Today in our prayers we remember the people of Botswana.
In the name of Jesus Christ, welcome to this sacred space where you are invited to “Become a people of the Temple—those who see violence but proclaim peace, who feel conflict yet extend the hand of reconciliation, who encounter broken spirits and find pathways for healing.”
—Doctrine and Covenants 161:2a
Botswana is in Southern Africa. The Kalahari Desert covers 70 percent of Botswana’s land surface. The country is one of the most sparsely populated nations in the world.
Scripture Reading—2 Peter 1:2 NRSV
May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
Prayer for Peace
Danny A. Belrose
“Peace! Peace! Peace!”
—so easily its slips off our tongues, God.
Peace—robbed of meaning, wrapped in familiarity,
tucked tightly away in narrow folds of understanding.
We confess, O God, a peace born of myopia
—a peace that sees only the daylight
of saccharine sensibilities
spun by soft summer breezes,
morning mist, lemonade and lazy afternoons free of care.
Peace—devoured by apathy
—its brief life spent on slogans said
and banners blown on winds of hope
—its voice heard but for a moment.
A peace betrayed by deception’s subtle lie
that to talk peace is to do peace.
May we see its resurrection, God.
Let peace invade us and transform us.
Let it find meaning beyond hymns sung, prayers prayed,
sermons preached.
May we give it heart, heads, hands and feet as well as lips.
May the peace of this strange man Jesus awaken within us new resolve
to move from slogans to deeds, form hope to reality.
Peace, alive across the breakfast table.
Peace, alive and color blind.
Peace, alive for saint, for sinner
for all who sing God’s many names.
For only then, do we truly take your name upon us.
Hymn
“Sing to the Lord No Threadbare Song”
Community of Christ Sings 111
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.
Please join with me in today’s prayer and meditation; quiet your breathing and embrace God’s eternal grace as you become aware of your own responses to the guided prayers of the people.
Pause.
God, you are the still point of the circle within which all creation is found. I yearn to connect with your spirit of peace and experience the companionship of your presence in this moment. May I abide in the center of creation’s circle with you?
Pause.
Creator of horizons, help us draw the circle wider to include those I know and love, and even those I struggle to understand and accept. Fill this circle with the gifts of forgiveness, mercy, compassion, and peace. Give us the desire to include all whose paths cross ours into a place where acceptance is offered freely. Draw our circle wider.
Pause.
Giver of dreams, let the peace we’ve dreamed of expand to embrace all your children. We remember all nations, including Botswana, the country we pray for today. Within this circle may we see the other as brother and sister, and act as mutual stewards of one another. You call us to live without borders that exclude. Help us to draw the circle wider still.
Pause.
God of all living things, your world longs to be whole and in harmony. The dream of shalom includes caregiving for the water, earth, air and all that has life in one great family. You created us with interdependencies. Give us mutual respect and tender care for all. Let this be our song: Nothing on your created Earth stands alone, but lives in shalom with all other living things. Draw the circle wide open.
Pause.
Architect of life and peace, may we be blessed by your vision of shalom this day. May our minds, hearts, and spirits be wide enough for all to find a home. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, God’s shalom. Amen.
Musical Reflection
Sending Forth
May blessings of peace
Be realized today
Through the Source, Savior, and Spirit.
Go in peace.