Psalm 46
Prayer
Almighty
God, our refuge and strength, bring near the day when wars shall
cease and poverty and pain shall end, that the earth may know the
peace of heaven through Jesus Christ our lord. Amen.
God is our strength and
refuge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA0zJnW1Rr8
Psalm
85.
Using
beautiful imagery, the psalmist tells us that there is a
relationship between righteousness and peace-they kiss each other.
It’s
symbolic of a true connection. If we want to know lasting peace, we
need to be concerned about our required standard. The two are
inseparable.
Righteousness
means
Goodness,
virtue, uprightness, decency, integrity, worthiness, morality,
honesty, honour,
blamelessness,
guiltlessness, sinlessness, saintliness, purity,
noble-mindedness;
but
sin brings us short of the standard. God knows this. So he sent His
only son into the world. Jesus the prince of peace who died that we
may be saved.
That
through him righteousness and peace are
one.
James
3:17-18
O
God our help in ages past
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjdmLstpNGE
At
11.00am - the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month - the First
World War came to an end. Much of the war had been fought in dug-out
trenches across Belgium and France. It is thought that about 9
million soldiers lost their lives, and about 27 million were wounded
- many of them permanently disabled. At 11.00am, the fighting stopped
everywhere, six hours after the Armistice was signed in a railway
carriage in Compiègne, northern France. Two years later the body of
an unknown British soldier from one of the battlefields was laid in a
coffin and brought over to England. On this day in 1920 the coffin of
the unknown soldier was taken in procession to Westminster Abbey,
past thousands of people lining the streets. During the service, the
coffin was laid to rest with some soil from France in the floor of
the central aisle of Westminster Abbey. The tomb commemorates all
British casualties, especially those who have no known grave, and all
who suffered during that war and since. Lying there amongst the tombs
of kings and queens and many famous people, this “Tomb of the
Unknown Warrior” bears the inscription, “Beneath this stone rests
the body of a British warrior, unknown by name or rank, brought from
France to be among the most illustrious of the land.” During the
First World War, the soldiers in their dug-outs could see red poppies
growing in the fields of Flanders, the name for an area that covers
parts of Belgium, the Netherlands and France. Each year, the Royal
British Legion sells artificial red poppies to raise money for
British injured soldiers, sailors and
aircrew who have served their country up to the present day.
Last
Sunday, acts
of remembrance
took place to recall those who had
given their lives for the peace and freedom we enjoy today.
Please
pause for two minutes,
and hold in your prayers, those who have laid the lives down fighting
for peace.
Poem
by Henry
William Baker
1821 – 77
O
God of love, O King of peace, Make wars throughout the world to
cease;
Our greed and violent ways restrain.
Give peace, O
God, give peace again. Remember, Lord, your works of old,
The
wonders that your people told;
Remember not our sins' deep
stain. Give peace, O God, give peace again.
Whom shall we trust but you, O
Lord? Where rest but on your faithful word?
None ever called on
you in vain. Give peace, O God, give peace again. Where saints and
angels dwell above All hearts are joined in holy love;
Oh, bind
us in that heavenly chain. Give peace, O God, give peace again.
Beauty
for brokenness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D81ZD1NDPyE
Prayer:
Beauty
for brokenness, Hope for despair Lord, in the suffering, This is our
prayer, Bread for the children, Justice, joy, peace Sunrise to sunset
Your kingdom increase! God
of the poor, Friend of the weak, Give us compassion we pray, Melt our
cold hearts, Let tears fall like rain, Come, change our love From a
spark to a flame. Shelter
for fragile lives, Cures for their ills, Work for the craftsman,
Trade for their skills, Land for the dispossessed, Rights for the
weak,Voices to plead the cause Of those who can't speak.
Refuge
from cruel wars, Havens from fear, Cities for sanctuary, Freedoms to
share. Peace to the killing-fields, Scorched earth to green, Christ
for the bitterness, His cross for the pain.
We bring before you the war torn countries, where men women and
children have been hurt or killed, where families have had to flee
from their homes. Christ as a child with his parents fled into Egypt
a refuge. We pray for All refuges in the world,
Lord
we know there is sorrow, bloodshed, hatred and mistrust. Father we
ask for your healing, and love. Father we ask that your son Jesus
our Lord,
the prince of peace, will bring change in to the minds of those who
lead their countries; that they may remember the love He showed on
the cross. That love which can warm the coldest of hearts. That they
may find a workable ceasefire which can lead to a foundation of
respect and peace. We thank you for the love you have for us Lord
God for your world the beauty you created open our eyes that we may
see the harm we have caused, bring Rest
for the ravaged earth, Oceans and streams, we have Plundered and
poisoned, Our future, our dreams Lord, end our madness Carelessness,
greed. Make us content with The things that we need God
of the poor, Friend of the weak, Give us compassion we pray, Melt our
cold hearts, Let tears fall like rain, Come, change our love From a
spark to a flame
Lighten
our darkness, Breathe on this flame Until your justice Burns brightly
again.
Until the nations Learn of your ways, Seek your salvation
And bring you their praise.
