Prayers

Let us pray for all who suffer as a result of conflict, and ask that God may give us peace:

for the service men and women who have died in the violence of war, each one remembered by and known to God;

for those who love them in death as in life, offering the distress of our grief and the sadness of our loss;

for all members of the armed forces who are in danger this day, remembering family, friends and all who pray for their safe return;

for civilian women, children and men whose lives are disfigured by war or terror, calling to mind in penitence the anger and hatreds of humanity;

for those caught up in war, conflict and violence this day;

we pray for the people of Ukraine struggling for freedom and the people of Russia living with lies and manipulation,

image Alyssa Stevenson/unsplash.com

for the people of Yemen suffering intractable conflict,

for the people of Gaza and the Occupied Territories living with violence, terror and oppression

and for the people of Israel yearning for security.

for peace-makers and peace-keepers, who seek to keep this world secure and free;

for all who bear the burden and privilege of leadership, political, military, and religious; asking for gifts of wisdom and resolve in the search for reconciliation and peace.

O God of truth and justice,

we hold before you those whose memory we cherish,

and those whose names we will never know.

Help us to lift our eyes above the torment of this broken world,

and grant us the grace to pray for those who wish us harm.

As we honour the past, may we put our faith in your future;

for you are the source of life and hope, now and for ever. Amen.