| "I
No Longer Pray for Peace" On the edge of war, one
foot already in,
I no longer pray for peace:
I pray for miracles.
I pray that stone hearts will turn to tenderheartedness,
and evil intentions will turn to mercifulness,
and all the soldiers already deployed will be snatched
out of harm's way,
and the whole world will be astounded onto its knees.
I pray that all the "God talk" will take bones,
and stand up and shed it cloak of faithlessness,
and walk again in its powerful truth.
I pray that the whole world might sit down together
and share its bread and wine.
Some say there is no hope,
but then I've always applauded the holy fools who never
seem to give up the scandalousness of our faith:
that we are loved by God…
that we can truly love one another.
I no longer pray for peace:
I pray for miracles.
Ann Weems |
| Prayers
in time of war The Church of England has published
a range of
prayers suitable for use in churches and in the wider community
following military operations in Iraq.
The Invitation to Prayer website:
www.invitationtoprayer.org
exists to support both individual prayer and collective worship.
Special prayers for use in time of war have been added to the site
today. There are resources for clergy and laity, for use individually
and collectively, and for use at different times of day. These may
form the basis for a short act of prayer in church or at home, at
a regular time each day or week, at the start or conclusion of a
silent vigil, or whenever people meet together to pray.
Many people feel a sense of uncertainty and concern in time of
war. The site includes prayers for peace and justice, for the Armed
Forces, for the victims of war, for the leaders of the nations,
for friends and loved ones, for the dead and for those who mourn.
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