Today in our prayers for the people of Ukraine.

Prayer for Peace

Bruce Lindgren

We are remembering a time when our world was turned upside down, a time when a celebrational entry was turned into defeat and death, and a time when defeat and death were turned into victory and redemption. As we do so, we recognize that God is always with us, even as our world continues to be turned upside down.

We, too, have celebrated moments of apparent triumph, which have often become occasions when we have recognized that the victory was fleeting and temporary. We have also experienced the power of your redeeming love, transforming moments of painful loss into occasions of grace in our lives. We have come to recognize that the truth is not always what it appears to be, and that it is only through your Spirit that we can catch glimpses of that which is true and lasting.

We are among those who are often too busy with other pursuits to recognize the Christ when he comes; we are often among those who, like our brother Paul, allow our own misconceptions about your word to blind us to the presence of the Christ in our midst; we are often among those who are in despair when it seems that the very heart of goodness has been defeated forever; and we are among those who rejoice at the arrival of your redeeming actions in our lives.

In this time of sacred remembrance, we ask for your redeeming peace to be present in your world. Grant us the ears to hear your word when it is proclaimed in unlikely places; grant us the eyes to see you at work in difficult moments; grant us the faith to see the redeeming work of your son, Jesus Christ, in our world; and grant us the insight and courage to work beside him for your eternal purposes. May we continue to be disciples of your son in a world turned upside down. In Jesus’, name we pray. Amen.