Each year the UN International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. Here’s the link to a Wikipedia article with some of the history. Here’s a link to Decade to Overcome Violence and a link to prayers for peace, and a Song for Peace.
Peacemaking doesn’t mean passivity. It is the act of interrupting injustice without mirroring injustice, the act of disarming evil without destroying the evildoer, the act of finding a third way that is neither flight nor fight but the careful, arduous pursuit of reconciliation and justice. It is about a revolution of love that is big enough to set both the oppressed and oppressors free. (Walter Brueggeman)
MUSIC SUGGESTIONS
Peace to every land that faces stress, crisis, tension, or struggle. Peace to every community that searches for justice, reconciliation, and restoration. Peace to nations suffering from natural disasters and trying to rebuild. Peace in the hearts of leaders who can resolve the divisions between human beings. Peace to those of every faith who pray for peace and work for peace. Peace in the kinship of hope between us all. Peace for our elders and our children. Peace in our minds and in our hearts. Peace to all living things. Peace, we pray, peace.
(Source: Bishop Steven Charleston)
Gathering
Peace is more than a quiet morning with a calm sea
more than cessation of noise when building stops
It is more than a warm feeling somewhere below your heart
more than order and tidiness when the kids are in bed
Peace is strong and robust, just and fair
Peace is hard won and worthwhile,
the work of communities of peacemakers worldwide.
Let us sing today for peace,
Let us sing for peace together.
(Source: St Andrew’s on The Terrace, Hato Anaru o Te Parehua)
Peace by Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-89)
When will you ever, Peace, wild wood dove, shy wings shut,
Your round me roaming end, and under be my boughs?
When, when, Peace, will you, Peace? I’ll not play hypocrite
To own my heart: I yield you do come sometimes; but
That piecemeal peace is poor peace. What pure peace allows
Alarms of wars, the daunting wars, the death of it?
O surely, reaving Peace, my Lord should leave in lieu
Some good! And so he does leave Patience exquisite,
That plumes to Peace thereafter. And when Peace here does house
He comes with work to do, he does not come to coo,
He comes to brood and sit.
Prayer For Peace
As the fever of day calms towards twilight
May all that is strained in us come to ease.
We pray for all who suffered violence today,
May an unexpected serenity surprise them.
For those who risk their lives each day for peace,
May their hearts glimpse providence at the heart of history.
That those who make riches from violence and war
Might hear in their dreams the cries of the lost.
That we might see through our fear of each other
A new vision to heal our fatal attraction to aggression.
That those who enjoy the privilege of peace
Might not forget their tormented brothers and sisters.
That the wolf might lie down with the lamb,
That our swords be beaten into ploughshares
And no hurt or harm be done
Anywhere along the holy mountain.
(Source: John O’Donohue from Benedictus: A Book of Blessings)
A Prayer for Peace
Gracious Lord, we dream of a world free of poverty and oppression,
and we yearn for a world free of vengeance and violence.
We pray for your peace.
When our hearts ache for the victims of war and oppression,
help us to remember that you healed people simply by touching them.
Give us faith in our ability to comfort and heal bodies and minds
and spirits that have been broken by violence.
When the injustice of this world seems too much for us to handle,
help us to remember that you fed five thousand people
with only five loaves of bread and two fish.
Grant us hope that what we have to offer
will turn out to be enough, too.
When fear of the power and opinions of others
tempts us not to speak up for the least among us,
help us to remember that you dared to turn over the tables of money changers.
Grant us the courage to risk following you
without counting the cost.
When we feel ourselves fill with anger at those who are violent and oppressive,
help us remember that you prayed for those who killed you.
Grant us compassion for all peoples.
When we tell ourselves that we have given all we can to bring peace to this world,
help us to remember your sacrifice.
Grant us the miracle of losing a little more of ourselves
in serving you and our neighbours.
Walk with us, Lord, as we answer your call to be peacemakers.
Increase our compassion, our generosity and our hospitality for the least of your children.
Grant us the courage, the patience, the serenity,
the self-honesty and the gentleness of spirit
that are needed in a world filled with turmoil and terror.
You show us the way and we follow.
