Almighty Father,
Thou who controllest the destinies of all men
and in whose hand lies the fate of all nations,
we have appeared before Thee this day
with feelings of deep thankfulness.
We are grateful that the war which brought
so much destruction,
so much sorrow,
and so much death,
ceased.
We recall the heroism
which so many of our brave spirits showed,
and the noble sacrifices
so many made at the call of their beloved land.
We remember, with affection,
all those devoted souls who gave their lives for their country.

But, Almighty God,
futile would have been our observance of this sacred day,
of no avail will have been all the sufferings of our martyrs
if there be not born in us the conviction
that wars must no longer afflict mankind—
wars with all their terrors—
wars in which the hand of one man is turned against his brother!
“For have we not all one father?
Hath not one God created us?”^[1] Malachi 2:10. 

We know that America came forth victorious,
because all its people
from one end of the land to the other,
irrespective of race or creed,
were united for a common purpose.
Grant us the wisdom to banish hate
so that no internal dissension
may disrupt our living together in fellowship.

Bless this glorious land of ours
that it may ever continue to be
a haven of refuge for the oppressed
and an apostle of righteousness to the entire world.
Amen.