Eternal Spirit,
Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
We approach you in these moments,
in hope and expectation of you hearing our prayers and praises; and that you also hear our petitions for your grace and mercy, as we experience these difficult days where fear, anxiety and scarcity are too easy to absorb in the flood of daily dismantling reports that outrage and overwhelm us.
It feels like a never ending sorrow in a fallen world, a world where so many are on their knees, broken, lost in the dark, aching and thirsty.
To discern your justice and righteousness, your source of infinite abundance in these times feels almost impossible.
By the end of the day our spirits are low, our hearts are dragged down.
And so we pray to know your love that is big enough to hold our sorrow and outrage.
We lift up the young and fragile, the innocent that live in calamity made by rulers of nations.
We pray for your children here and all over this world where there is hunger and violence…in the streets, between nations, and in homes. With Jesus, we grieve and mourn with the families who once again may be torn apart at our borders and for some, though promised entry are now denied.
Yet
Jesus love reminds us that everything…everyone belongs.
When we are complicit in support of hatred across race, culture, class and religion. When we find ourselves immobilized by bigotry that is justified by the misuse of scripture and the need for winning – we pray for your mercy and forgiveness.
Our prayers so often are limited but your vision for the world is one of peace, wholeness, blessing and restoration for every one of us..and healing beyond anything we can imagine. So we pray that our hearts will be broken open to love as you love for every one of your children are holy and loved.
And we pray O God, for strength, determination and will power, to move beyond our prayers to a willingness to act, to do.
May we with hearts, hands and voices have the courage to stand in the face of evil and speak truth, your truth, of freedom and dignity, accountability and blessing to serve the least of these…with unceasing prayers for your forgiveness, mercy and love.
May we daily be instruments of your peace.
May your will be done so that your shalom of safety and unity might prevail.
May we know in the deep of our hearts that you, Light of Light move into the darkest of all places…you, oh Love, are stronger than our fears of what we do not know….
your clarity of purpose upends our overwhelming fears, thoughts and feelings.
When our spirits will not release into your arms…
May we know that in relinquishing our need to hold on to our opinions, our need to be on the side of right…we will find release in your hovering wings of refuge and protection. That we might dwell in your justice that restores and blesses.
God of fellowship and community, we give thanks that we may ponder and pray in this community…for one another beside whom we sit…with those we break bread and feed the hungry, with those we share our resources to give out of our abundance, and for those whom we have lost along the way.
Light of light, Shine brightly here where there may be darkness…celebrate with us where there is life…in the hope fostered in our babies, the abundance and wonder of our children, as our young adults discover their paths undergirded by the love and guidance, not only of their families but of this church family. As we cherish the wisdom and stories of our elders.
God of abundance, we know that you are able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine, so Make us bold to pray that your will be done in all ways and in all places in all of your creation as we pray together:
Our mother and father…hallowed be your name. Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom the power and the glory for ever and ever. Amen.