Transform the compassion of our hearts
into acts of peace, mercy, and justice. Amen.
(adapted from a prayer by Jack Knox, pastor of Salem (Oregon) Mennonite Church. Posted on Glocal Christianity: the blog of Matt Stone. http://mattstone.blogs.com/
Peace tattoo
Children need to breathe the air of protest
walk together, arm in arm with strangers
wear badges of hope and T-shirts with lifelines
Sing words of wisdom and history
chant choric responses of camaraderie
in a mass movement of human voices.
Understand the justice of causes
and the constant need for change.
The dignity of freedom
and the strength of real choices
Find courage to lead others by honourable action
spreading metaphors of compassion
over roads of pain and tears.
Letting the certainty of liberty
beat with their hearts
as strong as empathy
And may peace be tattooed
on every breath
they ever breathe.
(M. L. Emmett, Convenor of Friendly Street Poets. Her first book of poetry Snatching Time was published by Wakefield Press in 2009)
If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart.
(Source:Lao-Tse, 6th c. BCE)
Peace is not an absence of conflict and violence. It is a set of relationships based on justice, participation and a recognition of our mutual humanity and inter-dependence. It is easy to blame those who stridently highlight injustice and oppression as being the ones who disturb the peace, but they are in fact pointing out that peace does not exist where there is institutional violence or injustice. Jesus calls us to be peacemakers, not by ignoring sources of conflict and violence, but by committing ourselves to non-violent action to bring about a set of relationships based on justice, equality and participation.
Let us say together a short litany of peace:
We commit ourselves:
To being peacemakers in our own lives, families, and communities
as well as nationally and internationally
Blessed are the peacemakers
To building relationships based on justice, equality and participation as the only true basis for a peaceful society
Blessed are the peacemakers
To forgiving others when they do wrong against us
Blessed are the peacemakers
To not ignoring the real sources of conflict and violence
Blessed are the peacemakers
To not retaliating when we are attacked or criticised
Blessed are the peacemakers
To resolving conflict constructively through dialogue
Blessed are the peacemakers
(Source: Roger Courtney, Progressive Christianity)
We are moulded, each one of us,
in the image of God,
and within our souls there is a fingerprint
none can erase.
We pray for those who have no regard
for anyone but self,
who put no value on human life.
For nations and individuals who abuse and kill.
We are not called to be judge or jury,
but we are called to be agents of change,
and if the butterfly that flaps its wings
should be our attitude to others
then so be it, Lord,
and may the hurricane this generates
somewhere within the world
reach into the hearts and souls of those
for whom we pray, and reveal to them
how precious are those
for whom they have no love,
and how precious are they
who now bring tears to the eyes of God.
(Source: John Birch, A Prayer for Peace)
We come to you God our Creator.
You are the source of life, beauty and power.
Your son Jesus is the way of faith, hope and love.
Your spirit is the fire of love, the book of wisdom, the bond of unity.
You call us at all times to be people of blessing,
Witnesses of peace, love and forgiveness.
You call us now when violent differences and wars
heavy pressure on people in many countries.
Suffering and violence has already broken their lives.
We renew your invitation to receive.
We make a promise
bring the light of the gospel to those living in darkness,
bring the gospel hope to those living in distress,
bring healing gospel to the lonely,
for the underprivileged and the exempted,
and bring the gospel peace to the shared,
into a world of different ways. Amen.
(A prayer on the substance of Ecumenical Responsibility Week)
Day of peace
Earth goes around so slowly, slowly.
Day turns to night and back again.
Winter to spring and summer to autumn.
Year upon year from when to when,
and we’re coming around to the Day of Peace.
Species evolve so slowly, slowly.
Wonder on wonder they appear,
Fashioned by God, the great and lowly
Live on the earth where life is dear,
and we’re coming around to the Day of Peace.
Walls breaking down so slowly, slowly.
Eyes start to see and ears to hear.
Dogmas shift and all is holy; the
time is right and God is near,
and we’re coming around to the Day of Peace.
(Joan Reppert, Progressive Christianity; original music score here)
Passing the peace
This is a house of God. A place of peace.
