urbandale united church of christ
3530 70th Street, Urbandale, Iowa 50322 | phone 515.276.0625
fax 515.276.2451 | e-mail: staff@urbucc.org

Prayers of the People - In the Wake of Terror:
9/11/2001 | 9/12 | 9/13 | 9/14 | 9/16 (8:25) | 9/16 (10:30)

Pastoral Message 9/12

1980s peace prayer | 1990s peace prayer

Help us to heal the hatred in this world.
We are scared for the future.
When life is so uncertain you are the only certainty.
Thank you for being here for us today.

We pray for all those in NY and Washington,
those on the flights that crashed.
May their families find peace.

I pray for all the lives that were lost today
and for strength for our leaders
and other countries who want to help us.

I pray for all the people who died in the attack today.
I hope the people who did this know it was very wrong.
I hope that things can heal and we can live in peace.

God I pray that sanity will come to all the world.
That people learn that war solves nothing
and that love is the only answer.

I hear Ryan and Ian and I remember...
it is for them that we built this place...this sanctuary.
Then I remember that we can't keep them safe...not even here.
I want to hold them and act like I can protect them from all bad things....
Oh God, I am helpless against the vastness of evil.

I pray for all of the employees of Seabury and Smith
and Marsh McLennan and for their families.

Transforming God,
Keep us open to your power to heal and your power to love
when it would be so easy to resort to retribution and hate.
Yet this massive death and destruction
is beyond my comprehension. Where is your peace?

Sahlam Alah kem.

God, I forgive the people who did this horrendous act.
May your grace heal their souls.
May your light shine through this dark day.
Keep in our hearts the loss of all the people
that your love and grace will comfort us all.
I am so sad.
God be with all the people that died.
Praise be to God. Amen.

Dear God, How do we make sense of this nonsense?
I am grieving. I am raging with fear and anger.
My soul is at combat between love and hate
over the death and senseless destruction this day.
I know these things are human & I know they are wrong,
because they hurt me inside.
But how will I ever make any sense of this nonsense?
Part of me wants to fall to my knees in mourning and another makes me want to draw arms & head for battle!
I want to tear my own clothes
while envisioning the torture these terrorists deserve.
Dear God, help me to be a just and forgiving person.
Chase away the rage and fear
and give me peace in my heart and love in my mind.
In Jesus name. Amen.

Dear God, Praise and thanks to you for the safety of my family.
Lord, I ask for your help now.
Give me courage, not fear;
forgiveness, not anger;
love, not hatred.
Be with those who suffer in this devastation
& guide me to be helpful in any way I can.
In Jesus name, I ask these. Amen.

I pray for all of the people who have suffered loss
as a result of this senseless violence and destruction.
Give them hope and healing, God.
Guide me God.
Show me what you would have me do in the days ahead.
God, please bring all the world leaders and nations together.
Help them work through their differences
that all may live together in peace.

Oh, how peaceful it is here. A safe place!
Lord, let me strive even more diligently for peace - for understanding - to work harder to oppose HATE, and hate crimes.
Comfort to the families - support for and from friends -
strength for our national, state, local leaders - to make wise choices.
HEAR US OH GOD, WE PRAY.

Dear God, I don't understand when you are so good
how some can be so evil.
I hear the crowds cheering at our loss and shouting "God is good!"
and while I know that to be true, I know that you, O God,
have a breaking heart today, not a rejoicing one.
Be with us all, O God.
Be with the souls, the innocent souls who perished today.
Be with those who are fearfully hoping for rescue
as they lie silently in the darkness.
Be with the loved ones who wait in the light,
hoping, praying for a sign of life.
Be with those who are yearning to rescue all of the lost children
and must live with the reality that they cannot.
Be with those of us who stretch across this country
and shake our heads in disbelief
and hope it is all a dream from which we will awaken soon.
Be with our leaders, O God.
Give them wisdom to make right decisions.
Guide them and help them guide us into the right direction.
And finally, O God, be with those who brought our country to its knees.
Touch them with your goodness.
Let your loving Spirit envelope them and maybe, just maybe,
they will feel a spark
that will lead them from the evil that surrounds them now
into the wondrous beauty of your love.
And through it all let us remember that
You are good - all the time!

