Thursday, October 24, 2019

A united prayer on United Nations Day: Sydney Martin Place


 
 
As we celebrate United Nations Day, the world groans under the weight of strife, divisions, and suffering of our own making.  The dream of a united nations that came into being 74 years ago seems to be fading into memory.
Forgive us for taking peace for granted.  We are reminded that peace is fragile, and justice hard won.
We give thanks for what the United Nations has achieved. For many people around the world, the United Nations has been, and continues to be, a symbol of hope for peace and justice, and a better future.
We give thanks for all workers who have given their lives for a peaceful and just world.  We pray for the United Nations community — a body made up of 193 member states, staff of peacekeepers and peace builders, civil society organizations, and people around the world who give voice to the voiceless — working together towards a peaceful and sustainable future.
We celebrate the dignity of each of God’s children, for we are all made in God’s image.  We pray that as God’s people we will seek the peace and justice of the whole human family — all for whom Christ died and rose again.  May we work together as one body in Christ to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God.
May we seek God’s shalom and seek life in all its fullness for all God’s people everywhere.