Permission is granted to congregations and individuals within the Church of the Brethren to use the following resources within your church settings or within local ecumenical worship services.

Prayer vigil
Ivester Church of the Brethren
Grundy Center, Iowa

Ivester will be holding a 12-hour prayer vigil on Sept. 1, with persons participating at the church in half- hour increments. We invite you and your community to join with us in praying for comfort for all victims of violence and guidance for a more peaceful future.

Please be in prayer for those who have been victims and suffered from the senseless acts of violence experienced on Sept. 11, 2001 and throughout the rest of the year. We pray that God would make us all instruments of peace in all our future interactions with one another.

1. May we be in prayer for all those who lost loved ones at work in the World Trade Center, at the Pentagon and all those on the four highjacked aircraft on Sept. 11. We especially remember those who lost their lives in their dedication to saving others' lives. May God grant comfort, love and guidance to all their children and families, who are missing them.
   
   
2. May we be in prayer for the same number of Afghan civilians who lost their lives in the ensuing bombing campaigns, and for their families who miss them just as keenly. May God grant them and their nation peace, equality and stability in the years to come.
   
   
3. May we be in prayer for all those living in Israel. We pray for their safety and for the desire to live with their neighbors in peace. May we be in prayer for the Palestinian people, that all persons would desire and work for a just and lasting settlement for a homeland, which would provide them with hope and a stable future.
   
   
4. May we be in prayer for the citizens of Iraq, who have suffered for so long under war, persecution, bombing and sanctions, lacking even the essentials for life and health. We pray for all of our leaders for the wisdom and the desire to seek life, so that all of us and our children might live in peace.
   
   
5. We are reminded in our daily walk of faith that we are all children of the same God. Pray that we may learn to show that love of God to one another in the coming year.

Prayer for Sept. 11, 2002
by Kathy Fry-Miller

You may want to use this prayer as a guide for your own time of prayer and remembrance. May the light on the altar offer an image of hope and healing for your time of prayer.

O God,
	We remember those that died Sept. 11 last year
		In New York City In Washington, DC In Pennsylvania.
We remember the rescue workers
	Who gave their lives in the hope that others might live.
We pray for the families and survivors of that day
	And hold them in your healing light and love.
O God,
	We remember the people of Afghanistan and of the United States,
		For soldiers, children, parents, and others, Who have died in the war since Sept. 11.
	We remember hearing of newfound freedoms
		And newfound fears of the people of Afghanistan.
	We pray for those
		Who are working to rebuild homes And bring peace To a war-torn land, For Christian Peacemaker Teams, Brethren Disaster Response, and others.
	We pray for families of Afghanistan and hold them
		In your healing light and love.
O God,
	We pray for the families of Iraq that are living
		In the fear of war coming to their country.
	We pray for those who have lost children
		Because of lack of food and medicine from the sanctions Imposed after the Gulf War.
	We hold these mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters,
		Grandmas, and grandpas in your healing light and love.
	We pray that the political leaders of the United States and
		Other countries involved will seek the way of peace and not of war.
Make me an instrument of your peace, O God. May I pray and work as your servant for the healing of this world.

Copyright © 2002 Kathy Fry-Miller, Fort Wayne, Ind. This prayer was prepared for the Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren.

Great, loving, eternal God: No one here knew, when the plans were laid for this conference, that we would be gathering on a national day of prayer and mourning. But let our prayers be added to those across this land as we plead for the healing of our nation. We stand in need of your amazing grace as we sort through the rubble of our devastated cities and shattered sense of security.

But even as we share with our countrymen the sadness, the anger, and the great sense of violation that these horrible acts of terrorism have caused, give us the courage to remain true to our own best selves as members of the Church of the Brethren. We have come once again to a time of great testing. Sabers are rattling; war fever grows more intense with each passing day. Will we, your church, hide in a corner, say nothing about our convictions, and let violence have its way throughout our land? Or will we stand tall for Jesus, speak the convictions we learned from him, and teach our children by word and example that true discipleship is neither easy nor popular in times like these?

Lord, you told us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. It will take great fortitude for us to do so. It will require boldness to remind our sisters and brothers of this command. Many, if not most, will think we are speaking nonsense. Our words may be lost in the hot wind of war rhetoric.

