God of love, whose Son Jesus Christ is named the Prince
of Peace, we pray for all nations and regions experiencing violence: where governments attack their
people, or foreign forces strike;
where protestors clash with
police and the military; where bombs, missiles, gunfire,
and brute strength assault, maim, and kill the innocent.
Hear our prayer, O
Lord,
And let our cry
come before you.
God of justice, who rules heaven and earth with a
merciful hand, we pray for those places where governments are failing: where coups and hostile forces wreak
havoc, and leaders abdicate responsibility; where
economic, legal, and civil disintegration jeopardize happy and peaceful living;
where
unstable governance threatens the safety of the people.
Hear our prayer, O
Lord,
And let our cry
come before you.
God of abundance, whose Son Jesus Christ is the Way, the Bread of
Life, the True Vine, and who gives Living Water, we pray for those experiencing
poverty, hunger, and the collapse of their communities: where political posturing and
lack of funds threaten infrastructure and public safety; where drought, flooding, climate
change, greed, and disregard for the environment inhibit food
production and distribution; where lack of education, medical
care, sanitation, and clean water allow ignorance and
disease
to flourish.
Hear our prayer, O
Lord,
And let our cry
come before you.
God of our ancestors in faith, who promised that through
Abraham and Sarah all the peoples of the world would be blessed, we
pray for those regions: where attacks and
counter-attacks are mounted in the name of religion; where violence has replaced
peaceful coexistence; where cooperation and understanding
have been replaced by fear and zenophobia.
Hear our prayer, O
Lord,
And let our cry
come before you.
God of love, whose Son Jesus Christ welcomed the outcast
and marginalized, we pray for ethnic, sexual, religious, and racial minorities: whose governments fail to
protect or seek to punish them;
whose families and friends ostracize
them; whose lives are constrained by
threats of persecution and physical harm.
Hear our prayer, O
Lord,
And let our cry
come before you.
God of all, we pray for Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, neighborhoods
in Chicago and other American cities, Egypt, Jerusalem, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia,
South Sudan, Syria, Uganda, Ukraine, Venezuela
Hear our prayer, O
Lord,
And let our cry
come before you.
(The Presider may add
a concluding collect)
