A Prayer for Memorial Day

Lord,

We come to you now, on this Memorial Day. It is a time in our country when we paused to recognize those who have laid down their lives in service to our country.

Lord, we have a great deal of thanks to those who sow fit to lay down their lives for us.

And yet, Lord, there are men and women who bled and died in service and protection of this country. Only to have us dishonor their memory by allowing the persistence of violence here at home.

Lord, we are again are shaken by the scourge of gun violence. We, who are your people, lay flags on graves in honor of those killed and lower flags to half mast in morning for those who have been murdered. The violence in our country seems so unrelenting

Jesus, we your followers admit that we have done very little to be peacemakers in our own lives. We escalate conflict in our places of work. We fail to build bridges within our of schools. We neglect to build community living right next-door. We even fan the flames of division in you very own church.

Holy Spirit, forgive us our failures. Abide within us. Empower us to lay down our idols, our idols of politics, tribalism, consumerism, elitism, racism, and sexism. May we exchange these idols for the mantle of peace. For hearts filled with love. For hands eager to do the work of your kingdom.

Give us courageous leaders. Beholden to your true wisdom, and ready to protect the most vulnerable in our society, rather than the powerful, the wealthy, and the entitled.

May it be truly said of us, that as far as it depends on us, we will live in peace. Even as we work for peace in this world. Lord, living in peace is the greatest honor we can bestow on the fallen, who traded their own lives.

We ask all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, who laid down his life for us, and encourages us to put away our swords, or else beat them into ploughshares.

Amen.