A Prayer for Our Veterans and for Peace
Whether you call it Veterans Day, Remembrance Day, or Armistice Day, November 11th has long been a day on which to remember and give thanks for those who have served their country. This year it falls on a Sunday. I received little training in seminary about how to, even whether to, mark such days in the church; nor, I am afraid, did I offer my students much counsel. (Perhaps that silence was itself counsel.)
While I understand some of the typical church/state concerns of highlighting such days in our congregations, it seems to me that on days like this — or, for that matter, on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day or Thanksgiving — there are occasions where our culture invites us to pray, and praying to our Lord and God is never a bad thing. Moreover, when we realize that veterans struggle with depression and thoughts of suicide at disproportionate rates compared to the rest of the population, it is a chance, I think, not only to recognize those who have served, but to remind them and all of us that God sees them and cares for them. In that spirit, I’ll offer below a prayer for our Veterans and for peace, lest we forget not only their sacrifice, but the horrors of war that necessitated it. (Should you be interested, in a post from a few years ago, I described more of the history and traditions of Veterans Day.)
God of peace,
We pray for those who have served our nation and laid down their lives to protect and defend our freedom, asking that we remember their sacrifice and make right use of our liberty.
We pray for those who still bear the scars of their service, asking for healing for them in mind, body, and spirit.
We pray for those who serve us now, especially for those in harm’s way, asking that you shield them from danger and bring them home in safety.
We pray for all those who govern, asking that you turn their hearts and minds to the work of establishing a peace born of justice and equity.
We pray for all those who are caught up in conflict around the globe this day, civilians and peace-keepers and the poor who have no escape, asking that we have the courage to defend the defenseless, make room for those who flee for safety, and look to that day when we will train for war no more.
May the peace you gave us, the peace that passes all human understanding, be the peace that guides and sustains us. For it is in Jesus’ name that we pray. Amen.
Beautiful. Thank you. It is perfect for what we are doing tomorrow. It has been recommended, since tomorrow is the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, that all churches stop what they are doing at 11 a.m. and ring their bells and have a moment of silence to commemorate the day and the moment. Here’s a link for anyone wanting to learn more about the effort.
https://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/546-events/bell-tolling/bells-of-peace.html
Hard to seperate Veterans day from memorial day
In Canada Nov 11th is Remembrance Day and at 11:11 AM there is a minute of silence at the services held in public places, Legion Halls. and cenotaphs. This year at sunset churches are invited to ring their bells 100 times to mark 100 years since the end of WW1. Since Nov 11th is a Sunday, our congregation has moved its service to early in the morning and will participate along with other congregations/clergy of our community at the 10:45 AM service.