A prayer in response to this article about the impact of the “American War” in Afghanistan:
Divine Lover in the heart of each image of God,
forgive us for seeking out the logic of war rather than the Prince of Peace.
We confess that loving our enemies is hard,
and we frequently give in to our fears when confronted with danger.
O God of all people,
even those living in Afghanistan, Iraq, and countries around the world terrorized by drone strikes,
lead us in the way of peace.
Let us challenge our leaders to take the narrow way of diplomacy instead of the wide path of destruction.
Christ our very breath,
call your church back to the way of nonviolence it practiced in its first three centuries.
Show it the folly of chasing after political power,
and the essential absurdity of using the tools of empire to establish the kin’dom of God.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Amen.