A PRAYER FOR VETERANS DAY

        God of grace and God of Glory, once again we honor the Veterans, living and dead, of the many wars in which our nation has been involved. We thank you for their service, their sense of duty, their sacrifice, their patriotism, their bravery, their esprit de corps. We pray for those who bear the physical, emotional, and psychological scars of war, and for their families and all who have shared their pain.
        We also lift up to you those for whom this day is a sad reminder of the terrible cost of war, and we pray that every living veteran may feel the gratitude and respect of all their fellow citizens, even of those who may have questioned the justification of our preemptive invasion of Iraq or the wisdom of our prolonged stay in Afghanistan.
        What a privilege, O God, to live in a land where people of good character and conscience can differ in their assessments of our nation’s foreign policy, with equal loyalty to their flag and equal love for the republic for which it stands. What a testimony to the allegiance of our service men and women that they are ready to lay down their lives for their country, even when some of them may not fully understand the reasons for the war they are fighting.
        God of all nations, having just reelected our President and Vice President to a second term in office, we ask your special blessing upon them and upon all who will be serving with them in the Administration and in the Congress, as they face the enormous challenges ahead. In your great mercy, heal the divisions in our land, and dispel the bitterness of the recent campaign that we may unite as a nation in our prayers for all who bear the weight of public office, regardless of their party affiliation.
        Give to our new president and to every office holder, at whatever level of government, the humility to acknowledge their limitations, the wisdom to discern the best solutions to the world’s problems, the good will to work in a spirit of non-partisanship to solve those problems, the integrity to put principle above expediency, and the commitment to live up to their campaign promises.   In so doing, may they learn the fine art of compromise for the sake of progress.
        We acknowledge, O God, that we honor our veterans best by doing our best for them on the home front and giving them the support they need during and after their time in the service.
         “We are living, we are dwelling in a grand an d awful time.”. . . “Let there be light, Lord God of hosts!  Let there be wisdom on the earth!  Let broad humanity have birth!  Let there be deeds instead of boasts!”
         And if it be your will, O God, let there be peace on earth, for your kingdom’s sake.  Amen.