LITURGY FOR PEACE
The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Let us pray.
For Peace
Eternal God, in whose perfect
kingdom
No sword is drawn but the sword
of righteousness,
No strength known but the
strength of love:
So mightily spread abroad your
Spirit,
That all peoples may be gathered
under
The banner of the Prince of
Peace,
as children of one Father; to
whom be dominion and glory,
now and for ever. Amen.
1
In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established
as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills,
and peoples will stream to it. 2 Many nations will come and say,
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God
of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths."
The law will go out from
3 He will judge between many peoples and will
settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords
into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against
nation, nor will they train for war anymore. 4
Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no
one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken.
1
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
4
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7
The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8
Come and see the works of the LORD,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields with fire.
10
"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."
11
The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
1
Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His
disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them saying: 3 "Blessed are
the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those
who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will
inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown
mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are
the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those
who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. 11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and
falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be
glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they
persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Hymn O day of peace that dimly shines through Hymnal # 597
all our hopes and prayers
The peace of the Lord be
always with you.
Hymn:
Let there be peace on earth,
and let it begin with me
Let there be peace on earth,
the peace that was meant to be
With God our creator,
children all are we
Let us walk with each other,
in perfect harmony
Let peace begin with me, let
this be the moment now
With every step I take, let
this be my solemn vow
To take each moment, and
live each moment, in peace eternally
Let there be peace on earth,
and let it begin with me.
For Peace Among the Nations
Almighty God our heavenly
Father, guide the nations of the
world into the way of justice
and truth, and establish among
them that peace which is the
fruit of righteousness, that they
may become the kingdom of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen.
For our Enemies
O God, the Father of all, whose
Son commanded us to love
our enemies: Lead them and us
from prejudice to truth;
deliver them and us from hatred,
cruelty, and revenge; and in
your good time enable us all to
stand reconciled before you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For those in the
Armed Forces of our Country
Almighty God, we commend to your
gracious care and
keeping all the men and women of
our armed forces at home
and abroad. Defend them day by
day with your heavenly
grace; strengthen them in their
trials and temptations; give
them courage to face the perils
which beset them; and grant
them a sense of your abiding
presence wherever they may be;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
For Social
Justice
Grant, O God, that your holy and
life-giving Spirit may so
move every human heart [and
especially the hearts of the
people of this land], that
barriers which divide us may
crumble, suspicions disappear,
and hatreds cease; that our
divisions being healed, we may
live in justice and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
In Times of
Conflict
O God, you have bound us
together in a common life. Help us,
in the midst of our struggles
for justice and truth, to confront
one another without hatred or
bitterness, and to work
together with mutual forbearance
and respect; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer attributed to St. Francis
Lord, make us instruments of
your peace. Where there is
hatred, let us sow love; where
there is injury, pardon; where
there is discord, union; where
there is doubt, faith; where
there is despair, hope; where
there is darkness, light; where
there is sadness, joy. Grant
that we may not so much seek to
be consoled as to console; to be
understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love. For it
is in giving that we receive; it is
in pardoning that we are
pardoned; and it is in dying that we
are born to eternal life. Amen.
Our Heavenly Father, we are
thankful that we have military personnel to defend our country. We want to make sure they are trained and
equipped and supported so they can do their jobs well. We pray that our leaders will not send them
into harm’s way unless it is absolutely necessary.
We pray that our leaders will
try diligently to resolve international problems through diplomatic means.
We pray that our leaders will
use military force only for defense and never for economic or ambitious
purposes.
We pray that our leaders will
not go to war based on false or erroneous information.
We pray that our leaders will
not provoke another nation or group to attack
in order to justify a war.
We pray that our leaders will not
commit us to a war that cannot be clearly justified.
We pray that our leaders will
not commit us to a war that does not have a clear and obtainable objective.
We pray that our leaders will
not commit us to a war without adequately considering the possible
consequences.
We pray that our leaders will
find a way to get our troops out of any war that is not absolutely necessary or
does not have a good chance of victory.
We pray that our leaders will
not make decisions that result in the unnecessary death of civilians.
We pray that our leaders will
adequately provide for the medical and emotional and economic needs of our
veterans who return from war, and we ask for your help as we try to respond to
their needs.
All these we ask in your Name. Amen.
Recessional O God of every nation Hymnal # 607
Dismissal
Let
us go forth into the world.
Rejoicing
in the power of the Spirit.