- Apr 12, 2011
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If you are pacifist like me, you often feel conflicted on Memorial Day. On one hand, it is only right to honor and remember those who sacrificed everything for noble desires. On the other hand, it is not right to use their sacrifice as a pretext for the next war, to place love of country above love of God, or do not acknowledge that the real provider and protector of our nation is God. As such, here are two pacifist prayers I've come across and wanted to share....
What did you think? Do you have any more prayers like this that you have read or written?
God, help us to remember...
...that life is a gift. To call it a gift is to imply that we did not earn it. Life is grace. Peace preserves life. So on this Memorial Day weekend we remember that Your intention for this world is shalom. This would be a world where human beings find themselves in right relationship with You – God, with each other, with the earth, and to one’s own self. Life is indeed a gift both to companions and enemies. So on this Memorial Day we seek to remember the gift of life that unites human beings everywhere.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God, help us to remember…
…that violence always disrupts shalom. Christ, You died, absorbing the violence of a military machine’s ultimate weapon for insurrectionists – the cross. This death unleashed the potential for shalom once again… something war can never bring. May we see this resurrection potential all around us!
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God, help us to remember…
…that noble men and women have died in war. Many whose motives were pure, believing that this sort of sacrifice was Your will. May those of us who claim to be peacemakers remember that soldiers of any nation usually believe that their fight is for a moral good. Therefore, help us to be slow to pass judgment and quick to offer hospitality.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God, help us to remember…
…that the way of Jesus has been marginalized from our Bibles since the days of Constantine. The day the cross and the sword went to bed with one another was the day that the church pushed further into its decline towards compromise. By turning her back to the red letters of Scripture, Christendom chose to perpetuate violence rather than follow Jesus’ own model of absorbing the wrath of the powers of this age. We pray that we would pacify violence with love.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God, help us to remember…
…that during the days of the Reformation Christian sisters and brothers killed one another over dogma. How can we learn to love our enemies when we can’t even love ourselves? Today we spew words of violence over similar disputes when our primary disposition, according to You O Christ, is that we might be “one” as You and the Father are One.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God, help us to remember…
…that radical Christians during the Reformation rediscovered the subversive nature of the kingdom of God. This is a way of enemy love, nonresistance, integrity, and countercultural community. May we lean into that vision that transcends the artificial borders of nations and those that often surround our hearts.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God, help us to remember…
…that Dr. King serves as a modern example that nonviolence and displays of love can in fact lead revolutions. When we pull out a sword, more swords get drawn. In the same way, love inevitably multiplies. May we spark fresh revolutions of love in our day!
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God, help us to remember…
…that many soldiers come back from war with post-traumatic stress syndrome. PTSD reminds us that the ultimate remembering that happens for those in combat is the kind that brings forth nightmares. Help us to be prepared to comfort soldiers in their times of need.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Therefore, with Your Divine help, O God, we commit ourselves to being a community of Re-Membering.
Re-Membering…
…names the past and its residual effects, while also being committed to re-incorporating veterans into our Christian communities. God, with your help we commit ourselves to peacemaking by building bridges of reconciliation with veterans – refusing to live in judgment.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God, we pledge our allegiance to Your kingdom as we seek to…
…name evil and we discourage followers of Jesus from any vocation that might require violence. At the same time, we refuse to distance ourselves from those who have taken part in the way of Empire. God, help us to bring shalom to these people, Your children, as You have given peace to those of us who have never pulled the trigger.
May we be people who lay down our pacifistic pride, and follow the model of our Savior by stretching out our arms as a gesture of love, openness, and hospitality. Never condoning violence but always choosing forgiveness and reconciliation in spite of it. In this way, may our God of peace, Jesus Christ, receive all the glory, all the honor, and all the praise.
Amen.
...that life is a gift. To call it a gift is to imply that we did not earn it. Life is grace. Peace preserves life. So on this Memorial Day weekend we remember that Your intention for this world is shalom. This would be a world where human beings find themselves in right relationship with You – God, with each other, with the earth, and to one’s own self. Life is indeed a gift both to companions and enemies. So on this Memorial Day we seek to remember the gift of life that unites human beings everywhere.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God, help us to remember…
…that violence always disrupts shalom. Christ, You died, absorbing the violence of a military machine’s ultimate weapon for insurrectionists – the cross. This death unleashed the potential for shalom once again… something war can never bring. May we see this resurrection potential all around us!
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God, help us to remember…
…that noble men and women have died in war. Many whose motives were pure, believing that this sort of sacrifice was Your will. May those of us who claim to be peacemakers remember that soldiers of any nation usually believe that their fight is for a moral good. Therefore, help us to be slow to pass judgment and quick to offer hospitality.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God, help us to remember…
…that the way of Jesus has been marginalized from our Bibles since the days of Constantine. The day the cross and the sword went to bed with one another was the day that the church pushed further into its decline towards compromise. By turning her back to the red letters of Scripture, Christendom chose to perpetuate violence rather than follow Jesus’ own model of absorbing the wrath of the powers of this age. We pray that we would pacify violence with love.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God, help us to remember…
…that during the days of the Reformation Christian sisters and brothers killed one another over dogma. How can we learn to love our enemies when we can’t even love ourselves? Today we spew words of violence over similar disputes when our primary disposition, according to You O Christ, is that we might be “one” as You and the Father are One.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God, help us to remember…
…that radical Christians during the Reformation rediscovered the subversive nature of the kingdom of God. This is a way of enemy love, nonresistance, integrity, and countercultural community. May we lean into that vision that transcends the artificial borders of nations and those that often surround our hearts.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God, help us to remember…
…that Dr. King serves as a modern example that nonviolence and displays of love can in fact lead revolutions. When we pull out a sword, more swords get drawn. In the same way, love inevitably multiplies. May we spark fresh revolutions of love in our day!