Forgiveness, courage, understanding, peace, stamina!

We pray for our president & country leaders
as well as the victims & their families.

Lord, be with your people in our hour of distress and chaos.
Help us show the world the Christ in all of us.
Let us work to find a peaceful and positive end to this trying time.
Guide our leaders as they seek to solve the crisis.
Lord, use your power to take this negative event
and make something positive out of it.
God grant us peace and restraint in the coming days.
In Christ's name, Amen.

Lord have mercy.
Lord have mercy on all your children
in this terrible time of tragedy in our nation.
Grant comfort, strength and healing to the victims and their families
and wisdom to our president and leaders of our beloved nation.
Grant us peace in the name of your son. Amen.

God, it has been an amazing 36 hours.
We hear words like "surreal," "like a movie,"
"heartbreaking," "nightmare."
But this isn't a dream, it is reality.
It's what your children have done to each other.
As sad as we are,
it must be nothing compared to the sadness you must feel today
and everyday as you watch your children rip each other apart.
Yet, your love is always there, your faith in us never waivers.
God, grant us the wisdom
to have the same faith in each other.
Give us the strength we need to hold each other up,
doing your work in the world.
These hours have been filled with moments of joy
as loved ones have been found safe
and sorrow as the apparent end for some has been realized.
Be with us all, O God,
as we struggle through the coming days.
We know now more than maybe we ever have before
that there is no certainty to our lives - except you.
God, you are our rock and for that we are eternally grateful.
There are those who must feel abandoned by you,
bless them, touch them with your love,
open their eyes to know that with you they are never alone.
In Jesus name, we pray to you. Amen.

I pray for world peace, that love will replace hate in the world.
I pray for all of the families of the victims
who died in the terrorist attack.
I pray for the leaders of this country and all countries
to find a solution for living together in peace.

I pray for peace & love & for all those who have experienced loss.

Gracious God, hear our prayers for our brothers & sisters
killed and injured this week in New York and Washington D.C.
Help us remember in love and respond with healing. Amen.

No more innocent victims.
No more killing. The hurting has to stop
NOW.

I pray for the children in New York and Washington,
in India and Afghanistan,
in Iowa and all around the world,
that they may know the power of love
and the hope of peace in their young lives.
May we adults listen for the wisdom of God before we act.
The children are watching and listening and learning.

For all without a voice -
all whose voice is silenced.

For the heroes who knowingly gave their lives
to save a city or government.

Dear Lord, be with us all as we mourn the senseless loss
of the many innocent lives this past week.
Be with families as they receive long-awaited answers.
Be with leaders as they face tough decisions.
Be with Americans, help them seek justice; not anger.
Let us all feel your loving arms around us
in strength and in love. Amen.

Please pray for our cousin Larry Parker
who is a firefighter in New York.

Lord, please open our eyes, our minds, and our hearts,
so that we may know the healing power of your love.

Be with our leaders.
Comfort all of our people.

I pray that God will put light around
all the families who have lost loved ones
and the leaders of our country in their decisions to handle this situation.
Help them to come up with alternative methods other than force.
I also pray that the responsible people who caused this tragedy
can find some hope and love through all this hate
they have in their hearts.

I pray for freedom from fear and hate....
For freedom from exploitation & domination...
For a people who will someday know
the power of God's love through freewill.

I fear a growing intolerance for anyone Islamic.
I pray that we do not let that happen.
We are all God's children.

Dear Lord, Give us direction
and may we always be reminded that we are loved.

I pray for patience and understanding before responding to the attack.
I pray for courage & strength to help each other.
Help us maintain our HOPE!

Help us lord pleas dont let war happen to us enesent peapel.
I pray that we stick to gether as one big family
to stay strong and helthy so we can live long.

