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 Prayers for Peace

A PRAYER AGAINST WAR FROM WALTER RAUSCHENBUSCH:

O Lord, since first the blood of Abel cried to thee from the ground that drank it, this earth of thine has been defiled with the blood of humanity shed by the hands of sisters and brothers, and the centuries sob with the ceaseless horror of war. Ever the pride of kings and the covetousness of the strong has driven peaceful nations to slaughter. Ever the songs of the past and the pomp of armies have been used to inflame the passions of the people.

Our spirit cries out to thee in revolt against it, and we know that our righteous anger is answered by thy holy wrath. Break thou the spell of the enchantments that make the nations drunk with the lust of battle and draw them on as willing tools of death. Grant us a quiet and steadfast mind when our own nation clamors for vengeance or aggression. Strengthen our sense of justice and our regard for the equal worth of other peoples and races. Grant to the rulers of nations faith in the possibilities of peace through justice, and grant to the common people a new and stern enthusiasm for the cause of peace.

Bless our soldiers and sailors for their swift obedience and their willingness to answer to the call of duty, but inspire them none the less with a hatred of war, and may they never for love of private glory or advancement provoke its coming. May our young men and women still rejoice to die for their country with the valor of their fathers and mothers, but teach our age nobler methods of matching our strength and more effective ways of giving our life for the flag.

O thou strong God of all the nations, draw all thy great family together with an increasing sense of our common blood and destiny, that peace may come on earth at last, and thy sun may shed its light rejoicing on a holy unity of all people. Amen.

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PRAYERS SUGGESTED BY THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA CONFERENCE OF BISHOPS

Let us pray that God will hasten the day when swords are beaten into plowshares, spears into pruning hooks, and people will learn war no more.

Let us pray for the people of Iraq, including fellow members of the Body of Christ in the churches there, who have already suffered for so long under an oppressive regime.

Let us pray for the United States service men and women in and around Iraq, that they will be preserved in health and safety.

Let us pray for US military chaplains, thanking God for their courage and asking God to bless their ministry among our nation's military forces.

Let us pray for President George Bush and the leaders of our nation, that God will give them wisdom and compassion, enabling them to preserve the security of our nation while also sparing the people of Iraq from war.

Let us pray for Saddam Hussein and the leaders of Iraq, that they will choose peace, comply with the international mandate to destroy weapons of mass destruction, and end the oppression under which their people are forced to live.

Let us pray for peace, knowing that it is God's will for all of creation.

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A PRAYER OF CONFESSION (in unison) -- by Rev. Eugene Winkler

Hold us before thee in judgment as well as grace, O God, until we are willing to serve instead of being served; until we are more concerned for justice than our comfort; until we walk the second mile and turn the other cheek; until we make right our wronged relationships.

We confess how we run from the demands of the Gospel while expecting our demands to be met. Forgive, O God, our cowardice in the face of injustice, our posturing on the issues instead of acting in faith, our endorsement of pettiness and false patriotism.

Please forgive us for all that is past and renew our discipleship that we may serve thee in these dark and perilous days.

A LITANY FOR PEACE

Let us call forth the name of the One who calls us by name.

We pray to Thee, O God, the One who calls forth the dead into new life.

Make our sleeping spirits rise from the death of injustice, acquiescence to false patriotism and needless war,

And in the midst of the decaying and rotten stench of evil in our world, grant our tongues to speak the truth, our lives to be spent for justice and our hands to lift up the needy.

O God, endow us with the insight to know the truth, the courage to stand for right and the boldness to be counted among the peacemakers,

That freedom may be spoken, true liberty may come and justice will triumph over evil.

We love our country, O God, but we acknowledge that our good intentions are always infused with self-interest and self-deception,

So we pray for those who would lead us down false and destructive paths, and we ask for thy grace and wisdom to change their minds and give them a passion for peace.

You have called us to greatness, and we have chosen mediocrity,

You place your trust in us, and we mistrust each other, ourselves and You. So we turn back to You now, O God, and ask for forgiveness and renewal of heart.

You bid us spread peace instead of division;

You call us to build up and not tear down; you call us to spread the message of life instead of stockpiling destruction,

So we turn back to You and ask for true love to empower us.