Loving and merciful God, on this night in Ukraine, where the hatred and malice of a tyrant manifests itself in explosions, flying glass, the sound of rockets, and the report of gunfire, we pray that you would protect his victims, speed aid to the defenseless, and strengthen those who seek to defend them. Give voice to the leaders of their nation. Give them the courage needed to stand by people. Move the nations of the world to act in their defense, setting aside their fears and the desire for comfort. Convict those who perpetrate this violence, turn the hearts of those act in the name of tyranny, move the people of Russia to rise up in opposition to the injustice in which they are implicated, and judge those who willfully lie, murder, and maim those who stand in their way. Give your church a single voice in naming this evil, the designs that threaten world peace, the avarice that grasps at the homes of others, and the villainy that willingly draws the world into the jaws of war. Keep us from indifference, save us from enthrallment to fear, and strengthen our witness to your perfect will for the whole world. All this we ask in the name of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, who with you and the Holy Spirit, reign one God, now and forever. Amen.
Loving and merciful God, on this night in Ukraine, where the hatred and malice of a tyrant manifests itself in explosions, flying glass, the sound of rockets, and the report of gunfire, we pray that you would shield his victims, speed aid to the defenseless, strengthen those who seek to defend them, heal the wounded, receive the dying, and comfort those who grieve.
Give voice to the leaders of Ukraine. Give them the courage needed to stand by people. Move the nations of the world to act in their defense, setting aside their desire for comfort, and move our own nation to act in a decisive and fearless fashion calculated to bring this conflict to a speedy conclusion for the sake of those in harm’s way.
Convict those who perpetrate this violence and turn the hearts of those act in the name of tyranny. Move the people of Russia to rise up in opposition to the injustice in which they are implicated. Shield them from harm and give their efforts success.
Judge those who willfully lie, intimidate, murder, and maim those who stand in their way. Give your church a single voice in naming this evil, the designs that threaten world peace, the avarice that grasps at the homes of others, and the villainy that willingly draws the world into the jaws of war.
Keep us from indifference, save us from enthrallment to fear, and strengthen our witness to your perfect will for the whole world. All this we ask in the name of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, who with you and the Holy Spirit, reign one God, now and forever. Amen.
Spirit of our God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – Most Holy Trinity, descend upon our world. Purify it of those forces and appetites that thrive on conquest and control. Banish from the world those forces and appetites that destroy and distort your image, given to humankind as a gift and trust. Stem the tide of jealousy, malice, treachery, envy, and domination that threatens to subvert your will for our world. Frustrate the efforts of those who seek to inflict spiritual, physical, moral and psychological harm on individuals and communities. Shield the defenseless, those without a voice, those who are without power, those who are nameless, unseen, and unloved. Instill courage in us as we stand alongside of them. Shield us from vainglory, pride, sloth, and all those passions – seen and unseen – that undermine our devotion to you and our defense of others. And in these perilous times bless us with courage, compassion, resilience, faith and the resolve needed to stand alongside our brothers in Ukraine. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit, reign one God, now and forever. Amen.
Spirit of our God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – Most Holy Trinity, as physical and spiritual darkness envelopes the world, remind us that you are the Lord of Life: made visible in the Logos, who is Alpha and Omega, vindicated in the Resurrection, returned to your throne bearing the perfection of the God-Man, the Second Adam, the glorified Christ who reigns on high. From that place where you reign over history, in both Eden and the eternal City, banish the darkness of our souls, the designs of principalities and powers, and the threats of pretenders to your throne. Liberate us that we might look to you alone, governed by your Word, and led by your Spirit. In these moments in which might makes right, in which nations shrink from their promises, in which children weep, mothers grieve, and men stand between their families and foes, summon compassion, courage, commitment: to the hope you hold out for the world, to the truth once offered in your Son, to the Good News proclaimed by your apostles. You have promised that your Spirit will guide our prayers and fill the silence. So, now we ask that you raise those prayers on behalf of our brothers and sisters. This night they face violence, brutality, and derision. This night they are cut off from those who might have helped. This night they are left alone to face their aggressors. Our reassurances, our speeches, our rhetoric are bitter reminders of just how fragile and self-serving we all can be. Their conquerors are bent on extinguishing their hope, on battering their souls, on threatening their lives, on leaving parents and grandparents in despair and children in fear. Forgive us our love of comfort, our glib reassurances, our fears, our hypocrisy. Frustrate the efforts of those who seek to dominate them. In the mystery of intercession draw us – with those who suffer – before your throne and bring truth out of error, light out of darkness, and life out of death. In this moment, when cruelty – past, present, and yet to come – are faced with judgment in the eternal now, empty all that looks like gain, subvert all that looks like triumph, weaken all that looks like strength, and in the abundance of your mercy, reveal your power. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit, reign one God, now and forever. Amen.
This night, merciful God, give comfort to those who mourn. Receive the dead. Embrace the dying. Speed healing to the wounded.
This night, merciful God, work in poisoned and poisonous minds. Still the voice of evil. Humble its designs. Frustrate its efforts.
This night, merciful God, protect the innocent. Aid those who defend their homes. Lend them courage. Keep them from despair.
This night, merciful God, move in the international community. Chasten our selfishness and our love of comfort. Chasten our partisan pettiness. Give our leaders courage and unity of purpose in the face of tyranny.
This night, merciful God, watch over us all. For without you we are without hope, but with you, by our side, we need not fear.
In the name of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, who with you and the Holy Spirit, reign one God, now and forever. Amen.
Gracious, loving God, you never sleep. You watch over and defend your children. You care for the wounded, you offer hope to those who despair. You comfort those who grieve. You break the power of death.
As the days and nights of conflict in our world lengthen, teach us to be vigilant in prayer, untiring in our capacity for love, and reliable in our efforts to care for our brothers and sisters. Convict those who plot to rob them of their lives and their rights. Give us the courage to stand alongside of them, as you stand alongside of us all.
All this we pray in the name of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, who with you and the Holy Spirit, reign one God, now and forever. Amen.
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