Redeeming God,
In our world where fear of not understanding someone can cause a person to express hate or to be dismissive, we pray for moments of an open heart to seek understanding and love. In a world where grief turns into fear of the unknown, we pray for comfort and for that fear to be turned into trust of who you are and your presence with us. In a world where fear of losing control drives our politics and laws, we pray for a sense of acceptance for all people of all genders, races, and sexual orientations, and abilities to have the same rights and privileges so that everyone can truly be free to be who you have created them to be. In a world where people express fear of commitment to faith communities, we pray for the courage to step into the beautiful, hard, complicated, and life-giving gift of community. In a world where fear of rising prices overwhelms all of us, help us keep our focus on you and your call to hold each other and look out for the good of all people instead of turning inward to look out only for our own interests.
When the storms of depression, anxiety, sicknesses, and broken relationships make us feel like we are drowning, we pray that you hold us as we embark on the hard journeys of seeking help, regulating our mediations, and leaning into hard conversations with others – all while knowing we aren’t the only ones who are experiencing these storms. God, we know that in the storms of
life is when we are often reminded of our strength and our ability to love – to love ourselves as you love us, to see others as you see them – beloved and precious – and to strengthen our faith more and more as we overcome fear.
We give thanks for those in our lives who help us see your love and for the ways they extend their arms to help keep our heads above water by offering us a hug, to welcome us back into relationships each week, for the ways they use their words to offer us encouragement, affirmation, and reassurance of who and whose we are. We give you thanks for those who love us well and help us to laugh. For those who simply sit with us in silence and our moments of grief. For those who find the good in all and for those who help us see you more clearly. We give you thanks for our faith community here at First on Fifth and pray that you will continue to bind us together in the great work of Love you have called us to do.
We pray all these things in the name of the one who redeemed us, who sits with us in the storms, who pulls us out of the water – Jesus, the risen Christ – and the one who taught us to pray saying….