God of peace,
who raised Christ Jesus
to victory over death,
keep us ever mindful
of the cost of making peace,
of the call to be peacemakers,
and of the carefulness needed
to keep the peace,
in our lives, in our land
and in our world.
Amen
God of light,
who helped to keep the home fires burning
during the dark days of war in Europe,
set our lives alight today in a time of peace,
so that we shine as lamplights,
keeping the darkness at bay
and holding onto that precious peace
that was won for us in history,
and supremely on the cross for eternity.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
God of sadness and celebration,
you share our pain at loss
as well as our joy in reunion.
We remember with gratitude
the mixed emotions of VE Day,
in people’s hearts, and on the streets.
Comfort those who still grieve,
and challenge us who live on
to value what was won
and to build on the legacy of lives sacrificed.
For your name’s sake. Amen
God of the nations
and of this nation,
thank you for bringing us through
the hardships of the Second World War.
On this eightieth anniversary
may the red in our flag
remind us of the sacrifices made;
may the blue in our flag,
remind us of the freedoms* we now enjoy;
And may the white in our flag
remind us of the dove of peace
which we must never take for granted.
We ask this in Jesus’s name
Amen
*the freedom of open space represented by a big blue sky or a vast blue ocean