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Ecumenical Peace Service 

And None Shall 

Be Afraid 

Please feel free either to follow this as a complete 

service or to excerpt pieces that you find helpful 

in your own worship planning. Original sources 

of prayers and texts are indicated in footnotes. 

Call to Worship 

One: Come, let us go up to the house of God. 

All: God will teach us God’s ways. 

And we will walk in God’s paths. 

One: Come, let us draw near to God. 

All: Even as God draws near to us, 

gives hope to those who walk in despair 

grants courage to those who walk in fear 

and guides our feet into the way of peace. 1 

Opening Prayer 

O Lord, 

you love justice and you establish peace on earth. 

We bring before you the disunity of today’s world; 

the obscene violence, and the many wars, 

which are breaking the courage of the peoples of the 

world; 

human greed and injustice, which breed hatred and 

strife. 

Send your Spirit and renew the face of the earth; 

teach us to be compassionate towards the whole 

human family; 

strengthen the will of all those who struggle for justice 

and for peace, 

and give us that peace which the world cannot give. 

All: Amen. 2 

Hymn Suggestions: 

O God of Every Nation (Common Praise, #593, 

Lutheran Book of Worship, #416, Voices United, #677) 

For the Healing of the Nations (Voices United, #678; 

Common Praise, #576) 

In Christ There is no East or West (Catholic Book of 

Worship III, #529, Common Praise, #484, Voices 

United, #606, Psalter Hymnal #540) 

Prayer of confession 

We walk day by day along a Jericho road where we 

encounter many who have been beaten down by the 

violence of our times and abandoned for dead. Let 

us confess the times when we have walked by on the 

other side. Let us repent of our failures to love our 

neighbour as ourself. {Silence} 

One: For our incapacity to feel the sufferings of others, 

and for our tendency to live comfortably with injustice, 

All: God forgive us. 

One: For the self-righteousness that denies guilt, 

and the self-interest that strangles compassion, 


One: For those who live their lives in careless 

unconcern, 

who cry “Peace, peace” when there is no peace, 

All: We ask your mercy. 

One: For our failings in community, 

our lack of understanding, 

All: We ask your mercy. 

One: For our lack of forgiveness, openness, sensitivity, 


One: For the times we were too eager to be better 

than others, 

when we are too rushed to care, 

when we are too tired to bother, 

when we don’t really listen, 

when we are too quick to act from motives other 

than love, 

All: God forgive us. 3 

KAIROS Education for Action Guide 2003-4

Children’s Time 

Reflect together on the theme poster. What do you see 

What are the people in the poster doing Do the people 

in the poster feel safe How can you tell What makes 

you feel safe 

Or use the children’s “Pieces of Peace” activity outlined in 

page 19 of this guide. Alternatively, read one of the picture 

books also highlighted on page 22. 

Hymn: 

• Lion and Lamb Lying Together (Common Praise, 

#597) 

• Shalom Chaverim (Common Praise, #571) 

• Make Me a Channel of Your Peace (Voices United, 

#684, Psalter Hymnal #545 ) 

text announces a day when everyone shall sit under 

their own vines and their own fig trees and none shall be 

afraid. True security, then, is not just about laying down 

our guns. It is about turning them into ploughshares. 

God asks us to actively seek the well-being of our neighbours. 

We are challenged to refuse to walk by on the 

other side of suffering but rather to take action to bind 

wounds and share resources. 

For those who would like to offer concrete suggestions for 

action, consider using this opportunity to introduce our 

action card, calling on the Canadian government to 

adopt an Agenda for Just Peace. 

Prayers of the People 

The melody for the sung response to the following petitions 

is Common Refrains, #766, Common Praise. 

Readings 

Micah 4:1-4 

Psalm 147: 1-14 

Ephesians 2: 13 -22 

Luke 10:25-37 

Freedom from fear and freedom 

from want 

God’s delight is not in physical 

strength 

Peace to those who are far and 

near 

The Good Samaritan 

God of justice and of peace, you ask us to pray for all 

people. Here we offer our prayers for a violent and hurting 

world, trusting in your great love. 

Let us pray for the church: {Silence} 

God of Truth, in a world which seeks security by building 

walls and loading guns, may your church boldly proclaim 

an alternate vision of the peace which comes from 

justice and solidarity. 

Reflection 

The following thoughts are offered as ideas for you to 

build upon as you see fit in developing your own homily, 

reflection, or sermon. 