But, O Lord, we believe in your way. We have seen the power of the cross—the power of love to conquer evil, the power of grace to transform hearts of stone. And we have seen the power of the Resurrection. You can bring life from death; you can wrest victory from hell's grasp. And all without an army. Christ lives! And because he lives, we shall live also. Make us bold, Lord Jesus. Make us soldiers of your peace. Amen.

Copyright © 2001 Daniel M. Petry. This prayer was delivered at the Northern Indiana District Conference, Middlebury, Ind., Sept. 14, 2001. Dan Petry is pastor of the Middlebury Church of the Brethren.

Lord, you bid us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. On this day when a hell-inspired enemy has struck deeply into the heart of our nation, we confess how difficult we find your commandment. We desire to be people of the Spirit, but this body of flesh wants to cry out for revenge. We want to strike as we have been struck, to inflict equal pain upon our as yet unnamed enemy.

O Lord, enable us as a community, enable our nation, to respond not as people of flesh but as people of your Spirit. We pray that the world may see how great this nation is not by the fury of our reprisals but by the grace of our restraint. We pray for our enemies—for those who died today along with their victims—that you would forgive their misguided zeal. We pray for those who planned this attack, old men watching from their hideouts while young zealots carried out their vile schemes. Break their hearts, O Lord. Help them realize that no principle, no political struggle, should conscience the taking of innocent life. Transform their celebration into shame and grief for what they have done. Break their hearts, O God, and forgive them.

In the days ahead, make us to live by your Golden Rule. "And as you would have men do to you, do so to them." O Lord, it will be hard; but may your people obey your commandment and prove that your way—the way of forgiveness and love—is the only way that leads to eternal life. Amen.

Copyright © 2001 Daniel M. Petry. This prayer was delivered at a community ecumenical prayer service on Sept. 11, 2001. Dan Petry is pastor of the Middlebury (Ind.) Church of the Brethren.

(Read Psalm 46 and then allow for a time of silence.)

In the stillness we know that you are God.

Hear our prayers this day for those who have died and are dying, for all who suffer, for all who grieve, for all those caught in the agony of not knowing the fate of their loved ones; calm their souls and ours with the peace of your presence.

We pray for President Bush, for all our leaders, for the leaders of the world as they seek to chart a course in response to the evil scourge of terrorism.

We offer our prayers of thanksgiving for those who gave their lives trying to save others: the firefighters and police officers, the unknown men and women who let others go first, who picked up and carried those who were being trampled; for the thousand and one acts of kindness and sacrifice and heroism and simple compassion that revealed the best of who we are as your children in the midst of the worst of who we can become.

We thank you for the doctors and nurses who have worked tirelessly to save lives and treat the injured.

We lift up to your throne of grace those who have and are and will work at the horrific task of removing the wreckage and recovering the dead.

And when they and we think we cannot bear anymore, we give thanks for the gift of Jesus who has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows and who bears them still with us and for us.

But, O God, how long will you bear with us? How long must Jesus weep over our cities because we do not know the things that make for peace? New York, Washington, D.C., Shanksville, Pa., Jerusalem, Beirut, Baghdad, Kabul, Belfast, and the cities of Sudan and Rwanda and Nigeria whose names we do not know. How long, O God?

O Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, forgive us. Forgive us for our own failure to love, forgive us for our silence and inaction in the face of mounting injustice and oppression around our world, forgive us for our readiness to retaliate against innocent people, forgive us our failure to forgive.

O God, grant us your wisdom and the courage of our convictions when we are hurt by the unexpected, confused by what has happened to us, when we search for meaning in the midst of chaos and the terrible grip of evil.

We come seeking light in the midst of our darkness, courage in the midst of our fear, your peace that passes understanding in the midst of our turmoil. O God, we need your strength for our weakness and your redeeming love to transform our hatred.

O God, by your strength and the transforming power of your Holy Spirit may we stand unswervingly with Jesus in our commitment to peace and nonresistance. Help us to reach out to others, to become healing instruments of your redeeming love, to build bridges rather than walls.

All this we pray in the name and for the sake of Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray:

(followed by the Lord's Prayer)

Copyright © 2001 by Pru Yelinek. Yelinek is pastor of the Waynesboro (Pa.) Church of the Brethren.

. . . the spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God (Rom. 8:26-27).

O God,

Restrain us from deciding what your response is to the events of Sept. 11 in Washington, New York, and Pennsylvania, and help us refrain from speaking for you.

Urge us to be silent and listen for what you have to say to us and to the world.