I pray that children will be able to still feel safe.

God help those who lost loved ones and help us (U.S.) act with restraint.

I pray that peace will return to our world very soon.
And I pray for all the families who have suffered loss.

O God, you must look at your creation and weep.
Bless and comfort those who have lost loved ones.
Grant wisdom and understanding to our leaders.
Help us to feel your guidance. Amen.

We touch the lives of each other.
God give us strength to deal with this handful of people
who have changed our lives forever.
Our positive reinforcement, our family unity, our love for each other
will start to balance this chaos.
We will regain our lives.

Lord, please show us how to heal and allow peace to prevail.
Please help the rescuers remain safe and to keep their hope. Amen.

I pray for the families who lost a loved one in a plane crash.

Please God keep us safe
and turn those people whose hearts and minds are so misguided
toward peace and you.

Pray for all the people that feel that they have lost everything.

I pray for our leaders, that they make right decisions for our country.

For all of us as we deal with this crisis.

God, help us to find a way to peacefully end terrorism.

I pray for Dennis Dhainin and all Urb, Iowa fire fighters who put their life on the line, especially those fallen in New York.

I pray for all the people who came home with no family.

For our nation, that we may unite at this time of turmoil.
We will prevail.

For all of those who will fight this evil.
And especially for my brother-in-law who leaves for N.Y. tonight.
Also, for my mom as today is her birthday.

Pray that we are not overwhelmed by hate & fear,
but can find love & forgiveness in our hearts.

We pray that there are no more tragic events harming more people.

Please allow our children to have hope for a peaceful future.

We pray for the strength to not be afraid about what's to come
in the days and weeks to come.

We pray for our enemies
that they may know the power of your love
and change their evil ways.

I pray that our leaders find a solution without violence.

Prayers are for workers.
All of us are rescue workers in our own way.
You don't have to be on the front lines.

Pray for the rescue workers and the people who lost their lives.

May God's sense of peace, grace, and understanding guide us all.

Prayers of the People During Worship—
Six Important Parts of Prayer

The Images That Spark Our Prayers This Morning:

• The executive who survived because he went to kindergarten with his daughter when 700 fellow workers died.
• The world tower building.
• The families helplessness.
• Explosion.
• Sad, weeping people, frantic searching for family and friends. More flags waving than in decades.
• Seeds of hope, of remembrance, firefighters soot covered helmets.
• Pictures of the plane hitting the building and the collapse of the tower.
  People rushing to help others. Mass destruction.
• Horror & despair on faces. Determination on faces of rescuers. Faces of our children around the world. Faces of my family.
• Fire, clouds of smoke, volunteers.
• The innocent suffering & dying now and in the future including in Afghanistan.
• People's Faces. Metal twisted. People's emotions. God!
• Pictures of the missing, families on the streets with hope on their faces that they will be found.
• Candles burning.
• Ash covered people.
• Tears, fears, lost & wandering, diligence.
• Those firefighters running to help.
• The running of the people - running toward safety.
• That everyone will be safe.
• Plane crashing. Dust.
• I can see that our population is getting smaller.
• Firefighters racing toward the WTC and running up the stairs.
• Susan seeing people landing on sidewalk around her.
• Infinity.
• My friend and co-workers face who died on the Pentagon flight.
• Darkness. Faces.
• Wild rose. Gladiola.
• The collapse of buildings. People searching - fire fighters, family members, co-workers. Sorrow and sadness.

What Praise and Gratitude Do We Offer?

