For the Ash Wednesday service tonight at the Congregational Church of Patchogue, Pastor Dwight invited us to compose prayers around the events in Ukraine. In the spirit of the season of atonement, I wrote this one.

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God, we want to see ourselves in the resisters and the freedom fighters.

But we need to see ourselves in the invaders, also.

Where in our hearts do we need to root out excuses for violence? The tendencies to invade and colonize, to take what is not our own? The refusals to consider other claims, to share or to gracefully yield?

Root this sin from Putin’s heart, and from mine.

Protect those who desire peace, and those who, in the coming days, may regret the harm they have caused or are positioned to cause.

In the name of the One who refused violence.

Amen.