Praise the Lord, all you nations! Extol him, all you peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!

[Adapted from the Prayer for Peace, Worship Resources, Year A: Advent 2013 to Advent 2014, edited by Jeanne Davis, Herald Publishing House, 2013, pp. 64–65]

God, our Light,
We pause to hear your call to mission, to sense the longing in your heart that all the world might come to know the depth of your peace.

We confess that too often we have chosen apathy in the face of need, inattentiveness to the silent pleas around us, abrasiveness when a gentle hand was sought.

Though we stumble and choose courses that cause separation, still you beckon us to seek your ways of peace.

Open our inner eyes to see your dream of peace, to find the solace that stills our hearts and quickens our resolve to see your kingdom come.

Restore us to your vision of welcome for all and provision for the least. Strengthen our hands and make sturdy our hearts that we might invest our energies in those things which make for peace in the fabric of your beloved creation community.

Lord, we give you our desire to serve that you might bless our efforts to further the work to which you once again call us, the work of spreading the healing balm of peace in our broken world.

Call us to serve in your name of Peace. Amen.

Prayer Phrase

“I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).

Spiritual Practice

Light

Close your eyes and become centered with your breath. As you breathe gently in and out, reflect on the statement, “The light of God is in all things.” The light has a bright, soft beauty and radiates God’s healing love. The light of God reaches you and permeates you with a deep sense of peace. Rest in the light as it surrounds and fills you. Thank God that you live in God’s light, and it lives in you.

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.