February 25, 2022
Holy and gracious Lord, you have come among us as the Prince of Peace, yet once again we bow in grief and confession that the scourge of war tears at the fabric of human relationships and national boundaries. We bow before you in such praise that we might again come to trust an unknown future to your holy and ever righteous grace. May compassionate love for others saturate our lives and the life of our bruised and broken world.
This day we pray earnestly for the people and nation of Ukraine. Place, we pray, your protection around them. Uphold them in courage, enliven them with hope, and fill them with an allegiance to you that surmounts hatred for those in the invasion force.
May your mighty hand and even greater care move President Putin to a holy transformation which results in a just and lasting peace. May the people of Russia know your presence and guidance as well. Protect them in their work for a cessation of this conflict and guide their search for a peaceful way forward, bereft of national pride and enlivened by your wisdom.
Guide the leaders of those nations, including our own, who seek to end this conflict. We pray that they may follow in the steps of Christ, the Prince of Peace. Let hatred be laid aside, pride be dispensed with, and commitment to peace be held high. Hear once again our holy prayer which you have taught us, “thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever! Amen.
Bishop Mike Lowry
Bishop-in-Residence
United Theological Seminary