As far as I can tell the vast liturgical provision or multi-volume Directory for worship called COMMON WORSHIP of the Church of England provides no prayers for use in time of war. This of course does not stop bishops issuing such prayer for use, which they are doing. In contrast THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER of 1662 does envisage war and conflict as real possibilities and does provide petition in the traditional Litany as well as a prayer to be used at the end of Morning and Evening Prayer entitled, "In the Time of War and Tumults". Then, there is the fixed Collect for Peace daily required at Morning and Evening Prayer and within the Collects for the Christian Year not a few of them have petitions to be saved from enemies (physical and spiritual).
The 1928 BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER of the PECUSA has several prayers for a time of war (pages 41-2 of the pew edition), but the 1979 Prayer Book of ECUSA in "Prayers and Thanksgivings" 814ff. does not have a specific prayer for use in time of war. It does have prayers for peace, for country, for the government, for social justice and for prisoners of conscience, as well as a prayer for those in the Armed Forces, but nothing specifically for a time of war.
It would seem that the classic BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER (1662 etc) provides for prayer in war but assumes that any such war is a just war. (If a church of a nation using the classic BCP believed that a war was not just then there are problems using the set prayers.)
It would seem also that the American Prayer Book of 1979 does not want to face the ugly fact of war (after all it was put together in the aftermath of the Viet Nam conflict) and so provides only general prayers for international peace, peace with justice and the well being of the members of the armed forces. It has the 1960s ring of protestors for peace about it.
Right now pastors face the real difficult situation of framing public prayers for Sunday worship which rightly capture the known will of God and rightly make petition for all those managing, fighting in and affected by war. And we cannot avoid the fact in our thinking that war reveals both the dark/evil and well as the light/compassionate side of human nature and thereby shows that man though made in the image of God is nevertheless depraved and degenerate and will only be perfected in the age to come. Victors and the conquered share the same fallen human nature.
The following note (below) may be help to some as they prepare prayers for public worship -- but perhaps more useful to traditional congregations will be such collections as "Parish Prayers" edited by Frank Colquhoon, which has prayers that were composed in World War II.
[The Invitation to Prayer website, www.invitationtoprayer.org, exists to support both individual prayer and collective worship. Special prayers for use in time of war have been added to the site on 20th March. There are resources for clergy and laity, for use individually and collectively, and for use at different times of day. These may form the basis for a short act of prayer in church or at home, at a regular time each day or week, at the start or conclusion of a silent vigil, or whenever people meet together to pray.]
In Britain with half the population vocally against the war against Iraq, pastors who open their mouths need to have prepared carefully what they offer to God on behalf of their congregations!
The Rev'd Dr. Peter Toon
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