~January Prayer of the Month ~

A Prayer for Remembering Peace
By Rev. Loey Powell

O good and gracious God, creator of earth and of sky, it is in you that we find our strength and it is through you that we find peace.  Forgive us for all the ways in which we fail to remember this.

We reach too often and too quickly for things that hurt and destroy – hateful words and sharp swords – rather than for the things that heal and restore – understanding and listening, patience and compassion.  Forgive us for all the ways in which we harm our sisters and brothers and hide behind our need for security at any cost.

We spend too much of our precious resources on the weapons of war rather than on creative enterprises that could sustain life and lives.  Forgive us, O God, and teach us your ways.

You give us beauty in the shimmering light that dances across the pond and in the giggle of a young child.  God of all Life, teach us how to hold onto this beauty and give it to each other.

You give us love in the hands that heal our elders with tenderness and in the passion for living that burns in the hearts of our youth.  God of all Love, teach us how to expand our loving to all who dwell upon this earth.

You give us your peace.  May we remember this always, God of all Peace, for it is the gift that Jesus placed deep inside our hearts.  May we re-member ourselves as peacemakers and hope-builders, bearers of your peace into this war-weary world.

In your name we pray,

Amen.