Please pray
For yourself. Prayerfully put on the whole armour of God, so that you can stand firm in your belief. Salvation – your helmet. Righteousness – your breastplate. Truth – your belt. The Gospel of Peace – your shoes. Faith – your shield. The Word of God – your sword. Fully equipped, we are can truly stand firm.
For us, members of the church. Pray for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. For the fruit of the Spirit to grow in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Pray that the name of Jesus is apparent in all that we do.
For our town. For the re-emergence of community. For the work of providing for those without.
For our world. For the peace of God which passes understanding. Particularly during Lent, and particularly in the light of the current world instability.
A prayer for these times. Sam Wells , the vicar of St Martin in the Fields
O God of peace, your prophet Isaiah promised
Swords would be turned into ploughshares,
And your son’s mother proclaimed
The mighty would be put down, and the humble exalted.
Visit the people of Ukraine, deliver them from fear, violence,
Attack, injury, destruction, death,
And give them courage, solidarity and allies
In their hour of vulnerability and sorrow.
Turn the hearts of those bent on war and invasion.
Strengthen the hands of all seeking to halt conflict,
Restore order, pursue justice,
And make this moment of peril an occasion for your Holy Spirit to
To show your world the cost of conflict and our dependence on one another
In Christ our Lord, who went to his death because of our hatred and rose
Because our hatred is never stronger than your indomitable love Amen
Here is a prayer written by Pope John Paul when he was still a Bishop in Poland under the communist regime:
May its light scatter the darkness,
May its flame be a symbol of hope,
May its burning be a sign of faith,
Joining with many other lights for peace.
We light this candle for peace.
May our lives be an expression of peace-making,
May we seek to be lights in a dark world,
Pointing to you, Lord Jesus, the Prince of Peace,
And following you in the way of Peace.
Let this candle burn as a sign of peace
Offered to you. Amen.