Prayer Service to Abolish the Death Penalty
Opening Song: “Amazing Grace”
Leader: O God, Creator of all, you chose to make humans in your image and likeness, thereby freely granting us a dignity that we did not earn by our own merits. You further gifted us with redemption even after we failed to listen to your word. Your unconditional love has given us mercy and forgiveness at every turn of our lives. May we learn to extend that mercy and forgiveness to one another, even to those who have caused death to others. We ask this through Jesus Christ, your Son and our Redeemer. Amen.
Prayer for Forgiveness: Please respond, “Lord, have mercy.”
Leader: We acknowledge that we perpetuate many forms of violence in our world: multiplying weapons, supporting wars, imposing crushing debt payments on poor countries, and often refusing to share from our abundance. Let us ask forgiveness for all forms of violence.
All: Lord, have mercy.
Leader: We acknowledge the violence within our country: allowing millions of people to live in poverty, without adequate housing or healthcare or jobs that pay a living wage. We acknowledge that we often imprison without attempting to rehabilitate, and execute instead of extending mercy. Let us ask forgiveness for all forms of violence.
All: Lord, have mercy.
Leader: We acknowledge the violence in our communities and homes: abusing women and children, discriminating against minorities, destroying our environment, building walls of anger and hatred through harsh words and divisive actions. Let us ask forgiveness for all forms of violence.
All: Lord, have mercy.
Reader: Scripture – Romans 12: 14-21 (Conquer evil with good.)
Psalm 85 - Response: Loving God, have mercy on us.
Side 1: O God our helper, you once favored your land
and revived the fortunes of
You forgave the guilt of your people and covered all their sins.
You averted all your rage, you calmed the heat of your anger.
Revive us now, God, our helper!
Put an end to your grievance
against us. Response
Side 2: Let us see your mercy, and give us your saving help.
I will hear what you, O God, have to say,
A voice that speaks of peace,
Peace for your people and your friends
And those who turn to you in their hearts. Response
Side 1: Your help is near for those who fear you
And your glory will dwell in our land.
Mercy and faithfulness have met,
Justice and
peace have embraced. Response
Side 2: Faithfulness shall spring forth from the earth
And justice look down from heaven.
Yahweh, you will make us prosper
And our earth shall yield its fruit.
Justice shall march before you
And peace follow your steps. Response
Reflection: Story of Corrie Ten Boom (See separate sheet.)
Litany for Healing
Leader: God of mercy and compassion, we come before you as members of a society that needs your healing touch. We ask you to hear the prayers of our hearts, and pour out your mercy and compassion on our world.
Please Respond: God of mercy and compassion, hear our prayer.
Leader: God of compassion, we pray for the victims of crime and their families and friends. May your healing touch transform their anger and comfort them in their pain, so that your peace reigns in their hearts, we pray…
Leader: God of mercy, we pray for those sentenced to die by execution. May they and their families and friends be strengthened by your love, we pray,…
Leader: God of compassion, we pray for all those who participate in executions and those who condone them. May they be open to grace and conversion, we pray,…
Leader: God of mercy, we pray for those caught in a spiral of violence. May they be freed from this evil so they can live in peace with one another, we pray,…
Leader: God of compassion, we pray for those oppressed by unjust policies and structures. May we have the courage to work for justice through social transformation, we pray,…
Leader: God of mercy, we pray for each of us who suffer from the effects of division and discrimination. May we open our hearts to Your gifts of forgiveness, reconciliation, and unconditional love, we pray,…
Leader: Let us pray together “A Prayer to Abolish the Death Penalty” written by Sister Helen Prejean, csj.
All: “God of compassion,
you let the rain fall on the just and the unjust. Expand and deepen our hearts so that we may
love as you love, even those among us who have caused great pain by taking a
life. For there is in our land a great
cry for vengeance as we fill up death rows and kill the killers in the name of
justice, in the name of peace. Jesus,
our brother, you suffered execution at the hands of the state, but you did not
let hatred overcome you. Help us to
reach out to victims of violence so that our enduring love may help them heal. Holy Spirit of God, You strengthen us in the
struggle for justice. Help us to work
tirelessly for the abolition of state-sanctioned death and to renew our society
in its very heart so that violence will be no more. Amen.”
Closing Song: “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace”
You are invited to give a sign of peace to those around you.
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Story of Corrie
ten Boom
In her book Proclaim
Jubilee, Maria Harris relates the story of Corrie
ten Boom whose sister Betsie died during the Nazi
Holocaust. After the war, Corrie traveled around giving lectures on the need to
forgive enemies as Jesus did. One night after a lecture she was greeted by a
man she recognized as an SS guard who had been especially cruel to the women in
the processing center at Ravensbruck. He told her how grateful he was to hear her
message of forgiveness and he reached out his hand to shake hers. Suddenly she couldn’t raise her hand. She said a quick prayer for help. She describes the experience this way:
Jesus had died for this man; was I going to ask for
more? Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me
and help me to forgive him.
I tried to smile.
I struggled to raise my hand. I
could not. I felt nothing, not the
slightest spark of warmth or charity.
And so again I breathed a silent prayer.
Jesus I cannot forgive him. Give
me your forgiveness.
As I took his hand a most incredible thing
happened. From my shoulder along my arm
and through my hand a current seemed to pass from me to him, while into my
heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me.
And so I discovered that it is not on our
forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world’s healing hinges but
on His. When he tells
us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself. (p. 50)
Corrie opened her heart to the healing touch of Jesus, and
in doing so permitted Jesus to touch not only her own heart, but the heart of
another. Isn’t that often the case when
true reconciliation takes place?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all of us opened our
hearts to Jesus’ healing touch and allowed our wounds to be healed, instead of
allowing bitterness, hatred, and vengeance to rule our lives? What a different world this would be!
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