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God, help us to remember…
…that many soldiers come back from war with post-traumatic stress syndrome. PTSD reminds us that the ultimate remembering that happens for those in combat is the kind that brings forth nightmares. Help us to be prepared to comfort soldiers in their times of need.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Therefore, with Your Divine help, O God, we commit ourselves to being a community of Re-Membering.
Re-Membering…
…names the past and its residual effects, while also being committed to re-incorporating veterans into our Christian communities. God, with your help we commit ourselves to peacemaking by building bridges of reconciliation with veterans – refusing to live in judgment.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God, we pledge our allegiance to Your kingdom as we seek to…
…name evil and we discourage followers of Jesus from any vocation that might require violence. At the same time, we refuse to distance ourselves from those who have taken part in the way of Empire. God, help us to bring shalom to these people, Your children, as You have given peace to those of us who have never pulled the trigger.
May we be people who lay down our pacifistic pride, and follow the model of our Savior by stretching out our arms as a gesture of love, openness, and hospitality. Never condoning violence but always choosing forgiveness and reconciliation in spite of it. In this way, may our God of peace, Jesus Christ, receive all the glory, all the honor, and all the praise.
Amen.
We remember all who serve in the armed forces. We pray for their safekeeping.
We remember those stationed overseas. We pray they will be reunited with their loved ones soon.
We remember those who have experienced combat. We ask you to restore peace to their souls and wholeness to their bodies.
We remember those who have died in combat. We pray for the repose of their souls and the comfort of their families.
We remember the innocent victims of war:
We remember those imprisoned by war, including those at Guantanamo Bay. We pray for those innocent of wrongdoing, those cleared for release but with no freedom in sight, and those held more than a decade without trial.
We remember the children killed in our drone strikes:
Wajid, 9,
Ayeesha, 3,
Syed, 7,
Talha, 8,
Zayda, 7,
Hoda, 5,
and many more.
We remember civilians killed in war, including the 137,000 who died during and after the war in Iraq.
We remember the children of Syria, Nigeria, and everywhere conflict deprives a child of his or her right to live in a safe and nurturing environment.
We confess that evil is real and that it lurks within our hearts. We have been quick to condemn the violence of others while ignoring the deeds of our own hands.
We confess we have put nation above church, flag above cross. We acknowledge that Christ’s followers have but one Memorial Day, commemorated with bread and wine, not with beers and barbecue.
We confess we have failed to care for those we’ve sent into combat, for those who bear the physical and emotional scars of war. We acknowledge our duty to them, a duty that does not end when our attention turns elsewhere.
We confess we have not obeyed our Lord’s command to put away our swords. We acknowledge that war to end war is a fantasy, redemptive violence a myth, and that peace through conquest is an unattainable lie.
We confess that true freedom is not won by a soldier spilling someone else’s blood, but by a lamb who allowed his own blood to be spilled, refusing to take up arms.
We give thanks for the cross, God’s answer to a world addicted to violence. We mourn all whose lives have been sacrificed on the altar of war. We pray for the resolve to pursue another way, to "let go of the sword and take hand of the Crucified One." On this and every Memorial Day, we ask that we might prove ourselves worthy subjects of the Prince of Peace.
We remember those stationed overseas. We pray they will be reunited with their loved ones soon.
We remember those who have experienced combat. We ask you to restore peace to their souls and wholeness to their bodies.
We remember those who have died in combat. We pray for the repose of their souls and the comfort of their families.
We remember the innocent victims of war:
We remember those imprisoned by war, including those at Guantanamo Bay. We pray for those innocent of wrongdoing, those cleared for release but with no freedom in sight, and those held more than a decade without trial.
We remember the children killed in our drone strikes:
Wajid, 9,
Ayeesha, 3,
Syed, 7,
Talha, 8,
Zayda, 7,
Hoda, 5,
and many more.
We remember civilians killed in war, including the 137,000 who died during and after the war in Iraq.
We remember the children of Syria, Nigeria, and everywhere conflict deprives a child of his or her right to live in a safe and nurturing environment.
We confess that evil is real and that it lurks within our hearts. We have been quick to condemn the violence of others while ignoring the deeds of our own hands.
We confess we have put nation above church, flag above cross. We acknowledge that Christ’s followers have but one Memorial Day, commemorated with bread and wine, not with beers and barbecue.
We confess we have failed to care for those we’ve sent into combat, for those who bear the physical and emotional scars of war. We acknowledge our duty to them, a duty that does not end when our attention turns elsewhere.
We confess we have not obeyed our Lord’s command to put away our swords. We acknowledge that war to end war is a fantasy, redemptive violence a myth, and that peace through conquest is an unattainable lie.
We confess that true freedom is not won by a soldier spilling someone else’s blood, but by a lamb who allowed his own blood to be spilled, refusing to take up arms.
We give thanks for the cross, God’s answer to a world addicted to violence. We mourn all whose lives have been sacrificed on the altar of war. We pray for the resolve to pursue another way, to "let go of the sword and take hand of the Crucified One." On this and every Memorial Day, we ask that we might prove ourselves worthy subjects of the Prince of Peace.
What did you think? Do you have any more prayers like this that you have read or written?
