Sunday Prayer and a Song

Holy One, Source of Life, Source of Peace, my prayer tonight is for peace. Not the kind of peace that is found in tension-filled cease-fires, but the real peace of forgiveness and grace between people that causes them to lay down their weapons.

God, I find myself wondering how many prayers for peace you have heard, no doubt in every language in every time through history. Human beings have long turned to you for the answer to our warring madness. You sent one such answer -- Jesus. He told us that peace would come if we loved you and loved each other the way he loved us. I believe he was right. We haven't yet been able to do these things that he asked of us, but we are trying.

God, we pray for you to bring us peace as if you could snap your fingers and make it happen. But it seems that we need to find it first within ourselves in order to make it real for us and those around us. So if there is any way you can guide our way and nudge us in just the right direction, well, that would be great. Amen.


"I Hope" is a great song by the Dixie Chicks. It's on their new CD "The Long Way Around" which is simply amazing. Here are the lyrics. They feel like an extension of the prayer....

Sunday morning, heard the preacher say
Thou shall not kill
I don't wanna, hear nothin' else, about killin'
And that is God's will
Cuz our children are watching us
They put their trust in us
They're gonna be like us
So let's learn from our history
And do it differently

CHORUS:
I hope
For more love, more joy and laughter
I hope
We'll have more than we'll ever need
I hope
We'll have more happy ever afters
I hope
We can all live more fearlessly
And we can lose all the pain and misery
I hope, I hope

Oh Rosie, her man he gets too rough
That's all she can say, is he's a good man
He don't mean no harm
He was just brought up that way
But our children are watching us
They put their trust in us
They're gonna be like us
It's okay for us to disagree
We can work it out lovingly

For I hope
For more love, more joy and laughter
I hope
You'll have more than you'll ever need
I hope
You'll have more happy ever afters
I hope
And you can all live more fearlessly
And you can lose all your pain and misery
I hope, I hope


There must be a way to change what's going on
No, I don't have all the answers

For I hope
For more love, more joy and laughter
I hope
You'll have more than you'll ever need
I hope
You'll have more happy ever afters
I hope
And you can all live more fearlessly
And you can lose all your pain and misery
I hope, I hope

I hope
I hope
I hope