Today in our prayers we remember the people of Tajikistan.
In the name of Jesus Christ, welcome to this sacred space where we are called to, “above all else, strive to be faithful to Christ’s vision of the peaceable Kingdom of God on earth. Courageously challenge cultural, political, and religious trends that are contrary to the reconciling and restoring purposes of God. Pursue peace.”
—Doctrine and Covenants 163:3b
Tajikistan is in Central Asia and borders Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. The ancient Silk Road passed through the land that is now Tajikistan.
Scripture Reading—Psalm 139:1-6, 13-14 NRSV
O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
O Lord, you know it completely.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain it. For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
Prayer for Peace
Barrie Fox
Almighty God, help us to seek to develop a greater measure of spiritual perceptivity that will enable us to understand and appreciate you more. May we find it easier to recognize your presence more often and learn to trust you more ardently. We are so grateful that we have come to realize and to understand a little better what it means to have peace in our hearts. We pray for others we know who are needing and perhaps even seeking for that peace.
Enable us to get our priorities right when we are faced with what seem to be so many demands on our time, our abilities and our energies. Minister to us, we pray, when we feel frightened or foolish and enable us to find a greater willingness and ability to handle such moments and such times. We do pray that in our moments of worry, weakness and confusion, we may remain faithful.
Thank you for those who have brought light into our lives and those who have been an inspiration for us. Help us to become more sensitive to the needs of others and to have a greater willingness to offer encouragement and support where and when this is genuinely needed. When opportunities present themselves, may we seek to bring a measure of peace into the situations that arise. Amen.
Hymn
“Christ Be in Your Senses”
Community of Christ Sings 579
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 Tajikistan, 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.