A place where we befriend one another. (RMitchell)
Let us greet another as a sign of God’s peace
and of our shared friendship.
The peace of God is here… to stay (Iona).
Thanks be to God.
You are invited to share the peace with your neighbours.
A sign of peace is exchanged
Peace to the world and to all creatures,
peace to the world and to all people,
peace to fathers, peace to mothers, peace to our brothers and sisters.
Peace to the vastness of the sky, peace to the depths of the seas,
peace to the silence of the world. Amen.
(Source: John Philip Newell, translation by Kati Pirttima)
PRAYERS FOR PEACE LITURGY
Gathering of the people of God
[The Christ candle is lit with the words]
This candle is a symbol of the light of Christ, the peacemaker, in the world.
We gather together, the people of God –
our creator, our liberator, and our strength.
[A second candle is lit, for the Indigenous people of this land]
We gather, recognising that the land on which we meet
was wrested from the original community
who cared for it before the British Empire came to this place.
We recognise that the land is still resonating with that violence.
We acknowledge that it is hard to be peacemakers
when unresolved conflicts still poison our society.
And yet we gather, for we believe in the power of Christ;
the one who builds bridges and reconciles.
Christ be with us, we pray. Amen
Prayer of approach
Jesus Christ, peacemaker, we come to you this day:
seeking strength to be peace builders;
searching for guidance on the path.
We come to you this day:
hungry, to once more sit at your feet and be
fed by your word
We come to you this day:
alone, so that you can once more build
community amongst us
We come to you this day:
searching, to be challenged to follow you
on the path of peace.
You show us the way of the peacemaker is not to be passive:
You did not pass by on the other side while
injustice occurred.
You show us the way of the peacemaker is not
to avoid conflict:
Your actions challenged those who misused power.
You show us the way of the peacemaker is to
be strong and steadfast:
You resisted taking the easy way of violence.
You show us the way of the peacemaker,
which is to reject the myth that violence will redeem us.
In your dying, you bore witness to the self-
giving love of God – God willing to be broken,
bringing true redemption and life in its fullness.
Jesus Christ, in you, is the real victory won
– in you, we see the love of God.
The path of peacemaking is not the path of weakness –
it is the triumph of God-with-us, here and now.
We come to you this day seeking strength and
courage to follow the path of peace. Amen
Intercessory prayers
Where do we go when our hearts long for justice
and our spirits crave peace?
We turn to You, God, for there is no other.
Do you know the evil at work in our world, Lord?
Can you explain the evil that enters the hearts of
people who hate their neighbours’ differences?
Why nation takes up sword against nation?
We turn to You, God, for there is no other.
We pray for those made homeless and hungry,
those whose lives are torn apart by the killing of
their loved ones, and all those affected by violence
that pollutes the human spirit.
Bring peace, bring shelter, bring truth, bring
justice.
We pray for strength as we take small steps along
your path of peacemaking: in our will to take wise
political action, in our generosity to support those
who suffer, and in our hearts to seek the ways of
peace.
We turn to You, God, for there is no other.
God of peace and wholeness, support those who
suffer in the conflicts of our world, particularly
those who are nameless and unknown to us: we
name the places and light a candle for those who
suffer.
[Invite congregation members to light a candle and
name a place or a situation where they long for peace.]
Support the churches that witness and serve,
the negotiators who seek peace, and the
compassionate who bring food, shelter, and health
care. Help us oppose those who resort quickly to
force of arms.
Deliver us, oh God, from idolatry which confuses
our works with Yours. Open us to the surprises.
You alone will work when we pray:
We turn to You, God, for there is no other. Bring
peace, bring shelter, bring truth, bring justice.
Amen
(Based mainly on a prayer in the Uniting Church Assembly Mission Prayer Handbook 2000 and adapted for the 2025 IDOP resource.)
Communion
Invitation to communion
We are an open community and all are invited to Christ’s table. Wherever you are on your faith’s journey, wherever you have come from and wherever you are going to, whatever you believe, whatever you do not believe, you are welcome to participate in the communion. This is God’s meal for all people.
