Call to Worship
What time is it?
There is a time to be born and a time to die.
There is a time to kill and a time to heal.
What time is it?
There is a time to weep and a time to laugh.
There is a time for mourning and a time for dancing.
What time is it?
There is a time to tear and a time to mend.
There is a time for silence and a time for speech.
What time is it?
There is a time to love and a time to hate.
There is a time for war and a time for peace.
A creed
We are members of a family, the human family which, in the ancient land of Ukraine, is torn by tension, suspicion, hatred, hunger, killing and death.
We are troubled by cruelty and disaster such as we have never known, and we are unclear of the cause and unsure of the remedy.
We believe that God accepts confusion as well as concern, and has never been deaf to the cries of anger, fear and hopelessness in the face of injustice.
We are the Body of Christ in which if one part suffers, the other parts pray to heal it and help to bear it.
We pray for Jesus to intercede
Come now, Prince of Peace, make us one body.
Come now, God of love, make us one body.
Come now and set us free God our Saviour.
Come, Hope of unity, make us one body.
Come, Lord Jesus, reconcile all nations.
Gracious God, quieten our personal anxieties, so that we may better feel for those whose land has been invaded whose towns and homes are ravaged, and whose lives are under threat. Quieten us, so that we may listen for a word from you. Amen.
James 4:1-3
What causes fighting and quarrels among you?
Is their origin found in the warring appetites in your bodies?
You want what you cannot have, so you murder;
you are envious and cannot fulfil your ambition.
So you quarrel and fight.
You do not get what you want
because you do not pray for it.
Or, if you do, your requests are not granted,
because you do not pray from the right motives.
Cry out!
On the people of Ukraine:
their children, their old people,
their vulnerable adults,
their babies soon to be born,
Lord have mercy,
On the people of Ukraine:
their defenders, their advocates,
those who care for the wounded,
who sit with the despairing,
who witness and report on the savagery and destruction,
who bury the dead.
Christ have mercy.
On the people of Ukraine:
their leaders that they may continue to inspire, in word and by example,
and continue to receive help and solidarity from across the world.
Lord have mercy,
On the people of Russia,
that they might learn the truth
kept from their hearing;
On the churches in Russia
that they might find the vocabulary and courage to speak truth to power,
On the soldiers of Russia who do not believe in the carnage they cause.
Christ have mercy.
On Putin, and those who affirm his policies, we ask the judgement of heaven, a radical conversion and an end to their lies, scheming and murder.
Lord hear us,
Lord graciously hear us.
And for our own nation
we ask for commitment to match conviction so that the pain of the Ukrainian nation be shared by us,
their weary people sheltered by us,
their peace assured by us.
Lord hear us,
Lord graciously hear us.
Amen.
Closing Prayer
(a prayer of St Augustine)
Watch now, dear Lord, with those who wake or watch or weep tonight;
and give your angels charge over those who sleep.
Tend your wounded ones, O Christ;
rest your weary ones,
bless your dying ones,
soothe your suffering ones,
shield your joyous ones
and all for your love’s sake.
Amen
Suggested listening
Home Again – British Red Cross https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-zyxOC9jEI
Prayer for Ukraine – Londinium chamber choir https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKemC4gCWzs
