Prayers on the 75th Anniversary of the formal end of WW2 hostilities in Europe
These prayers are intended for use on May 8th 2020 but can be used at any time. If you have any memories of the war, bring them to mind below – perhaps with the aid of photographs or other memorabilia. If you were born after the war, remember stories from your parents or grandparents and, again, have photos or other items to hand.
Prayer
Loving God, we come before you
on this day of remembrance and commemoration
with humble and thankful hearts
for all your goodness to us – in peace and war,
in good times and bad, in life and in death.
May we know your presence with us now –
and your presence with us always,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Bible Reading
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.
Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God
and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future,
nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul writing to the Roman Christians: chapter 8 v 31 – 39.
Sit quietly for a time of reflection.
Your own prayers
Give thanks for ‘the selfless and courageous service and sacrifice of those who brought peace to Europe’.
Pray for all who still suffer – as a result of past wars, present wars, and as a result of current infliction of suffering by human beings on each other.
Pray for all who work for peace, justice, climate control, and freedom from fear.
Give thanks for forgiveness and reconciliation between peoples, and pray for future international relations and for initiatives of partnership and co-operation.
Say the Lord’s Prayer…
The Act of Rededication below was used in Westminster Abbey on the 70th anniversary:
Statement made by a veteran of the war:
“We fought for peace, that the world might never again know such violence and destruction.
Question asked by the great-great-granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill:
“Will you work for peace and reconciliation in your homes and communities, and promote peace throughout the world?
Answer:
With the help of God, we will.
Statement made by a veteran of the War:
“We fought for justice, that the scourge of prejudice and oppression might never again take root in our societies.”
Question asked by the great-great-granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill:
“Will you work for a world in which hatred and injustice never have the final word, and where all people can flourish with dignity and hope?
Answer:
With the help of God, we will.
Statement made by a veteran of the War:
“We struggled so that the whole human family might know goodwill, security and freedom.
Question asked by the great-great-granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill:
“Will you always acknowledge how precious are the gifts which God has entrusted to us, and exercise the freedoms and responsibilities you have with gratitude and humility?
Answer:
With the help of God, we will.
Prayer
Eternal God,
in whose perfect realm
no sword is drawn but the sword of justice,
and no strength known but the strength of love:
guide and inspire all who seek your kingdom,
that peoples and nations may find their security
in the love which casts out fear;
through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.
Collect for Remembrance Sunday (Methodist Worship Book)
Sit quietly for however long you want to pause before the final prayer.
Final Prayer and Blessing
God grant to the living, grace;
to the departed, rest; to the world, peace
and to us and all people, life everlasting;
and the blessing of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be with us now and for ever. Amen.
Prayer in the Funeral Service (Methodist Worship Book)