(From a series of reflections for the weeks leading up to the November elections)

Week of October 25-31
Hope for a World without War and Violence

PRAYER:
Holy and Loving God, we ask for your forgiveness for the sins committed in our name:

for our brothers and sisters around the world who suffer because of our prosperity;

for the children who hunger and thirst for a chance at life;

for the violence we see and hear everyday in our streets, our homes, and our words;

for the hate, war and pain in our world.

We ask your forgiveness for our passivity, for not standing up when we know we could have done so and for not always being true to the nonviolent example that Jesus presented to us.

Holy and Loving God, you have said, "Blessed are the peacemakers."

Give us the strength to be peacemakers in these times:

when fear is everywhere, when lies are accepted,

when lives are in danger, when war and violence plague our world.

Holy and Loving God, we ask for continued hope for a world without war and violence. Amen

*Text from 8th Day Center for Justice