Communion liturgy
Lift up your hearts
We lift them up
Let us give thanks and praise
at this sacred table,
we give thanks and praise this day for Peace
It is right to give thanks and praise
for we have been granted access
to the deepest peace known to humanity;
Peace passing all understanding, soothing hearts, calming minds.
A peace hard won and deeply valued by all those over the centuries
who have worked for peace and made peace and kept the peace.
Hope in this peace has endured
through war and nuclear bomb
through riots and anarchy
through chaos, abuse and violence.
And as we sing the ancient words
we range ourselves alongside
all who have worked for peace through the ages,
who lived and worked with Jesus and all his followers since.
Holy, holy, holy One,
filled with power and might
Heaven and earth are filled with your glory The glory of the power that is love
Blessed are they who come
in the name of all that is life giving and loving Hosanna in the highest
Let gratitude ring across the sky
Blessed is our brother Jesus, sometimes called the Prince of Peace, who walks with us in the spirit of life, who, after a meal with his friends, people much like us, took bread, gave thanks, broke it and said:
‘This is my body which is for you
Do this to remember me’
In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying words like
‘This cup is the new covenant,
Do this whenever you drink it, to remember me.’
Come now disturbing Spirit
breathe on these earthly things and make us one.
Open our eyes, unlock our hearts, name us here;
Heal, in us and our world, all which needs healing
transforming despair into hope
that we may go out with power to release peace in the world.
Communion is served by intinction. You are invited to come to the front of the church and receive the bread, or a gluten-free cracker, taking a piece large enough to dip into the wine (silver cup) or grape juice (pottery cup). Then you’re invited to eat the bread (cracker) dipped in wine or juice.
Or, remain in your seat to be served if mobility is difficult. If you don’t wish to receive communion, please remain in your seat – we’re glad you are here with us.
Source: St Andrew’s on The Terrace, Hato Anaru o Te Parehua, New Zealand. Adapted from All Desires Known by Janet Morley. The original of this prayer was first used on Easter Day 1987 in the St Hilda Community
)Print/online publications
International Day of Peace – Faith Community Resource 2024 (Uniting Church)
We will seek peace and pursue it liturgy (Iona/Wild Goose Publications).
A book of readings, reflections and prayers about ‘the bombs and bullets and landmines we drop into the heart of other people’s lives’ – and the many good folk working for peace and reconciliation. It can be used for personal and group reflection or in worship. The title comes from one of the closing responses of the morning service in Iona Abbey: Go in peace to love and to serve; We will seek peace and pursue it.
Live in the light liturgy PDF download (Iona/Wild Goose publications – link here)
Five reflections on peace and reconciliation that follow a pattern of beginning with inner reconciliation, moving through reconciliation in our worshipping community or church, to reconciliation in the world. Written by Ruth Harvey, Head of Training and Peace-building for Place for Hope, a Scottish-based mediation agency working with faith communities and churches.
Praise Be Peace: Psalms of Peace and Nonviolence in a Time of War and Climate Change by Fr John Dear (published January 2020)
“In this profound and deeply reflective book international peace activist Fr John Dear helps us see that if we read the psalms from Jesus vision of nonviolence, we will find new strength to turn away from hate and anger toward greater trust and devotion to God and newfound wisdom, gratitude, and wonder. Steeped in wisdom from both the Eastern and the Western peace traditions, these powerful and prayerful contemplations of 32 key psalms will strengthen our daily commitment to nonviolence and love”.
“With God comes love, mercy, generosity, kindness, faithfulness, security, and peace towards yourself, your neighbour, all humanity, and all creation. In the psalms you hear the divine call to serve and liberate the poor and oppressed and establish universal peace with justice for every human being and all creation”.
John Dear has been an active peacemaker for four decades. John has learned from Mahatma Gandhi and Gandhi’s interpretation and application of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Just as in previous books he has used Gandhi’s satyagraha methods of nonviolent social change as a lens on the gospels and the teachings of Jesus, so in this new volume, John uses his understanding of Jesus’ thoroughgoing nonviolence as an interpretive key to the Psalms. “We Christians are summoned to be as nonviolent as Christ, and so we need to avoid anything and everything that promotes violence, including scriptural texts calling for violence and war.”
