Prayers

The Prayer for the Month

God, creator of this world, one yet divided,
forgive us that we allow divisions
between ourselves and people of other faiths
and so add to instability in the world.
Teach us that it is the responsibility of us all
to reach out with the hands of friendship
and build safer communities.
Help us, God of all, to work for peace.
Amen

(Gary Hopkins - for the Methodist Youth Executive)

A Prayer linked with the Inter Faith Network guidelines for inter religious encounter and dialogue

Christ who has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,
give us the courage to build relationships with those whose faith is different from our own.

Christ who made time to listen to the Samaritan Woman,
give us ears which listen without prejudice to what is precious for others.

Christ who encourages us to consider others better than ourselves,
help us to recognise where we ourselves fall short
and never to compare our own ideals with other people's practices.

Christ who stood by those who were misunderstood,
help us to speak up for all whose faith is misrepresented.

Christ who called people not by coercion but through gracious invitation,
help us to speak with honesty about our faith
but never to impose our views forcibly on others.

Christ whose will is to bring all things in heaven and on earth together,
make us channels of your peace.

Andrew Maguire

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A Prayer written by Dr Helen Reid and Revd Geoff Reid in 1999 at Touchstone, Bradford

Lord, we offer you our multi faith city:
We bring before you for blessing
Creative and energising opportunities -

For developing friendships across faith
For celebrating diversity in community life
For acting jointly for a brighter future

- and we give you thanks.

Lord, we offer you our multi faith city:
We bring before you for blessing
The pain of people lost -

Those who are discouraged from practising their faith
Those who are abused for the colour of their skin
Those who are perplexed by the changes in society

- and we seek your grace

Lord, we offer you our multi faith city;

We commend to you its faith communities
And bring before you for blessing
Our struggles for justice and peace.

Amen

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A Prayer for Inter Faith Relations

God of all peoples,
through your creative word
you give to the universe its being
and to us our humanity.

Though you are beyond the power of language and thought
to contain you,
you have let yourself be known
in every age and place,
and have never left people
without signs of your truth and your presence.

God beyond all names, yet of many names,
we thank you for the ways in which
you have communicated your truth to humanity,
and for all the traditions of faith
through which people have expressed
their vision of your reality.

Today, when there are so many opportunities for meeting
between people of different faiths,
give us the grace to respect each other's traditions,
the openness to be receptive to each other's wisdom,
the integrity to be true to our own faith
while affirming that of our neighbour,
and the love that recognises our common humanity
beyond labels and categories;
that together we may help to build a world
that respects difference
while celebrating our shared values,
and to create a future based on peace, justice
and the well-being of all.

Amen.

Revd Gareth Jones

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A Prayer for reconcilliation and understanding between Faiths

Father God, we know how sorry you must be to see the great divides between people of different faiths.

We hold up to your love the troubled places all over the world - Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, areas in Russia and Eastern Europe - as well as places closer to home where there is tension between faiths - France, the Netherlands, London and Leeds.

We pray for religious leaders of all faiths that they may be given the wisdom to face their differences with honesty and integrity, and the strength to help people gain greater knowledge and love of each other.

Where there is ignorance and prejudice, give us all understanding.

Where there is hatred, bring compassion.

Where resentment festers, bless us with greater tolerance.

Where there is fear of difference, may respect for difference grow.

And where anger and war are to be found, may we be given the energy to work for peace and harmony.

Teach us to love our brothers and sisters of different faiths, for we are all your children and precious in your sight.

We ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ, your beloved Son, who died to redeem all humankind .

Amen.

Linda Crossley

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Your love, Lord, flows without bounds
    throughout the universe,
holding in its
embrace women and men
    of all faiths and none.
We hold up to you a world
    fractured by inter-religious mistrust,
    fear and rivalry.
We pray for those places where differences of faith
    have caused violence or discrimination.
We bring before your love
    all who have suffered in such situations
and all who work for reconciliation,
building understanding where there has been fear,
and co-operation where there has been competition.
May that which can unite people of different faiths –
mercy, compassion and self-giving love –
cut through our differences
    so that we can work together,
in justice, courtesy and love,
    for a more peaceful world.

By Elizabeth J Harris from the Prayer Handbook for Methodists in Britain and Ireland, 2002-2003 p. 19

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Loving God,
we pray for all who participate
in dialogue between faiths
that a new understanding may grow from these encounters.
Open our minds that we may be able to see truth
through others' eyes,
and increase our love and strength of purpose
to cross the boundaries that separate us.