• The wonderful spirit of cooperation everywhere.
• What we need - a positive.
• Firefighters, support from China and Cuba.
• That other countries stood up for us and offered help. That we came closer together as a nation & one world.
• Grateful that as many people were able to get out of the towers before they collapsed.
• The human spirit to survive and overcome a tragedy. People willingness to give of themselves.
• The bounteous gifts we've been given. The bravery of the people who stopped the 4th airliner. The bravery of the rescuers.
• The firefighters, police & emergency workers that gave their time & lives.
• There were no bacteria agents used or weapons. That love is stronger than hate. People trusted and reached out.
• People around the world offering tears, support, help. Playing of our national anthem in other countries.
• Caring souls.
• That we are safe.
• Reminder of the preciousness of life.
• Caring rescue workers. Safe community, family & friends.
• Safety of our family.
• Thank you for the safety of my family & community.
• That God will help the people.
• Crowds of people together. People gathered to discuss hate crimes.
• I am grateful that we still have what we need to love.
• Own safety, prayers.
• Resilience.
• To know a bright young woman who was full of life...
• United country. overwhelming focus on prayer & God.
• Life & love.
• For the rabbi in Massachusetts, James Forbes and his words, my brother Steve and his courage, this church.

What Do You Have To Confess?

• We are too much absorbed in keeping up with our neighbors.
• I cannot comprehend.
• Hate.
• I have not always taken seriously the depth of despair & suffering of Middle Eastern peoples that now bears fruit in acts of terror & violence - and our role in fostering that suffering & despair.
• I confess I wanted revenge. Now I want justice and healing for the world. I confess anger and hatred for the people who did this.
• I have thought too much of myself. I have wanted revenge whatever the cost. I have wondered about the motivation & honesty of our leaders. I have failed to be compassionate toward other nations & Palestinians.
• Hate.
• My own materialism echoing worlds focus.
• Symbols of money and power. Are they the symbols we want to show?
• Wanting revenge.
• Pleased that the terrorists died.
• I was scared.
• First reaction was anger & fear & desire for revenge.
• Giving in to anger, selfishness.
• Greed.
• I am sorry for my angry thoughts of revenge for those who did this instead of forgiveness.
• Haven't spoken up about injustice I knew. Arrogance/selfish.
• We may not live our life the best way that we can, but at least we're alive.
• Survivors guilt. I am okay. Colleagues are dead/missing. Worried about pay check.
• Chauvinism.
• Hateful feelings I have toward such people who are willing to perform such a cruel act.
• Don't pray enough.
• Being silent when I should speak out. Smugness. Self-centeredness.

What Do You Need?

• A vision for my own life.
• Encouragement to be positive.
• American flag, control over thoughts, guidance for leaders, understanding.
• I need for the terrorism to be stopped without loss of more lives.
• Hugs - connection with those I love. Perspective. Hope against despair.
• Courage to stand against retribution. Strengthened faith.
• Patience.
• Wisdom. Courage to speak out for peace in a frenzy of war & revenge.
• Compassion - unity, faith.
• Time.
• Hold onto anger a bit longer.
• Confidence.
• Wisdom for leaders.
• Wisdom for leaders. Direction for the future. Reassurance of God's love. Understand others. Forgiveness of others.
• Strength to not be frightened. Ability to forgive. To be able to understand. Wisdom for leaders.
• I need to believe in myself and the wisdom for the leaders.
• Patience, forgiveness, strength.
• I need feelings.
• Safety.
• Confidence.
• To be forgiven, develop understanding, time to grieve.
• Nothing right now. Patience and certainty.
• Time, space, patience, understanding, quiet, courage.

What Do I Offer to God?

• An attempt to raise the spirits of others around me in any way I can.
• Trying to be more positive.
• Comfort, understanding.
• Prayers, money, understanding, tears, more awareness that we are vulnerable.
• Commitment to study & learn & try to understand those we consider us to be their enemies.
• My prayers. Reach out to those who are afraid.
• Help, tolerance, blood, money.
• Comfort, encouragement.
• Prayers give back to God. Compassion & understanding, forgiveness.
• Prayer, support, unity, blood.
• Love, words of support.
• Love.
• My hope.
• Friendship and listening ear. Faith.
• Faith, love.
• Faith & love in God and this country.
• I can give them food to eat. I will offer money and food.
• Faith, intention, loyalty.
• Truth, faith, & love.
• Prayers.
• Faith, friendship, comfort.
• Fellowship.
• Opening my heart to forgiveness, understanding, courage to stand up for love vs. hate.
• Myself.
• Prayer, willingness to learn understanding, money, blood, trying to be a peacemaker.