Father
God, be with all peacemakers. World leaders and leaders of
governments that they may work together for the good of all people.
We ask this prayer in your name of Jesus. Amen
James
3: 1 – 18
We
can build or destroy.
When
you
remember
hurt things that have been said and
keep thinking about them the wound
is
unable to heel
it
eats
into you, you
may end up carrying
a
chip on your shoulder and
become bitter with your thoughts and words.
Men
and
women who
have been P. O. W. or
hostages carry
scars both mentally and physically.
My
Grandfather was a prisoner
of
war
in 1916.
But
he never held a grudge he said “they were only obeying orders just
as he was” he suffered with shell shock for the rest of his life
but because he forgave them God took away his hurt and replaced it
with compassion. He was a gentle person and loving man
for all his life. He would
show the love of God in his action to everyone he met.
There
are Men and women who live to tell the story of conflicts, battles,
and sieges.
And
some still
living
through the pain of war. All countries
who hold remembrance days hopefully will learn from history
and to work for peace. We are are and
should be ambassadors for peace. So
let us keep guards
on our tongues and
speak of God’s love, Remembering not
gossip but find goodness. Do not be
tempted to listen to gossip but find the
truth, speak with kindness. Do not curse the name of God with your
tongue but praise him. Gossip
is a sin. So Let our
tongues
speak of peace, And let our actions
show love and compassion. This
coming advent let the light of Christ shine bright in this dark
world.
May
your love of Him shine out always.
Leviticus says
in 19:18
“Do not seek revenge or bear a
grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbour as
yourself. I am the LORD.” Matthew
records
Jesus saying in
5:44 “But I tell you, love your
enemies and pray for those who persecute you”.
John
also
writes the words of Christ in 15:12
“This is My commandment, that
you love one another as I have loved you”.
Always
remember the love Jesus
has for you in
your heart. He came that we may all have life eternal.
A
short story by By: Randy Kilgore
When a US Navy vessel arrives
or departs from the military bases in Pearl Harbour, the crew of that
ship lines up in dress uniform. They stand at attention at arm’s
length on the outer edges of the deck, in salute to the soldiers,
sailors, and civilians who died on December 7, 1941. It is a stirring
sight, and participants often list it among the most memorable
moments of their military career. Even for spectators on shore, the
salute triggers an incredible emotional connection, but especially
between the servants of today and the servants of yesterday. It
grants nobility to the work of today’s sailor, while giving dignity
to the sacrifice of those from the past. It was surely with an eye
toward creating this same kind of emotional bond. Our participation
in the Lord’s Table honours Christ’s sacrifice while also
granting us a connection to Him unlike any other act of remembrance.
Just as
the US Navy carefully prescribes the way it salutes the fallen, so
too Scripture teaches us how to remember Jesus’ sacrifice in 1 Cor.
11: 23 – 25 it
says . For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to
you: the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and
when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my
body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ 25 In
the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup
is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in
remembrance of me.’ 26 For whenever you eat this bread
and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Prayer of confession .
Gracious
God, our sins are too heavy to carry, too real to hide, and too deep
to undo. Forgive what our lips tremble to name and what our hearts
can no longer bear. Set us free from a past that we cannot change,
and open to us a future in which we can be changed. Grant us grace to
grow more and more in Your likeness and image, through Jesus Christ,
our Saviour and Lord, the Light and
hope of
the world.
Prayer
of Remembrance.
Christ,
have mercy on those who cry; Christ have mercy on us when we turn
away from the cries of others. Give us the strength of compassion,
that we may never shield our eyes and hearts from pain, but seek to
heal and bless. Bless us with courage and arm us with hope, that we
may lessen the suffering of our world.
Lord
abide with those who find this day painful
be close to them and as the
day draws to a close may they
know that
you are ever with them and us. .
Amen
Abide
with me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTT5HGSaO-Y
Prayer
for world peace
Lord,
make your people instruments of Your peace;
Where
there is hatred, may seeds of love be sown
Where there is
injury, Lord fill hearts with compassion
Where there is doubt,
strengthen faith; Where there is despair, fill hearts with
hope;
Where there is darkness, may your light shine
And
where there is sadness, bring joy love
and peace,
peace
in the heart, peace in the home, peace between friends, peace within
the neighbourhoods, peace in the country, peace in and between
governments, peace through out the world and may the prince of peace
fill you with His love this day and always.
Amen
Lord
We Pray For Golden Peace
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccVXF1ubBKo
Lord,
we pray for golden peace, peace all over the land,
may
people dwell in liberty, all walking hand in hand.
Banish
fear and ignorance, hunger, thirst and pain.
Banish
hate and poverty, let no-one live in vain, let no-one live in vain.
Keep us all for ever one, one
in love and in grace.
And
wipe away all war and strife, give freedom to each race.
Banish
fear and ignorance, hunger, thirst and pain.
Banish
hate and poverty, let no-one live in vain, let no-one live in vain.
Let
Your justice reign supreme.
Righteousness
always done. Let goodness rule the hearts of all and evil overcome.
Amen
May God bless you with His peace.
Ever
holding you in my prayers. Pastor Susannah
