Serve, Work and Transform: For an end to this war and all wars, we pray

Friday, February 25, 2022

For an end to this war and all wars, we pray

We Lament the Violence

Today, as Russia invades Ukraine, we condemn the violence and aggression against Ukrainians, and we lament the violence and injury that war brings to everyone everyone involved in military conflict. We join our hearts and voices with other people of faith and conscience in calling upon Russia to remove its troops and return to diplomatic talks.

As PPF, we condemn military action by any party to a conflict as contrary to the Gospel, and we believe that publicly raising our voices as people of faith to decry war and violence is important in this moment. We also believe that prayer is powerful, and so we invite you to pray in your homes and houses worship, using the resources included below.

As other solidarity actions become clear, we will keep our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter updated with those opportunities. Please follow us for the most up-to-date information about how to be in solidarity with Ukraine and take action to end war. For more about PPF's beliefs and commitments to nonviolence, check out our "What We Believe" statement.

A Prayer for Ukraine

God,

We sigh. We sigh because words cannot express our anguish, our hurt, our despair, knowing that siblings in Ukraine are fleeing their homes for their lives, that the cities and towns that hold memories and culture and history may be destroyed.

Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans that the Spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. And so we sigh. Let us breathe together.

May our sighs be a prayer

for every Ukrainian who worries about surviving today;

for those who will not survive this invasion;

for those who will survive and be forever changed by the trauma of war;

for those Russian soldiers who question their orders and refuse to use their weapons.

May our sighs fill our bodies with air

to breathe through grief and fear and

fill us with courage and connection,

so that we are ready to act in solidarity with Ukraine,

for an end to this war

and all war.