Today in our prayers we remember the people of Liechtenstein.
In the name of Jesus Christ, welcome to this sacred space that “stand(s) as a towering symbol of a people who knew injustice and strife on the frontier and who now seek the peace of Jesus Christ throughout the world.”
—Doctrine and Covenants 161:2b
Liechtenstein is in the Upper Rhine valley of the European Alps and is bordered by Austria and Switzerland. It is the fourth-smallest country in Europe with an area of just over 62 square miles (160 square kilometers) and an estimated population of 37,000.
Scripture Reading—Isaiah 33:5-6 NRSV
The Lord is exalted, he dwells on high;
he filled Zion with justice and righteousness;
he will be the stability of your times,
abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;
the fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure.
Prayer for Peace
Marvin Foss
Great and Marvelous God Almighty,
Creator, redeemer, and sustainer; you are love, and mercy, and glory, and justice, and peace. You are our hope, our guide, and our salvation.
Thank you for accepting us in our great sinfulness. We, your children, have fallen victim to temptations of power, wealth, fame, status, and the temporary pleasures of life. Our minds have been plagued with envy, hatred, greed, and pride. Too often we see others as less important than ourselves; as being not worthy of those things they have that we want to have; as being in the way of our success.
It has led many of us to lie, and to cheat, and to steal and even to kill. We have sent young men and women into harm’s way without good cause or reasoned thought. Millions have died senselessly from Agincourt to Gettysburg to Normandy to Khe Sanh to Helmand Provence. We have tolerated poverty, disease, and environmental devastation worldwide, sometimes even considering it to be your will.
Lord God, forgive us when we disastrously lose our way; when we forget that we are called to fulfill a great mission. Grant us, we pray, the kind of faith that will embrace your peace, that will ardently proclaim your peace, that will sue for peace, that will lift an ensign of peace, that will make proposals for peace, and that will generously and abundantly share your peace. Your peace must begin with each one of us and we then must spread it to everyone we touch. We must! It is our reason for being. Help us to fully realize how important it is for every one of us to be your peace in this world.
Bless us with strength and commitment as your peacemakers. We pray in the name of the Prince of Peace. Amen.
Hymn
Choose a favorite hymn of peace and justice.
Prayers of the People
As we enter a time of guided prayer, meditation, and musical reflection, you are invited to offer silent prayers or meditate during the moments of quiet. The Prayers of the People this day begin with ourselves and then, enlarging life’s circle, move outward to include those we know and love, to strangers and enemies, to the entire world, and to all of creation.
Will you pause for the next few moments in the quiet of this sanctuary, away from the worries of the world, to silently add your own thoughts and prayers to the prayers of the people?
Pause.
God of all time and space, I stand waiting for your peace to enter my broken and chaotic soul, just as you wait for me to pause long enough to breathe and simply be. May your peace fill the space that I now create with my breath and my being. Hear my often-impatient cry, “Be with me, O Prince of Peace, and make me whole.”
Pause.
Source of our being, we stand waiting for your peace to enter our broken and chaotic relationships, just as you wait for us to pause long enough to invite you in. May your reconciling presence bring us to a point of apology and forgiveness, of offering and receiving, and unity. Hear our impatient cry, “Be with us, O Prince of Peace, and make us one.”
Pause.
Lord of all Earth’s people, the world stands waiting for your peace to calm the warring nations, to stem the tide of violence we inflict against one another, just as you wait for us to stop the madness long enough to see one another as family. We remember all nations, including Liechtenstein, the country we pray for today. May your profound compassion for your children flow within us. Enable us to surrender our hatred and fear and be filled instead with your loving kindness and mercy. Hear our often-impatient cry, “Be with our human family, O Prince of Peace, and make us one.”
Pause.
Creator of all, your creation stands waiting for your healing touch to restore all living things to oneness and wholeness, just as you wait for us to revere what you have given us as a sacred gift. May your generous offering of water, earth, air, and all that has life remind us of our physical and spiritual connection with everything that was, is, and will be. Help us honor our call as stewards of the Earth. Hear our impatient cry, “Be with our Earth, O Prince of Peace. Make all things one.”
Pause.
We ask for this blessing of your peace in and through Jesus Christ. Amen.
Musical Reflection
Sending Forth
Make every breath one of thanksgiving;
Make every deed a channel of justice;
Make every thought a peaceful one;
Go in peace.