Redeemer and Reconciler,
We give thanks for the work of the United Nations and for our sisters and brothers whom you have called to serve within that system. We are thankful that you call women and men from every land. We honor their work, their gifts, and their sacrifice. We pray for those who have given their lives in service; for their families and communities who grieve such loss.
We ask for your strength to be with each individual:
who cares for brothers and sisters who are made vulnerable and are oppressed;
who bears witness to evil and seeks healing in its wake;
who works so children are safe, people are fed, communities are stable and justice is known.
We pray that diplomats, peacekeepers, well diggers, health workers, researchers, lawyers, translators, secretaries, and all who work in any capacity would know your presence. May those who work for well known offices and in publicized crises, those who do the mundane work of the everyday, and those who work in places forgotten by the media and in emergencies deemed less important, experience your grace.
Grant all who serve wisdom and courage.
Grant rest; instill a sense of call.
When the way is difficult give strength.
When the way is obscured, give guidance.
When they go astray, offer your gracious correction.
Provide all that is needed for the living of these days and the faithful fulfillment of entrusted tasks.
We pray in the name of the one who is our Peace, Jesus Christ. Amen.
- The Rev. Rachel Pedersen, Associate Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Bloomington, IN, former intern, Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations