O God, even as we pray for the day when no one's children will be sacrificed to war, we pray for the children among us.
Give them, in the midst of the confusion around us, moments to play and to rejoice in your creation.
Give us calm to comfort their fears.
We include in our prayers those far away who seek to comfort, feed, and shelter their children in this time of tension and war.
Give all of us grace to be still, know that you are God, and join our children in moments of simple joy that remind us all that life and love are your enduring gifts; in Jesus' name. Amen.

Prayer for the President of the United States, Civil and Military Leaders

O Lord our Governor, whose glory is in all the world: We commend our nation to your merciful care, that, being guided by your divine direction, we may dwell secure in your peace. Grant to the President of the United States and all civil and military leaders and to all in authority the wisdom and strength to know and to do your will. Fill them with the love of truth and righteousness, and make them ever mindful of their calling to serve, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

A Prayer for Protection of Those in Military Service

God of Love and Compassion, we have come to ask for your protection for those who are being sent to faraway places to prepare for our defense. Before this season of unrest, we had grown comfortable with thinking of them only as they relate to us - as our parents and spouses, our sons and daughters, our neighbors and friends. We look forward to a day when no community will ever be asked to release its loved ones for purposes of war. But today, Lord, history and circumstances force us to release them into your care and into our country's service. We pray for their safe return; and not only for theirs, but for the safe return of others who are being sent from communities, so much like ours, in other parts of the world. As they face the myriad challenges and decisions that each day is destined to bring, may they be anchored by their faith, protected by your presence, and comforted by the knowledge that they are loved by you and by this community.
We bless them in your name, and look forward to their safe return, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Prayer for Peace

Eternal God, maker of heaven and earth, we pray for the people of Iraq. We ask that your mercy and grace reach those who have suffered from war, continued bombings, and sanctions. Hear the cries of the thousands who grieve the death of their children, the death of family members, the death of security and well-being. We pray for the people of the U.S. and Britain, that we would support efforts to create peaceful relations with Iraq and resist any possible invasion, which will only bring further devastation to a suffering people. We pray for our political leaders, that they will have the wisdom to provide a security not based upon the threat of power, but the vulnerability of compassion, and the vision of being world citizens. We pray for justice and peace, a justice that tears down walls that divide nations, a peace that builds bridges of hope between peoples. Through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
 
Prayer for World Peace

Lead us from death to life
Lead us from falsehood to truth
Lead us from despair to hope
Lead us from fear to trust
Lead us from hate to love
Lead us from war to peace
Let peace fill our hearts, our world, our Universe. Amen.

A Prayer for Armed Forces Personnel and their Families

Dear Lord,
Many of the families of those who enlisted in our armed services in peace time...
Never expected this nation to face a military threat,
Never imagined that as reserves, their loved ones would be called to active duty,
Never suspected that war might be declared on their watch.
Many of the men and women who enlisted in our armed services in peace time...
Have never faced real danger,
Have never been in life or death situations,
Have never been in a war.
No one is...
Fully prepared for war,
Fully prepared to take another person's life,
Fully prepared to face an untimely death .
As unprepared as we all are for the unthinkable
We turn to you,
And entrust into your hands the lives and hearts of our loved ones,
And ask you to comfort our loved ones and us in the midst of situations that we cannot control,
And ask that you place an assurance in the souls of our loved ones that we are continually remembering them in ways that matter through our sincerest prayers and our abiding love.
While our loved ones live on the edge...
Remove from us in this country the luxury of escape into our numb routine;
Give us no rest until we express a sober vigilance that compels us to pray without ceasing...
For our leaders whose decisions today will impact the future of our children and grandchildren.
Allow us to feel your love and sorrow,
joy and anger at the actions of humanity.
In hopes that the next generation
Will not have to pray
A wartime prayer
For their loved ones.
Amen.

Prayer for the Bombed Out, Burned Out, Driven Out

Lord God, we pray for all the bombed out, burned out, driven out, relocated, wondering , wandering, unwilling pilgrims in this world. Forgive us for our part in uprooting them. Restore their lives, make us partners with in the rebuilding of their lives. We pray in the name of the Son of Man, who had no place to lay his head. Amen.

Prayer of Intercession

O God, who called the peacemakers your children, we beseech you that as you sent your Son with the heavenly voice of peace on earth to be the Prince of Peace, so you will keep our hearts and minds in Christ's peace, and make us both to love and defend the same. Guide the counsels of the President and of all leaders, in equity and steadfastness, to establish unity and concord among the nations, that all humankind may render you the fruits of peace and righteousness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for a New Way of Seeing

God who creates us all and who loves us each, help us look past "the enemy" to see our brothers and sisters. May this new way looking  impact our living; in Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

Prayer to Calm Our Angry Hearts

Christ, no one on earth really wants the pain and horror of war.
We do not want to kill or be killed, to hurt or be hurt.
But we all see injustice, and sometimes it makes us angry and
we see no other way to right the wrong except by war.
Christ, teach us the ways of peace!
Calm our angry hearts and grant to all peoples and their leaders
patience in the search for peace and justice.
Help us to be ready to give up some of our comforts and power and pride, so that war will leave the face of the earth and we may work for you in peace. Amen.

