PRAYERS FOR PEACE
As this time of conflict continues, let us join together in prayer. Centered in the presence of the living Spirit of Truth, we release our fears and judgments into God’s hands for healing. For armed forces, ours and all others, we hold open a space for miracles. We surround them with love and call forth the grace of God to keep them safe. For world leaders, ours and all others, we call forth the wisdom of God to guide their choices. For all our brothers and sisters on the planet, our hearts and our spirits unite. We call forth peace on earth for all beings. In the name of our elder brother and wayshower, Jesus Christ, and in all the names for God around the world, we give thanks for answered prayer.
Amen.
If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart.
~Lao-Tse
Responsive Reading - Interfaith Peace Sunday
January 2, 2005
It is Possible to Live in Peace
by Mohandas Gandi
Leader: If someone with courage and vision can rise to lead in nonviolent action, the winter of despair can, in the twinkling of an eye, be turned into the summer of hope.
People: It is possible to live in peace.
Leader: Nonviolence is not a garment to put on and off at will. Its seat is in the heart, and it must be an inseparable part of our being.
People: It is possible to live in peace.
Leader: Nonviolence, which is a quality of the heart, cannot come by an appeal to the brain. It is a plant of slow growth, growing imperceptibly, but surely.
People: It is possible to live in peace.
Leader: If a single person achieves the highest kind of love, it will be sufficient to neutralize the hate of millions.
People: It is possible to live in peace.
Leader: If we are to reach real people in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.
People: It is possible to live in peace.
Leader: The future depends on what we do in the present.
People: It is possible to live in peace.
A Prayer For The World
by Rabbi Harold S. Kushner
Let the rain come and wash away the ancient grudges,
the bitter hatreds held and nurtured over generations.
Let the rain wash away the memory of the hurt, the neglect.
Then let the sun come out and fill the sky with rainbows.
Let the warmth of the sun heal us wherever we are broken.
Let it burn away the fog so that we can see each other clearly.
Let the warmth and brightness of the sun melt our selfishness.
And let the light of the sun be so strong that we will see all people as our neighbors.
Let the earth, nourished by rain,
bring forth flowers to surround us with beauty.
And let the mountains teach our hearts to reach upward to heaven.
Amen.
Evoking the presence of the great compassion, let us fill our hearts with our own compassion towards ourselves and towards all living beings.
Let us pray that all living beings realize that they are all brothers and sisters, all nourished from the same source of life.
~A Buddhist Prayer
Speak, move, act in peace,
as if you were in prayer.
In truth, this is prayer.
~ Francois de Salignar de La Mothe Fenelon
Forever Oneness,
who sings to us in silence,
who teaches us through each other.
Guide my steps with strength and wisdom.
May I see the lessons as I walk,
honor the Purpose of all things.
Help me touch with respect,
always speak from behind my eyes.
Let me observe, not judge.
May I cause no harm,
and leave music and beauty after my visit.
When I return to forever
may the circle be closed
and the spiral be broader.
~Bee Lake (an aboriginal woman)
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Prayers from & Inspired by A COURSE IN MIRACLES
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Other Prayers of
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Sacred Scripture Class Students share their interpretation
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Interfaith UNITY
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PEACE STATEMENT
Unity School of Christianity
& the Association of Unity Churches
Unity stands for peace in the presence of conflict; for love in the presence of hatred; for forgiveness in the presence of injury. Unity honors the many names for God, the many paths to God, the many ways to worship God; for there is only one power and presence of God and that God loves each one of us equally. It is therefore the position of the International Association of Unity Churches and Unity School of Christianity to urge all nations, their leaders, and their people to turn to God by whatever name for guidance during these challenging times and pursue peace, not war, for this is what honors the God of all our faith traditions. Unity stands for peace in our lifetime.
In the name of Allah,
the beneficent, the merciful.
Praise be to the Lord of the
Universe who has created us and
made us into tribes and nations
That we may know each other,
not that we may despise each other.
If the enemy incline towards peace,
do thou also incline towards peace, and
trust God, for the Lord is the one that
heareth and knoweth all things.
And the servants of God,
Most gracious are those who walk on
the Earth in humility, and when we
address them, we say "PEACE."
~ Muslim Prayer for Peace
O! Thou God of all beings, of all worlds, and of all times,
We pray, that the little differences in our clothes,
in our inadequate languages,
in our ridiculous customs,
in our imperfect laws,
in our illogical opinions,
in our ranks and conditions which
are so disproportionately important to us
and so meaningless to you,
that these small variations
that distinguish those atoms that we call men,
one from another,
may not be signals of hatred and persecution!
~prayer for tolerance - voltaire - 18th century
Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the infinite peace to you.
~adapted from ancient gaelic runes
"My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together."
~ Archbishop Desmond Tutu
