Praying for Peace and Justice on January 11, 2026
Let us pray,
Dear God, Mother of Life, Father of the Universe, our souls are deeply troubled and cry out for mercy, as violence is being perpetrated with impunity and justified by our government against innocent people, even blaming the victims. What happened to innocent until proven guilty? We deeply grieve at lives snuffed out and torn apart from families and rendering communities terrified. Our outrage at these atrocities leaves us speechless as we yearn for help. In our weakness we join your Spirit who intercedes with groans too deep for words. We implore you God, to hear our Hosannas: Save Us, Save us, save everyone, save Life in all its forms. Guide us to meet the times we’re facing, following the non-violent Jesus, the exemplar of peace, with courage, with clear eyed vision and with a calm and peaceful presence.
May your spirit strengthen us to choose hope in the face of despair as we as engage in healing, peacemaking and justice seeking actions, as we witness your eternal and living presence in moments of laughter with friends, in singing communities, in the love we give and receive, in the sound of a plucky Wren singing, the early arrival of the Snowdrop flowers, the sunshine on our face, in the support that immigrant families receive who are experiencing insecurity in food, income and safety, signs of hope in action. As Erica Lloyd’s Inward/Outward reflection reminds us, it is no small thing to act on God’s behalf. May we, as the hands and feet of thr body of Christ, manifest your hope on Earth, be instruments of your living hope, rooted and grounded in your unbounded love.
Amen.