Prayer of Confession for Peace Sunday.

By Helen Watson White in Prayers

A responsive prayer.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Lord, we know what you meant when you told us to be peaceful,
--When you said Peace be with you, we thought to ourselves
'We're peaceful, we're always peaceful - Where's the war?'

But it wasn't about war, actually, about soldiers with guns,
Advancing or retreating, digging trenches, opening fire -
It was about us, and how we get along with each other,
--With other members of the human family.

Being peaceful is not easy, Lord,
--Being peaceful is hard work!

When someone's really getting to you, it's natural,
--You get back at them - Get out! - Shut UP!

It's hard to count to ten, Lord,
--It's hard to walk away.

Sometimes they put me down - it's horrible --
--'What are you? You're a waste of space!'

Sometimes they blame me
--When it's not my fault!

We confess, Lord, we are sometimes in the wrong,
We speak before we've heard the full story,
We hit out when we've been hurt, and want revenge.

We try, but we sometimes don't achieve
Being the peaceful people you want us to be.
Forgive us when we fail, and give us the strength
To be the ones who stop the fighting
--At school, at work, at home, and everywhere
To be the peacemakers in your world.

(Silence)

ASSURANCE
God forgives us;
--God makes peace within us and between us:
We claim this healing, with gratitude.

By Helen Watson White.