A collection of prayers for peace - 2009

The following collection of prayers from the Caribbean for the International Day of Prayer for Peace comes from a variety of denominations. We encourage you to use them freely, taking note of the copyright information when given. Please cite the World Council of Churches if no other source is provided.

and for prayers for peace at other times in preparation for the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation.

Download a PDF version of the order of service for 2009

Keep your church free, that it may be the channel
through which justice and peace,
integrity and wholeness,
harmony and goodwill
may flow to the dispossessed and the desperate,
that your Kingdom may come in all its fulfillment
of life and health and peace,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

(source unknown: sent by Rev. John Carden)

The following resources are taken from the booklet "Imagine peace", a collection of bible meditations and other texts on biblical aspects of peace and overcoming violence. The songs and texts have been created during a workshop organized by the World Council of Churches and Red Crearte (Latin America) in Matanzas, Cuba, in July 2008. A video (in Spanish) under the theme "Gloria a Dios en las alturas y paz en la tierra" was also produced during the workshop.

You are encouraged to use them freely, but please respect their Creative Commons License.
Scores include lyrics in English, French, German and Spanish.

We believe that there will not always be darkness
for the people who live in pain and sorrow,
through injustice, marginalization, discrimination or the stigma of HIV/Aids,
because Christ is light.

We believe that people will not always live apart hostile to one another,
separated by hatred or bitterness, by cultural or ideological differences,
by their social or economic situation, by creed, race or sexual orientation,
because Christ is reconciliation.

We believe that the doors will not always be shut to life,
that the walls restricting freedom and dignity will fall down
and that all forms of violence and oppression will be overcome,
because Christ is peace.

We believe that there will not always be tables that are empty while others are laden with food,
because the table of creation is for all,
because the fruits of the earth are for everybody to be fairly shared,
because Christ is the sun of justice.

We believe that water will no longer be polluted,
and that there will be enough so that no one will be thirsty.
We believe that rivers will not be private property and nobody will fence off springs,
and that ice will still be eternal and rain a sacred blessing,
because Christ is pure and transparent.

We believe that one day the wolf will no longer want to kill the lamb
and that the creatures will be able to play without fearing the serpents of abuse,
of deceit, of neglect, of kidnapping, of malnutrition and of indifference,
because Christ entered into creation.

We believe that a free and just earth,
where it is possible to live together in harmony,
where everyone will have space and opportunity,
is not a distant dream but a near reality.
We believe that another world is possible
because Christ has come to the world to make it new.

O God of peace, you know us from before we were formed in our mother’s womb.
Forgive us when we only have good intentions and do not commit ourselves
to concrete action for peace and justice.
Grant that our actions and our words may always promote peace.

O God of justice, you judge our human race with mercy.
Forgive us when we allow your image in us to be marred as we remain passive in face of so
much violence and exclusion.
Grant that our actions and our words may always promote peace.

O God of love, you have created humankind to be one great family.
Forgive our inability to be reconciled with others, both our dear ones and our enemies.
Grant that our actions and our words may always promote peace.

O God of grace, you have given us the gift of speech to be an instrument for change.
Forgive us for the times when we have spoken too hastily without thinking of the
consequences, or have remained silent out of fear or indifference.
Grant that our actions and our words may always promote peace.

O God of life, you have placed us on this earth to tend and watch over it. Forgive us if we
have failed to care for your world, to protect nature, the home you have given us, the home of
our ancestors and of our descendants. Help us to promote life and seek peace.
Grant that our actions and our words may always promote peace.

Lord, we pray for
Peace for those who weep in silence
Peace for those who cannot speak
Peace when all hope seems to disappear.

In the midst of rage, of violence and disappointment,
In the midst of wars and destruction of the earth,
Lord, show us your light in the darkness.

Lord, we pray for
Peace for those who raise their voices to demand it,
Peace when there are many who do not wish to hear of it,
Peace as we find the way to justice.

These songs for peace from Latin America aim to express the motto that has been chosen for the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC): "Glory to God and Peace on Earth".

Listen to the songs and download the scores

This song by Paschal Jordan has originally been created for the Caribbean Conference of Churches (CCC) General Assembly in 2005.

Download the scores (pdf)