Prayer for Prudence, Wisdom, and Humaneness

Grant us prudence in proportion to our power, wisdom in proportion to our science, humaneness in proportion to our wealth and might.
And bless all races and peoples who travel in friendship along the road to justice, liberty, and lasting peace. Amen.

Prayer For Peace

Eternal God, in your perfect realm no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, and there is no strength but the strength of love. So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as your children; to you be dominion and glory, now and forever. Amen.

Prayer of Hope

Beloved God, we give you thanks for the life and message of Jesus, Jesus the Rebel, who remains our guide and inspiration and the promise of Hope in our time.
For Jesus calls us to love in a time of indifference,
     to nonviolence in a time of injustice,
     and to life in a time of death.
He teaches us not only how to live, but how to die;
     how to transform not only the world but our own broken hearts, as well.
His revolution transcends all our dreams for a better world and declares your reign here  and now, at this very moment in human history.
In Jesus, we meet you, our beloved God. We see your true face. From now on we know that you are
     not a god of despair but of hope,
     not a god of wrath but of mercy;
     not a god of condemnation but of compassion;
     not a god of imperial power but of suffering;
     not a god of domination but of loving service;
     not a god of oppression but of liberation;
     not a god who blesses injustice but the God of justice;
     not a god of war but of peace;
     not a god of violence but of nonviolence;
     not a god of death but of Life.
From now on we know that we all have been created to share in the fullness of life, in your love and unending mercy.
We step forward into the future, supporting each other, building community, making peace, practicing nonviolence, resisting the forces of war, and reconciling with our enemies.
We have met Jesus the Rebel. He is alive and goes before us, summoning us to carry on the mission of nonviolence. We have been changed forever.
Beloved God, you have begun the revolution within us.
Our hearts burn with the fire of Hope. Amen.

Prayer for Hope

We pray that someday an arrow will be broken,
not in something or someone,
but by each of humankind,
to indicate peace, not violence.
Someday, oneness with creation,
rather than domination over creation,
will be the goal to be respected.
Someday fearlessness to love and make a difference
will be experienced by all people.
Then the eagle will carry our prayer for peace and love,
and the people of the red, white, yellow, brown,
and black communities can sit in the same circle together to communicate in love and experience the presence of the Great Mystery in their midst.
Someday can be today for you and me. Amen.
 
Prayer for World Unity
O God, you love justice and you establish peace on earth.
We bring before you the disunity of today's world:
the absurd violence, and the many wars,
which are breaking the courage of the peoples of the world;
militarism and the armaments race,
which are threatening life on the planet;
human greed and injustice,
which breed hatred and strife.
Send your Spirit and renew the face of the earth; teach us to be compassionate toward the whole human family; strengthen the will of all those who fight for justice and for peace; lead all nations into the path of peace, and give us that peace which the world cannot give. Amen.
 
Prayer in a Time of International Crisis
Eternal God, our only hope, our help in times of trouble:
show nations ways to work out differences.
Do not let threats multiply or power be used without compassion.
May your will overrule human willfulness, so that people may agree and settle claims peacefully.
Hold back those who are impulsive, lest desire for vengeance overwhelm our common welfare.
Bring peace to earth, through Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace and Savior of us all. Amen.
 
Prayer for Those in the Military
Righteous God, you rule the nations.
Guard brave men and women
who risk themselves in battle for their country.
Give them compassion for enemies
who also fight for patriotic causes.
Keep our sons and daughters from hate that hardens,
or from scorekeeping with human lives.
Though they must be at war,
let them live for peace,
as eager for agreement as for victory.
Encourage them as they encourage one another,
and never let hard duty separate them for loyalty to your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
 
Prayer for Those in Military Service
God of compassion,
we pray for military personnel,
offered for the sake of others,
and separated from family and loved ones.
Care for them; meet their needs.
Grant them courage, compassion, strength, and all they need for
the living of these days.
Sustain them through their every trial.
Remind them of the humanity they share even with those who
are called "the enemy;"
through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray. Amen.
 