From Cradle of Life: Methodist Prayer Handbook 2003-2004 for Methodists in Britain and Ireland, p. 40
© TMCP

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Enlarge our vision

Dear God, we know that you encourage us
when we are feeling self-centred, lethargic and unwilling to move
even a little, to be with you and your people,
our people, poor and rich, all over our world.

Dear God, we know that you encourage us
when we are too busy to move in a new direction.
Help us to see that our work or way of life may be a block.
Give us openness to look and listen, to be ready to move,
ready for service.

Dear God, open our minds and hearts,
so that we may know something of you.
Forgive us when our visions are too small
and when we are too lazy to step outside them.
Forgive us when we reduce you, dear God,
to our own understanding and control.
Help us to be grateful that there will always be more.

By Barbara Butler, from Look to Christ, Methodist Prayer Handbook 2004-2005 for Methodists in Britain and Ireland , p. 31

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Prayers from Touchstone in Bradford, which can be adapted to your own situation. Touchstone is a Christian movement of faith in Bradford, linked with the Methodist Church

Prayers in response to violent events in 2001

1. God of tension and paradox,
whose presence is often seen where we least expect it,
show us your will in our troubled city,
show us your way when all ways seem difficult,
and show us yourself in our neighbours,
whether we understand them or not,
so that peace may be restored
and new initiatives be born out of chaos
which is the very essence of your creative work. Amen.

2. God of Eve and Sarah and Mary;
God of Moses, Jesus and Mohammed;
God of all people, and in all people;
be in our city.
Help us to share experiences with a will to make things work;
guide our judgements and nourish our encounters
so that justice, peace and co-operation may grow in us
and in our city. Amen.

3, God, you are present in all the cities of the world,
New York, Washington, Islamabad, Kabul,
London, Leeds and Bradford,
You are present in Jesus who wept over Jerusalem.
Open our ears to the cries of the city.

God, you are present in centres of high finance
and amongst those living from hand to mouth,
in places where people struggle to stay alive.
Open our eyes to the way the world works.

God, you are present in riots on the streets
and in the terror of tumbling towers.
You are present in Jesus whose body was broken.
Open our hearts to unimaginable pain.

Be present in us who need to be made whole.
In the face of dismembered bodies, we remember Jesus.
Unite us with Him - for the healing of the nations. Amen.

4. Love, we say, can cast out fear.
Truth they say is battle-scarred.
Where is God among the fearful?
Where the Word among the words?
Must fog of war and smoke of riot
obscure what we need to know?
Can truth descend as towers tumble?
and flames become refining fire?
Humankind cannot bear very much reality,
we say, but for a little while
there is a window to be cleaned
and opportunity can shout.

Thou God of truth and love
we seek thy perfect way. Amen.

Inter Faith Prayers on the Outbreak of War 2003, Centenary Square, Bradford.

God of mystery, you are far beyond our telling and the tales of our imagining; far beyond the doctrines and the dogmas of our believing. When we try and trap you inside, you are outside. When we claim you as our own, you are another's.

When in fear we shut you out, you are found within. When in anger we blame and accuse and judge our neighbour, we only condemn ourselves and blaspheme your name. Your love embraces all and loses no one. Your care extends to every person and all things. In such love is our cherishing and our peace, and in such love we journey on in hope. Amen.

We have a guided silence during which we offer our concerns, each praying in our own way.

Let us pray for the people of Iraq, women, men and children, those for whom this night will be a time of terror.
Let us pray for members of the armed forces who carry out the instructions of politicians; those for whom this may be a night which they will remember all their lives.
Let us pray for those whose lives will this night come to an end and commend them to God.
Let us pray for our city of Bradford (or name your own city or town), that its citizens may sleep in peace this night.
Let us pray for the West Yorkshire Police (or name your own local Police Force), especially for those who serve through the night, that they may play their part in keeping the peace of the city.
Let us pray for peacemakers and peace-campaigners that they may know this night the peace of those who struggle for righteousness.
Let us pray for all who long for Bradford (or name your own city or town) to be a beacon of peace so that all the world may see a city where differences are celebrated and respect is enjoyed by all.

God of justice and peace,
transform all our politics, so that the voices of the powerless
may challenge the actions of the powerful;
transform all institutions of pride and domination
into instruments of service for the poor and oppressed;
transform us all so that we may be more effective as witnesses
of your righteousness and channels of your peace. Amen.

(The above prayers are taken, with Touchstone's permission, from Golden Nuggets: Prayers from a Pennine City, Brighouse: WYS Books on behalf of Touchstone)