What Can You Affirm?

• That good will come from evil.
• 2 wrongs don't make a right.
• God does not will all that happens, but God does will that good come out of all that happens.
• That God weeps beside us. That God holds the victims in God's arms.
• Love is stronger than hate. Good will overcome evil.
• Psalm 27 - hope. God will bring us unity.
• The hope represented by the cross.
• God will help us.
• God is with us.
• God is good!
• God is good.
• God is good all the time.
• God is good all the time. All the time God is good.
• God is good. We will stick together.
• God is full of love.
• There is a God.
• God is good, all the time.
• That God will be with us always.
• Countries work for peace.
• Of God as love. Our faith as a reconciling force.

September 12, 2001

Dear friends,

We are all reeling from the tragic events of this week. We have cried,
screamed, and stood in utter disbelief at the picture of the plane hitting the tower of the World Trade Center building replayed thousands of times in the media. It is indeed the shot seen round the world.

It is appropriate to be angry and bellow for justice in the midst of such seeming disregard for human life. It is fitting to taste the tears of fear and empathy. It is helpful to pray for the victims, for the perpetrators, and for ourselves.

One of the most touching visuals was the hand written sign in the car window of an Asian family here in Des Moines, that said, "We did not do it."

The sanctuary has been and will be open every night this week for you to find some quiet space and time for prayerful reflection. You have come with your babies, with your families, and alone. You have spent anywhere from two minutes to an hour.

I asked you to do what we do in the early service on Sundays.....to put your prayers on sticky notes and place them on the globe by the burning memorial candle. The heartfelt response has been very moving. It gives me hope.

It also reminds me of how important it is that we have a family called
"church". The strength we gleen from just being in the same place at the same time together is a part of what the faith is all about. So, thanks for sharing your prayers and your tears.

This is the month of celebrating our 80th birthday. It seems strange to be thinking about a party in the midst of crisis........but then again, it seems that there is even more reason to celebrate because we are able to affirm the importance of our faith when we need it the most.

In adult ed. Sunday (9:10-9:55 a.m.), we will share some of the highlights of our history. During worship September 23rd, we will honor the significant gifts of the Women's Fellowship over the years. On the 30th, we will eat together at a HUGE potluck birthday luncheon following the 10:30 a.m.
service.

It would seem that the most important thing we can do right now is to pull together and "keep on keeping on". That is REAL faith because it makes the statement that we will not be taken down by fear or tragedy. We will stand firm in the face of evil and AFFIRM that "our God is good."

Blessings and peace,
Pastor Sue

In the early 1980s, when peace was officially recognized as a church priority, several church members wrote the following prayer, "People Praying for Peace."

Gracious God, we are all your people,

Challenge us
to work for justice and peace.
Hound us
to be aware of war's terrible and final realities.
Help us
to prevent nuclear annihilation.
Guide those in power
to seek peaceful solutions
and to practice restraint.
Teach us
to be healers, not destroyers.
Empower us
to be instruments of your peace.

Turn us from the ways of war.
Turn us toward Shalom.

Amen.

In the early 1990s, the 1980s prayer was updated to reflect the concerns of the day.

Gracious God, we are all your people.

Calm us, that we may feel
your movement through us.
Quiet us, that we may hear
each other in our struggles.
Heal us, that we may become healers.

Open our hearts to know
we all deserve respect.
Remind us of your love, and reassure us
that we are not alone.
Call us into community.

Enable us to hear not only our own cries,
but those of others.
Lead us into reconciliation with the earth.
Stir us to action in your radical mission
of justice and peace in the world.
Free us from our prejudice, that we may share
your vision of all people
whole, well, and one.
Empower us to be instruments of your peace.

Amen.