The Peacemaking Program offers a variety of prayers and other worship resources for days and seasons of the Christian year as well as days with particular significance for peace and justice concerns.

Advent and Christmas

• A Prayer for the United Nations at Christmas
• Christmas Eve 2004:  O Little Town of Bethlehem
• 2003 Christmas Reflection

Lent and Easter Resources

Choices: Reflections on Torture, Violence, and Nonviolence for Lent 2009
No2Torture has posted this piece by the Rev. Kirsten Klepfer, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Grinnell, Iowa, that reflects on torture, violence and nonviolence for the Lenten season. The work considers lectionary texts for the first five Sundays of Lent. Download this resource.

Responding to Torture
To Be Instruments of Gods Peace, Love, and Justice in a Broken and Shattered World: Resources for Responding to Torture
Includes prayers, a devotional reflection and summaries of General Assembly statements

More resources

• Servant Christ: A Litany
• Love One Another: A Retelling of the Arrest of Jesus According to the Gospel of John
• In Light of the Resurrection
• Easter Rap
• Easter Call to Worship

World Water Day — March 22

The international observance of World Water Day grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro.

The theme for World Water Day in 2009, “Shared Waters — Shared Opportunities,” calls attention to the waters that cross national boundaries. Careful management of water across borders could promote trust and understanding, leading to a more peaceful and secure world and enabling sustainable economic growth.

• World Water Day Bulletin Insert
• Worship with the World: Water (from Church World Service)
• Opening Worship Service, Presbyterians Restoring Creation 2005 Conference
• Closing Worship Service, Presbyterians Restoring Creation 2005 Conference
• Sustaining Waters
• PC(USA) Water Mission Network
• Water for All!

Earth Day

Praising the beauty of God's creation is an essential part of our ongoing faith journey and worship experience and every year we dedicate one Sunday to lift up creation stewardship as a focus through an Earth Day celebration. Each year, the National Council of Churches’ Eco-Justice Working Group focuses on a particular environmental theme and highlights a number of ways individuals and congregations can celebrate and protect God's creation.

This year’s theme is "Celebrating and Caring For God's Creation." From the ancient Israelites to the early followers of Christ, caring for the Earth was an important means of offering thanks and praise to God. The 2009 Earth Day Resource provides education and worship ideas for your congregation as you celebrate Earth Day.

Presbyterians for Restoring Creation is a national, grassroots organization to support people of faith working towards “environmental wholeness with social justice.”

International Day of Peace — September 21

The United Nations General Assembly has set aside September 21 of each year as the International Day of Peace — a day of global ceasefire and non-violence when all nations and people are encouraged to honor a cessation of hostilities. In 2008, the World Council of Churches invites congregations worldwide to pray for peace on September 21.

• Prayers from the Presbyterian United Nations Office
• 2008 International Day of Prayer for Peace Bulletin Insert
• 2008 International Day of Prayer for Peace Brochure
• Resources from the Decade to Overcome Violence — Pacific Focus
• International Day of Peace Brochure

Learn more about the ministry of the Presbyterian United Nations Office.

Peace Vigil
People worldwide, representing a wide variety of religious and spiritual traditions, have committed to the task of marking the International Day of Peace with a Peace Vigil that will involve worldwide, 24-hour spiritual observations for peace and nonviolence on the International Day of Peace — September 21 — in every house of worship and place of spiritual practice, by all religious and spiritually based groups and individuals and by all men, women and children who seek peace in the world. Individuals and groups are invited to support this worldwide initiative by committing to hold a 24-hour vigil on September 21.

The Day after Peace
The video The Day After Peace charts the remarkable 10-year journey of award-winning filmmaker Jeremy Gilley to establish an annual Peace Day on September 21. The camera follows Gilley as he galvanizes the countries of the world to recognize an official day of ceasefire and nonviolence.

Human Rights Day — December 10

About Human Rights Day

• Frequently Asked Questions about Human Rights Day
• 60th Anniversary Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• Know Your Rights

New for 2008

• Liturgy for December 10, 2008
• Sixty Years of Hope: Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the Rev. Robert F. Smylie
• Bulletin Insert for Human Rights Day

Worship Resources

• A Candle Lighting Service for Human Rights Day
• Stop Torture, Protect Human Rights —an order of worship for Human Rights Day, including sermon notes and suggestions for speaking with children.
• Human Rights Litany
• Order of Worship for Human Rights Day
• Download these resources
• Children's Sermon
• Life In All Its Fullness: a Reflection

Information about Human Rights

• Presbyterian United Nations Office
• Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
• Human Rights Fact Sheets from the United Nations

Hymns for Peacemaking

• O God, Each Day You Bless Us
  A Hymn for the Commitment to Peacemaking by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette

Sermons and Liturgies from the 2005 Peacemaking Conference

• "From Fear into Community: Communion" by Laura Mariko Cheifetz
• "The Payoff's Always in Redemption" by Lisa Larges
•  "Not Enough to Go Around?" by Carol Wickersham
• “To See the Stars, You Must Sit in the Darkness” by Rebecca Reyes
• “Christ Is Risen!” — by Elizabeth and Marthame Sanders on service in Israel/Palestine
• “Building Hope, Friendship, Relationship”— by Jennifer Thalman on service in Guatemala
• Monday, June 20, 2005
• Tuesday, June 21, 2005
• Wednesday, June 22, 2005
• Thursday, June 23, 2005
• Friday, June 24, 2005
• Liturgical Resources Developed by Conference Participants