Presbyterians asked to pray Thursday as UN celebrates 74 years of its Charter being in force
by Sue Rheem, Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations | Special to Presbyterian News Service
LOUISVILLE — Thursday marks the 74th anniversary of the day that the United Nations Charter came into force. To help Presbyterians mark the occasion, Sue Rheem, mission specialist for international advocacy at the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations, wrote this prayer:
God of Peace,
As we celebrate United Nations Day, the world groans under the weight of strife, divisions, and suffering of our own making. The dream of a united nations that came into being 74 years ago seems to be fading into memory.
Forgive us for taking peace for granted. We are reminded that peace is fragile, and justice hard won.
We give thanks for what the United Nations has achieved. For many people around the world, the United Nations has been, and continues to be, a symbol of hope for peace and justice, and a better future.
We give thanks for all workers who have given their lives for a peaceful and just world. We pray for the United Nations community — a body made up of 193 member states, staff of peacekeepers and peace builders, civil society organizations, and people around the world who give voice to the voiceless — working together towards a peaceful and sustainable future.
We celebrate the dignity of each of God’s children, for we are all made in God’s image. We pray that as God’s people we will seek the peace and justice of the whole human family — all for whom Christ died and rose again. May we work together as one body in Christ to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God.
May we seek God’s shalom and seek life in all its fullness for all God’s people everywhere.
Amen
Please join the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations at 2 p.m. Oct. 24 for a webinar about the ministry’s work and role in current and upcoming events at the UN. Click here to register.
The Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations is supported by your gifts to the Peace & Global Witness Offering.
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