This prayer was specially written for the Akron Jewish Community Kristallnacht commemoration by Rabbi David Lipper by intertwining prayers for Darfur written by Archbishop Desmond Tutu; Archbishop William of Canterbury; Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra, Chairman of the Interfaith Relations Committee of the Muslim Council of Britain; and the Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks of Great Britain.
A Prayer for Peace
God of Mercy and Compassion, this afternoon we pray for the people of Europe who were terrorized and forced from their homes. Our pain is still fresh after 70 years of life. But these days have taught us to gather our broken shards and mold them into a new vision of the world in which we live. May it become a world of wholeness and peace.
We also pray for the people of Darfur who have been terrorized and forced from their homes - for those who have fled to refugee camps, and who still live in fear" and "for the children of Darfur, especially those who face a frightening world without one or both of their parents - may they be protected and comforted." (Archbishop Tutu)
Today we pray for the innocent people who were dragged into war 70 years ago. They woke one day in peace, and ended that day in terror. May the innocents cease their suffering as the memories of tragedies past continue to grow in our minds eye.
We "pray for those whose lives are lived on the margins of nations and who suffer from the wars that others fight around them, "for the warring factions, that they may see themselves under the gaze of God and under the gaze of those who suffer, for the work of peacekeepers, negotiators and the humanitarian organizations, that security may prevail" (Archbishop William of Canterbury).
On this day of Broken Glass, when the images in our minds go to unspeakable things, we pray for the courage and energy to turn our suffering into salvation. We pray for a world united and whole. We seek a place where the lion can lie with the lamb and a babe can play over an adders den. Where nation will not lift up sword against any other nation and we will have peace.
Today we turn to You, God, "to alleviate the oppression and end the atrocities and pray that the killing stops, the bloodshed ends, that women and children are safe and healthy and happy and "to give the people of Darfur back their homes, their families, their communities, their humanity, and their hope and dreams for the future" (Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra).
And finally we pray to You, God, to send peace to the people of Kristallnacht and "peace to the people of Darfur, to hear the cry of the victims, the bereaved, the injured, and all those who live their days in fear, to rouse the hearts of the leaders of the world, and to put an end to the bloodshed, the violence, the rape, the starvation, and the terror, that has ravaged and endangered an entire population" (Dr. Jonathan Sacks).
AMEN.
Go to http://www.savedarfur.com/ for ways to help.
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