National Day of Prayer
Posted by Rev. Bret on 01 May 2008 | Tagged as: words
On this national day of prayer I offered this prayer during an ecumenical gathering in our church’s neighborhood of Dellview. I was asked specifically to pray for our troops and those waiting for them on the homefront. I’m not sure the organizers knew what they were asking for when they invited a Unitarian, but I did tone it down, just a bit, to reach those who gathered in faith on this day of hope for a better world.
Source of Being
that flows through us
and through our world,
Infinite mystery and ultimate power:
Teach us on this day
how to honor our veterans of war,
our soldiers in combat,
their families back home.
Teach us to honor them
with reverence for the sacrifices they make for freedom
and for this country that was founded on the ideal of justice for all.
Teach us to honor them
to heal the communal wounds created by our nation’s war mongering
to heal and protect the soldiers who willingly do whatever they must
to follow the orders given them
to heal and reconcile the lives of the civilians in harm’s way,
both at home and in the countries we occupy.
War is never holy, yet the holy are called to do war’s bidding.
God of all people, protect those who serve.
To the Source of All Being
we lift up our most tender fears as well,
that the world of nations is crumbling,
that our leaders are, as we are, human, and fallible,
that in times like these there are no easy answers to the question of “why”
or when will it end.
And so may we be still this hour,
May we wait for the day when we might truly honor our soldiers:
To bring them home instead of send them away.
To reunite instead of tear asunder.
To heal and to make vows of peace
with holy commitment.
Be still this hour,
Together we wait.
In the name of All Creation we pray.
Blessed be, and Amen.
In the year of the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination, his words continue to ring true. We honor his legacy by working to restore justice for the people of the United States of America, and for the people of Iraq. Our service on April 13 was part of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee’s “Justice Sunday 2008.” In concert with hundreds of other UU congregations around the country, we lifted up how the war in Iraq has drained this nation’s resources, creating a humanitarian crisis in Iraq, and leaving a multitude needs at home unmet – including the disgraceful lack of resources and commitment to rebuild the Gulf Coast.