Prayer for the Victims of War
Merciful God,
comfort and console those who get in the way of war
and suffer the most - the women, the children, the old ones -
who are wounded and killed,
orphaned and widowed,
and left homeless and hungry.
Touch your children with compassion
that we might respond swiftly and well
to the needs of those who suffer;
we pray in the name of Jesus who suffered for all. Amen.
 
Prayer for Family and Friends of Those in Military Service
God of love,
we pray for families left behind by those called to serve in the armed forces.
We pray for husband, wives, and partners,
for sisters and brothers, sons and daughters,
mothers and fathers, cousins and grandparent,
aunts and uncles, co-workers and special friends.
We pray for all who wait and wonder and worry on account of one they love.
Stand with them in these anxious moments.
Help them feel your loving presence embracing them, embracing those they love.
Speed the day when they will know glad reunion.
In Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
 
Prayer for Those in Military Service
O God, from age to age you are God; your care extends to the farthest reaches of the earth.
In your grace, hold and bless those whom we love, who are absent from us now, gone in the service of our country.
Protect them in all dangers of soul and body.
Guide them in their tasks.
Remind them of the cords of love that bind us together even across the distance that lies between us.
By those cords gently draw us all ever nearer to you that we may be drawn ever nearer to one another.
We pray through Jesus. Amen.
 
Prayer for the Human Cost of War
God who grieved the death of your Christ,
we grieve as we gather.
Our spirits are sore,
our hearts are aching,
for your children have lacked
the moral courage and
the creative vision
to prevent war.
As a result,
your children,
our sisters and brothers,
will be wounded, maimed, and killed.
Your children from the United States,
your children from Iraq,
your children from allied forces,
your children in the military,
your children who are civilians.
On both sides, on all sides,
all are your beloved children.
Forgive us, God.
May your children know your presence and love.
May we work to end this war,
to care for those it harms,
to seek nonviolent ways to work for justice.
In the name of the crucified and risen Christ we pray. Amen.
 
Prayer for a New Way of Understanding
Help me remember, loving God,
that body counts
and casualty lists
and collateral damage
have faces
closely resembling
my partner,
my children,
my friends,
my colleagues,
and myself.
Amen.
 
Prayer For a World at War
God for all the world,
as we focus our prayers
on the needs of those involved in the war in Iraq,
remind us that there are many wars and armed conflicts
taking place around your world today.
In Angola and Zimbabwe,
in Colombia and Uzbekistan,
in the Kashmir and the Philippines.
and in too many other places,
your children know war and conflict fueled by present injustices
and wrongs remembered.
Provide the people in such situations
the hope and faith and love to endure.
Provide leaders the courage and vision
to seek and implement nonviolent solutions
which do justice for all.
Bless the efforts of those who work for peace in all these places.
Through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
 
Prayer for Our Thoughts and Feelings
Gracious God,
We are angry, we are sad, we are fearful, we are worried, we are confused.
We gather with many convictions and opinions.
We gather with many needs.
We gather with so much in our hearts and on our minds.
All that we bring with us to this time, we offer to you;
trusting you to strengthen us for the living of these days
and to care for us, for our loved ones, for your world, for your children better than we are able to ask; in Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
 
Prayer for a Vision of Peace
Eternal God, you broke into the world not with the shout of battle but with the cry of a tiny babe; now break into the lives of your children around the world. Fill us with a vision of your peace on earth so that even in the midst of conflict and violence we may have hope, through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
 
Prayer During a National Crisis
God of ages, in your sight nations rise and fall, and pass through times of peril. Now when our land is troubled, be near to judge and save. May leaders be led by your wisdom; may they search your will and see it clearly. If we have turned from your way, help us to reverse our ways and repent. Give us your light and your truth to guide us; through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of this world, and our Savior. Amen.
 
Prayer for the Human Family
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us, through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
Prayer for Peace
Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all people and nations may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one Father; to whom be dominion and glory, now and forever. Amen.
 
Prayer for Mercy as We Make War
Have mercy on us, O God, when your children kill each other.
Remind us that war is evil turning life into hell and death.
Forgive us.
Cure our warring madness. Guide us to pursue justice through nonviolent means; this we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.
 
Prayer for Those in Leadership
Holy God,
provide those who make decisions
of life or death
of war or peace
with the wisdom and courage,
the patience and the judgment
to seek peaceful means of resolving conflict.
We pray through the Prince of Peace, Jesus the Christ. Amen.
 
Prayer for Those Who Refuse Military Service for Conscience' Sake
God whose Christ is called the Prince of Peace,
watch over those brave ones among us
who refuse military service
because of their faith and convictions.
Help them to discern your call and to understand their hearts.
Give them strength to stand true to their consciences;
charity to love their brothers and sisters who serve in the armed forces;
humility to avoid self_righteousness;
and courage to speak the truth in their witness to peace.
This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.