Today’s Psalm rejoices not in the “strength of the horse” 

or the “speed of a runner” but in the abundance of creation 

— in the rain showered upon all the earth. God 

does not desire military security for a few but human 

security for all. 

Military security seeks security for “us.” It does not 

address the suffering or the injustice experienced by 

those outside our borders. It forces us to hide behind 

our guns, and to see the stranger as our enemy rather 

than as our neighbour. The story of the Good Samaritan 

invites us to look upon the stranger with new eyes, to 

reach out with the hands of compassion, and to pursue 

an inclusive vision of justice for all. 

The Ephesians passage tells us that Jesus came to break 

down the “dividing wall of hostility” and to make us one 

people. The notion of human security goes beyond the 

pursuit of security for my family or my country. Rather, 

it calls for a world in which everyone might experience 

freedom from want and freedom from fear. The Micah 

Sung response: Incline your ear, O God, and grant us 

peace. 

Let us pray for those who rule: {Silence} 

God of Wisdom, we pray for those we have elected to 

public office, and for political leaders everywhere, that 

they may administer the tasks of government with 

courage and equity, and seek a strong voice for peace 

and true human security. 


peace. 

Let us pray for those experiencing war: {Silence} 

God of Compassion, in Colombia, in Palestine and 

Israel, in Afghanistan, in all regions of the world where 

your people suffer from the violence of war and the violence 

of oppression, open the way forward to hope, to 

healing, to a just and lasting peace. We name before you 

other regions and peoples in need of peace. 


peace. 

Let us pray for those experiencing violence in our own 

country: {Silence} 

CULTIVATING JUST PEACE

God of Justice, for Aboriginal peoples violated in their 

land rights, for homeless persons violated in their right 

to shelter, for women and children violated in their own 

home, for migrants and refugees denied access to new 

opportunities, we ask for freedom from fear and freedom 

from want. 


peace. 

Let us pray for seekers of a just peace: {Silence} 

God of Peace, we pray for courageous and committed 

people around the world who every day take steps, 

small and large, along the path to peace. May we too be 

faithful travellers as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus 

who came to be our Peace. 


peace. 

Hymn 

God, Whose Love Is Always Stronger 

Tune: BEACH SPRING 8.7.8.7 D (Found as #35 in 

Common Praise, #374 in Voices United, #423 Lutheran 

Book of Worship, #475 Catholic Book of Worship III, #579 

Psalter Hymnal) 

God, whose love is always stronger 

Than our weakness, pride and fear, 

In your world, we pray and wonder 

How to be more faithful here. 

Hate too often grows inside us; 

Fear rules what the nations do. 

So we pray, when wars divide us: 

Give us love, Lord! Make us new! 

Love is patient, kind and caring, 

Never arrogant or rude, 

Never boastful, all things bearing; 

Love rejoices in the truth. 

When we’re caught up in believing 

War will make the terror cease, 

Show us Jesus’ way of living; 

May our strength be in your peace. 

May our faith in you be nourished; 

May your churches hear your call. 

May our lives be filled with courage 

As we speak your love for all. 

Now emboldened by your Spirit 

Who has given us new birth, 

Give us love, that we may share it 

Till your love renews the earth! 

Biblical References: Romans 8:28-39, 2 Corinthians 12:9, John 3:7, 

Revelation 21:5, 1 Corinthians 13:4-5, John 14:27, Matthew 5-7, 1 

Thessalonians 2:2, John 3:16, 17:18, Psalm 46:9, and Romans 8:22. 

Suggested Tune: The Sacred Harp, 1844. Harm. James H. Wood, 

1958. 

Alternate Tunes: ABBOT’S LEIGH 8.7.8.7 D (“God Is Here!”) by Cyril 

Vincent Taylor, 1941; HYFRYDOL 8.7.8.7 D (“Alleluia! Sing to Jesus!”) 

by Rowland Hugh Prichard, 1831. 

Text: Copyright©˙2003 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. 

All rights reserved. 305 South Broadway, Pitman, NJ 08071 

Email: Bruce.Gillette@ecunet.org 

Sharing the Peace 

One: Tradition has it that the handshake is a Roman custom 

showing open hands so that both parties can see 

that the other is not armed with weapons. As we prepare 

to greet one other with a sign of peace, let us reflect on all 

that we commit ourselves to with this gesture. Pax Christi 

Philippines calls us to commit to a radical vision of peace 

which encompasses all of life: 

“Peace of the heart, the heart of peace. A peace grounded 

on justice that empowers and reconciles. A peace 

nurtured in ecological care that respects the integrity of 

creation. Peace, the fruit of sincere dialogue and 

authentic solidarity. Ultimately, peace is a gift of our 

God. For this peace we struggle and work. To this peace 

we commit ourselves.” 

