Each Sunday morning, bridging our informal gathering time, during which we share from our lives, and our formal worship time, a different person, usually from Seekers, offers a prayer for peace and justice. Each person chooses what to say, with no prompting or guidance from the coordinator other than to be brief, prayerful and focused on peace and justice. On this page, we offer the text of some of those prayers.
A Prayer for Help Finding Our Voices in Difficult Times
Praying for Peace and Justice on July 7, 2024 Let us Pray. Holy One, Help us. The World is on fire and at home, we see our beloved but flawed democracy in peril even as we celebrate the birth of our country. We look around and see freedoms we’ve woven into our society’s fabric over decades or centuries taken from us – voting rights, reproductive rights, and a founding principle of our democracy: that no one is above the law. We don’t know how to talk to those with whom we disagree and some of us, at least, don’t…
A Prayer for Supporting Young People Worldwide Standing Up for Justice
Praying for Peace and Justice on June 30, 2024 Holy One, We pray today for young people throughout the world who are rising up against corruption as those in Kenya and for positive action on climate change as well as our New Story friends who are working to bring peace to their troubled homelands. Help us to know how to be supportive. In the name of Jesus who brought your message of peace. Amen
A Prayer for the End of Nuclear Weapons and the End of War
Praying for Peace and Justice on June 9, 2024 Holy One, hear our prayer that the use of nuclear weapons is dismissed by all humanity as a way to wage war. And Holy One, while we’re at it, we pray that there is war no more. May it be so, Amen. Background: Yesterday the news, which others may have seen, contained a story that the U.S. is considering building up the nuclear arsenal again. It’s true that countries with whom we are in conflict have nuclear arsenals, and threaten to use them. I confess that the mere thought of this…
A Prayer for Courageous Leadership in Finding Solutions to Juvenile Crime
Praying for Peace and Justice on June 1, 2024 Given my background, my prayer is that courageous leaders will come forward and seek out the evidence-based approaches, developing ways to comprehensively address the problem of juvenile crime. I pray that jurisdictions will educate the public about successful programs and enlist their help in developing effective policies. Background Some of you know, but I think most do not, I worked on juvenile justice issues at the Federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), US Department of Justice for 25 years before retiring in January 2002. I am concerned that…