Fiji — map

Gathering in Silence

Call to Prayer

Lighting of Candle

Invitation

In the name of Jesus Christ, welcome to this service of peace. “The rise of Zion the beautiful, the peaceful reign of Christ, awaits your wholehearted response to the call to make and steadfastly hold to God’s covenant of peace in Jesus Christ.”

—Doctrine and Covenants 164:9b.

Today in our prayers we remember the people of Fiji, a nation in the South Pacific. Fiji is an archipelago of more than 300 islands famous for rugged landscapes, palm-lined beaches, and coral reefs with clear lagoons.

Scripture Reading—Doctrine and Covenants 137:6a

Let the church be admonished that the times are portentous and demand faithful adherence to the faith and work of the church, that mankind may be blessed by and find peace in those religiously social reforms and relationships which have been divinely imposed as a great task of achievement.

Prayer for Peace

Laurie Gordon

Holy and Eternal God,

In this still moment and in this sacred place we gather to recognize you as the source of being and the bringer of peace. You are the one whose presence fills the vast and empty reaches of space; and you are the one who is the light of the universe. We come to offer our lives in bringing peace into the world.

This peace may be born in our hearts in still moments such as this, one when we are aware of you. This peace we seek is a peace that feeds and is fed by the unfolding of compassion within, a peace that spills over into our relationships with our loved ones and is extended into a troubled world.

We do not expect your peace to be easy, merely an absence of conflict, but rather an intense participation in life that fiercely embraces the reality of difficulty and harshness as well as delight and joy. We would participate in life in a new way, a transforming way.

We recognize also that our hearts are hard, resistant to your Spirit, often rigid and unyielding. And yet you ask us to let our hearts be broken. So, we open before you and ask... soften the rigid places in our hearts that we might embrace life with an intensity that is at once gentle and strong; that we may give ourselves more intently to the children and lonely ones, to our families and to those without family; that we might care for this earth and all creatures upon it. Then we will learn something about softening and opening the heart of the world to your peace.

As instruments of your peace may we transform, by your Spirit, violence and sorrow into peace and joy. May the spirit of peace in the temple of our hearts be free to spiral out into the world.

In remembrance of the Christ we pray. Amen.

Hymn

Today’s hymn is “The Cause of Zion Summons Us” number 386 in Community of Christ Sings. Sing or silently reflect on the meaning of the text.

Prayers of the People

As we enter a time of guided prayer, meditation, and musical reflection, you are invited to offer silent prayers or meditate during the moments of quiet. The context for our Prayers of the People begin with ourselves and move outward, in rippling waves to those we know and love, to strangers and enemies, to the entire world, to all of creation.

Will you join with me in this time of prayer and meditation acknowledging your soul’s yearning for God’s presence and peace? Silently join your heart with God’s.

Pause.

O God of love, grant us your peace. We struggle with insecurities and fears, weighed down with issues that affect our sense of worth and wholeness. Grant us peace that calms the inner turmoil of our souls and affirms that we are beloved.

Pause.

O God of life, grant us your peace. We strive for relationships that are fair, equitable and filled with compassion, yet we often find ourselves enslaved in conflicts with others, even those we love. Grant us the strength to listen with our hearts first that we may grow in deeper connection with those whom we call friends, coworkers, neighbors, and family.

Pause.

O God of hope, grant us your peace. We have grown weary of the sounds of war, violence, oppression and diminishment of men, women and children, yet we fail to heed your urgent invitation to act for justice. Grant us the courage to extend our hands in acts of mercy, service, and peacemaking. We remember all nations, including Fiji, the country we pray for today.

Pause.

O God of all creation, grant us your peace. We understand that we are made of the same substance as all living things, yet fail to grasp your vision of the sacredness of creation. Make us more aware and weave us into oneness. Grant us a glimpse of your love for creation in all its forms and the compassion to act in ways that respect and honor the genius of your universe.

Pause.

O God of peace, we offer ourselves as vessels of your grace and peace, so that from where we stand, waves of your loving presence will emanate to bless your world. In and through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

Musical Reflection

Sending Forth

Live simply. Value others.

Honor the earth. Walk in sacred footsteps.

Go in peace.