Convince us to be satisfied when there are no words to express what we feel, satisfied that you created a world in which free will produces unmatchable goodness and unspeakable evil.

Remind us also that in the created order of the universe you created a light that shines in the darkness, a light which no amount of darkness can put out.

Make us still so that we can hear your sighs too deep for words. Be with us as we sit in silence for a moment, without a prayer, just listening for your sighs.

[pause]

God, we search for you and for your way. Be with the world that is perched on the brink of war and use us as instruments of peace.

Amen.

Copyright © 2001 by Julie Garber. Garber is editor for study resources for Brethren Press. She prayed this prayer in a chapel service at the Church of the Brethren General Offices, Elgin, Ill., on Sept. 19.

God . . . the Maker of earth, its skies and seas,
its forests full, its whales and fleas;
of universe so broad and strong,
a thousand million light years long;
of humans that each thy image bear,
and each received thy son's full care—God bless America.

God bless . . . that is, grant us eyes to see your ways,
relationships to fill our days;
give us harmony with those around,
with your good earth that does surround;
give us purpose noble, true,
a higher vision us imbue—God bless America.

God bless America, one nation of many under God,
one people of many on this sweet sod;
hopes and fears as others do,
the self-same goodness running through;
like them, we long for life and love,
the same deep yearning for things above;
and just like others, with sins abounding,
in need of grace and firmer grounding.
God bless America, and, like the sun,
let this same blessing shine on everyone.

Copyright © 2001 by David Radcliff. Radcliff is director of Brethren Witness for the Church of the Brethren General Board. He prayed this prayer during chapel at the Church of the Brethren General Offices on Oct. 17.

O God, this week has been incomparably hard for so many people. We know that there is a time for everything, but surely, there is not a time for this. The loss of life and damaged property in New York, Washington, D.C., and Western Pennsylvania weighs heavily on our minds even still. And the hurt goes deeper yet, for as the towers of the World Trade Center collapsed after they were hit, so too did our worldview. It is hard to believe in a world that is good when something like this happens. It is hard to feel safe and secure when we realize so suddenly and so dramatically that we are vulnerable. Our hearts have been filled with turmoil ever since Tuesday morning. Something inside tells us that our world will never be quite the same again.

O Lord, we lift up to you this morning the many victims of this tragedy . . . those that were killed by the violence, and those whose lives were inflicted with lasting pain because of it. We pray for the families of lost loved ones, for the workers who are trying to pick up the pieces and comfort those left behind - the firefighters and police, medical teams, counselors, and equipment operators. We pray for all who were affected emotionally, spiritually, and physically by these violent acts.

We pray for the leaders of our nation, for the tasks they face in the days ahead are not easy. We ask that your spirit would guide them. We pray for them strength, courage, and wisdom for the days that lie ahead.

We pray also for our sister congregations in New York and Washington. Help them and give them strength as they continue to do what small things they can to help out with relief efforts. Help them not to feel alone, but to know and sense the prayers and support of their sisters and brothers both here and across the country, and around the world.

And Lord we pray for our nation and the people of America. It seems that everywhere we look we see signs of patriotism - flags and banners, red, white and blue clothes, patriotic sayings. A part of us is glad and defiant - proud to be an American. But another part of us is sad - sad that it took a tragedy such as this to bring us together. We pray that our unity and current singleness of mind and spirit will not become a weakness for us. For we know well the dangers of unbounded and vindictive anger, and we know also our tendencies to stereotype people and group them together into "us" and "them." Help us not to generalize our hurt and anger by convicting certain "people groups" because of the evil done by a few. We are especially mindful and concerned for our Arabic and Muslim brothers and sisters both in our country and around the globe, for they are likely to become an easy target for generalized hate.

O God, we pray for the Spirit of Christ among us. Many of us feel harsh anger for the blow struck against innocent people of our nation. Help us to remember that we are not alone in our suffering. Keep us mindful of those in our world for whom terrorism is a daily reality. Help us to be witnesses of the way of Christ even in these trying times - loving our enemies, not hating. Help us to balance our patriotism with a healthy rationalism. We pray that your Spirit would bring us peace of heart and mind, and that our grace and mercy would fill our hearts.

We pray this all in Christ's name. Amen.

Copyright © 2001 by Christopher Zepp. Zepp is youth pastor of the Lancaster (Pa.) Church of the Brethren.