Please reach out to your neighbour in peace: 

One: The peace of Christ be with you. 

All: And also with you. 

Offering (Optional) 

Response: Declaration of commitment 

We share the peace not only as we greet one another 

today but as we reach out in our daily lives to break 

down the barriers of injustice and fear that separate us 

from those who are our neighbours in God’s eyes. Let us 

join together in a declaration of our personal commitment 

to walk daily the path of peace and nonviolence. 

This litany is drawn from the Manifesto 2000, a pledge 

that was written by Nobel Peace Laureates as part of the 

United Nations International Decade for a Culture of 

Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of the World. 

Voice 1 

God created us as image bearers: we see God in 

our family members, the homeless person we 

pass by on a busy street, the distant victims of 

wars our international community has been 

unable or unwilling to prevent. Let us pledge to 

honour that of God in all people. 

KAIROS Education for Action Guide 2003-4

All 

Voice 2 

All 

Voice 1 

All 

Voice 2 

All 

Voice 1 

All 

Voice 2 

All 

We pledge to respect the life and dignity of 

each human being without discrimination or 

prejudice. 

God calls us to beat swords into ploughshares, 

to set aside violence and to actively seek justice 

for all God’s people. Let us pledge to walk 

the way of nonviolence. 

We pledge to practise active non-violence, 

rejecting violence in all its forms: physical, 

sexual, psychological, economical and social, 

in particular towards the most deprived and 

vulnerable such as children and adolescents. 

God promises a day when all shall sit under 

their own vines and their own fig trees. Let us 

pledge to share our resources with those in need 

and to work for a more equitable distribution of 

wealth in our country and our world. 

We pledge to share our time and material 

resources in a spirit of generosity to put an 

end to exclusion, injustice and political and 

economic oppression. 

God’s love seeks to break down the dividing 

walls of hostility and misunderstanding, calling 

us to be attentive to the new truths waiting to be 

discovered in unfamiliar or challenging points 

of view. Let us pledge to respect diverse voices: 

We pledge to defend freedom of expression 

and cultural diversity, giving preference 

always to dialogue and listening without 

engaging in fanaticism, defamation and the 

rejection of others. 

God created the world and saw that it was good. 

Let us pledge to honour all of God’s creation. 

We pledge to promote consumer behaviour 

that is responsible and development practices 

that respect all forms of life and preserve 

the balance of nature on the planet. 

We share this earth with all God’s people. 

Together we form one community, one body. 

Without the gifts of each and every part, that 

body can never be whole. Let us pledge to 

respect the participation of all. 

We pledge to contribute to the development 

of our community, with the full participation 

of women and respect for democratic principles, 

in order to create together new forms of 

solidarity. 4 

This litany has been adapted from the Manifesto 2000. As part 

of this year’s Education and Action campaign, KAIROS is 

encouraging people to sign the Manifesto 2000. 

Hymn: 

• Will You Come and Follow Me (Common Praise, 

#430,Voices United, #567, Sing! A New Creation #267) 

• Here I am Lord (Catholic Book of Worship III, #520, 

Voices United, #509) 

• Healer of our Every Ill (Catholic Book of Worship III, 

#363,Voices United, #619, Sing! A New Creation #205) 

Sending 

All: O God, lead us from death to life, 

from falsehood to truth. 

Lead us from despair to hope, 

from fear to trust. 

Lead us from hate to love, 

from war to peace. 

Let peace fill our hearts, our world, our universe. 

One: Peace to the nations, east and west. 

Peace to our neighbors, near and far. 

Peace to all women, peace to all men. 

The peace of Christ above all peace. 

All: Amen. 5 

1 Inspired by Micah 4:2 and Luke 1:79 

2 Adapted from a Monday morning worship in the Ecumenical Centre 

of the World Council of Churches. 

www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/international/iraqprayers-e.html 

3 PACSA, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa 

4 Adapted from Manifesto 2000. Congregations may want to provide 

members with copies of the full text of the Manifesto and encourage 

them to sign on. 

5 Adapted from The Iona Community Worship Book: The Abbey Services 

of the Iona Community. Glasgow: Wild Goose Publications, 1991, p. 57 

CULTIVATING JUST PEACE

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