Prayers

Prayer for the Peaceful Reunification of the Korean Peninsula by the the National Council of Churches in Korea

On this Easter morning, we praise Jesus Christ, who has triumphed over death, and we pray that our people and the whole world may walk in the path of new life.

Prayer for Peace on the World Council of Churches 76th anniversary, 23 August 2024, offered by Bishop Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, moderator of the WCC central committee.

It has been 28 years since the two Koreas began the Easter joint prayer together. It is a prayer that started with glory to God who gave him the strength to work for unification. I hope that unification alone will fulfill its last duty.

Gracious God, when suffering and injustice seem unending, we pray for Sumud — the steadfast endurance and resilience that we find in you. 

Let swords be turned into ploughshares, fear to trust, despair to hope, oppression to freedom, starvation to prosperity, occupation to liberation, and peace and justice could be experienced by all.

‘In his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.’ (Eph 2:14 NRSV)

Prayer for Ukraine by bishop Rosemarie Wenner during the ecumenical morning prayer held on 15 May 2023, when the World Council of Churches (WCC) staff and partners observed the UN International Day of Living Together in Peace.

As tensions continue to rise on the Korean Peninsula, we, as Christians from the North and the South, come together in prayer. We ask for your grace and mercy through the resurrection of your son, Jesus Christ.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is sharing materials for a “Week of Prayer for Overcoming Racism and Xenophobia” in the week that includes the UN International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21 March and the UN International Day for the Remembrance of Victims of Slavery and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade on 25 March.