Prayers for Memorial Day - May 31, 2021

 

The following prayers were shared at the Memorial Day Observervance sponsored by the City of Troy, Michigan. 

God of Peace,

We gather here today filled with joyful and painful memories of those who died in service to the country and for the cause of peace. As we remember them, we do so with sad and grateful hearts.

We remember as well those who were injured and disabled, those who experience mental distress and moral woundedness, as a result of their service. We pray for their continued healing.

We also remember the loved ones left behind by those who died in service to this country and for those who have yet to find closure as they wait for news about those who missing in action. Let us remember in prayers all who grieve—parents, spouses, children, siblings. May they experience the healing of their memories.

On this Memorial Day, we stop to remember all those in our community, our nation, and around the world, who have perished during this pandemic. We also remember the front-line workers from medical personnel, police, firefighters, and EMTs to grocery workers, who went to work, day in and day out knowing that they put their lives at risk. Some paid the ultimate price. They too are on our hearts this day.

We come to lay wreaths in their honor.

We salute the bravery of those who served this country, always hoping that when they are deployed, they will return home safely. Nevertheless, they go knowing that they may not return home.  

Even as we remember those who died in service to the country, we also come here today, hoping that the day will come, as the prophet declared that swords will be beaten into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks.

We gather here today as a community, representing different faiths, ideologies, and ethnicities. May the example set by those we remember today inspire us to pursue the cause of peace and justice in this world of ours. May we commit ourselves to build bridges of understanding and hope in this community and beyond. Amen.

 

Benediction

Let us go forth from this place with grateful hearts.

          In a spirit of hope, we pray that peace will prevail in this world of ours. Having remembered and celebrated the lives of men and women who served this country, and died in its service, we remain grateful for the freedoms that we have and treasure as a nation, which draws its lifeblood from the contributions made by the many different peoples who inhabit this land. We give thanks for our diversity as a community and as a nation. Let us not take this blessing for granted. May we go our separate ways, having honored the memory of those we celebrated here today, committing ourselves to the principle of loving our neighbor. As such may we honor them by committing ourselves to serve the community, nation, and world, so that peace and justice may prevail among us all. Amen