices to you
while our hearts remain distant and cold. We are unmoved by the
suffering of others, unaffected by the pain of the world.
Help us to rise again to the tasks you have set before us, to become
ministers of peace and justice and love. Let our hearts be broken for
the suffering that rages in so much of the Earth. For into a world such
as ours the Christ was born—a world of violence, pain, and sin—and into
that world Jesus went forth and shared his message of peace. Help us,
God, to see that little baby lying in the manger, and to understand the
gift you gave to all mankind in his life, death, and resurrection. And
in that understanding help us to commit ourselves to you again, in this
day and time, to be your people of peace and to share your gospel of
peace with all the world.
As the light of a star guided the Wise Men to the Christ Child, let the
light of your Spirit also guide us, and bless us, and all the peoples of
the Earth, with love and peace.
In the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen. |
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Hymn - Come Thou Long-expected Jesus
- Hymns of the Saints #201 |
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Prayers of the People
Please join us now, praying the Prayers of the People. During the
moments of silence, you are invited to pray silently or meditate. |
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Great God, in this advent season we praise you for
sending the Prince of Peace. We thank you for sending us your son to
teach us of your love for us and your peace. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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We praise you for families and friends, food and shelter, warmth and
joy. We would ask you to be with us, and help us to learn to share with
others the necessities of life. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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We praise you for holy forgiveness and claim its touch for our sins of
commission and our sins of omission. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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We praise you for all people of the earth, but ask your special
remembrance for the people of Sudan this day. May they know your peace. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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We praise you for the many blessings in our
lives, and ask that we might be your loving servants and work to bring
your peace into this world. |
| The People Pray in Silence |
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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 |
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Hear our prayer, O God, as we strive to be instruments of your peace in
our world. Amen. |
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| Sending Forth |
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We conclude our service today with Ministry of Music.
You are invited to remain to pray or meditate in the quiet of this place
for as long as you may wish.
As we leave this house, let us resolve to be the peacemakers and
peacekeepers we have been called to be. God will guide us as we build
peace in our world. Amen. |
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| Ministry of Music |
