Common Easter Prayer of the Churches of North and SouthKorea
April 2009
God of Resurrection and Life!
Today we face many difficulties in the journey toward, peace, reconciliation and cooperation
which we have been walking with many tears and prayers.
Our steps towards our yearned-for homeland are blocked.
North and South, we are moving backward toward conflict and confrontation.
War clouds hang over us in this atmosphere of disruption, misunderstanding and conflict.
Oh God, nevertheless we pray with full trust to you, God of Resurrection and Life.
God of Mercy!
We now first confess our sin.
While we say that we want to let the flower of national reconciliation and peaceful reunification bloom, we have not been able to be the seed that falls to the ground to yield the bloom.
While with our mouths we speak of national reconciliation and of being one,
in our hearts we have criticized, despised and blamed the other side.
Rather than follow God,
we have sought only material things, military strength, and logic of power;
we have closed our eyes to national suffering and the reality of division, pursuing our own easy life.
God of Justice!
Help us to work for your justice and peace;
let us not surrender to injustice in fear of the powers of darkness and death;
lead us to stand firmly against those who speak of a false peace and against the powers of division.
Awaken us to recognize and crushthe false peace and to build a history of true peace.
God of Life!
Let our people become one independently and live the life of reconciliation instead of confrontation.
Guide us to struggle against the power of division and cultivate a history of peace and reunification and national resurrection.
Lead us in the North and the South to wholeheartedly keep and implement the June15,2000andOctober4,2006JointStatements.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ
who even today is victorious over the power of death and injustice,
who cares for those who suffer and wipes the tears of those who weep,
who works as the Resurrection, Life and Holy Spirit.
This Common Prayer was jointly written by the National Council of Churches in Korea(NCCK) and the Korean Christian Federation(KCF)
