Evening Prayers Friday, 8 May 2020 VE Day Commemoration
We arrive at evening on the day commemorating war’s end in Europe 1945. It is good to focus on peace before we hand the day to the Lord and surrender to the night.
I light a candle.
I am a child of post-war hope. My father was in the US Navy, serving in the Pacific, and when it was over he came home to a new wife, a job, a house and lots of hope – but never speaking a word about his experience. By the time I was born he was back at war off the coast of Korea. In 1958 he resigned so he wouldn’t be called to the next looming conflict. I am a child grown up in the shadow of Vietnam when news reports spoke of ‘favourable kill ratios’, when students were shot and killed at peaceful demonstrations and my partner on the university debate team became a statistic instead of a successful lawyer. The world has been full of war rather than engaged in a World War.
Psalm 46
God is our refuge and our stronghold,
a timely help in trouble:
so we are not afraid though the earth shakes
and the mountains move in the depths of the sea,
when its water seethe in tumult
and the mountains quake before his majesty.
Come, see what the Lord has done,
the astounding deeds he has wrought on earth:
in every part of the wide world
he puts an end to war:
he breaks the bow, he snaps the spear,
he burns the shields in the fire.
Psalm 46:1–3, 8–9
Dear Father of all,
whose only desire is our welfare,
we come to you this evening asking you to bless this day of commemoration:
bless the memory of joyful release from deadly warfare,
the memory of relationships lost,
the memory of hope for a world made new.
Calm our seething hearts,
clarify our confusion
and help us fix our minds on your peace.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for countries stricken by war,
where people are enduring atrocities,
genocide, revenge and the scorched earth of a battle zone.
We remember before you the refugees fleeing death,
the refugees crowded into camps where death is still near,
the refugees without any hope for the future.
Bring the leaders of this world to a common table,
to forge a new commitment to set weapons aside and to work for peace.
Lord, hear our prayer.
A prayer from the Act of Commitment for Peace
Lord God, we pledge ourselves to serve you
and all humankind in the cause of peace,
for the relief of want and suffering and for the praise of your name.
Guide us by your Spirit,
give us wisdom,
give us courage,
give us hope
and keep us faithful now and always.
Amen
Isaiah 2
The Lord will mediate between nations
and will settle international disputes.
Countries will beat their swords into ploughshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation shall not take up the sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.
Come, my people,
let us walk in the light of the Lord.
Isaiah 2: 4–5
We pray for people stricken by illness,
for people unable to comfort the comfortless,
for people of action forced into inactivity.
Gather them in the security of your love,
the refuge of your holy mountain.
Grant them peace of mind, body and spirit.
Lord, hear our prayer.
As the darkness draws in, we pray for the comfort of your peace.
Help your Cornerstone Church to live in service to each other and the wider community
so that your peace may be evident wherever we are.
Bring us through this time of isolation strengthened in faith and hope.
Lord, hear our prayer.
John 14
Peace is my parting gift to you, my own peace, such as the world cannot give. Set your troubled hearts at rest and banish your fears.
John 14: 27
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven.
Hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us in the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours,
now and forever.
Amen
A prayer from Saint Teresa of Avila
May I be at peace.
May my heart remain open.
May I be aware of my true nature;
may I be healed;
may I be a source of healing to others.
May I dwell in the breath of God.
Amen
We go securely into the night,
wrapped in peace
and resting in God’s good grace.
Amen
