Creating God, on this beautiful day filled with signs of your presence all around us, we pause in a time of prayer. For the breath that fills our lungs, the thoughts that fill our minds and the emotions that fill our hearts, we give You thanks. For the freedom to gather in this place, for the walls of this church house that provide us a safe space to be who you created us to be, for your holy words that guide us each and every day, we can never give you enough praise.
Gracious God, sometimes in an effort to express our appreciation for all You have done and continue to do for us, we get a little wonky. We want so badly to please you and to follow Your words, but we don’t always get it right. Sometimes in our efforts to follow in Your way, we forget that those around us are the works of Your hands. We forget our siblings in Christ and neglect to remember that they are our co-laborers on this road of life. We forget that our thoughts and actions affect the lives of all those around us.
Loving God, we ask that you forgive us for these missteps – the times we place our wants and desires above others; the times we overlook the implications of our actions; the times we are blind to the realities of the lives of others. While we sometimes intentionally neglect to think about our kin and to place their needs above our own, may we be reassured of Your continuing love and graciousness.
God of all Humanity, Your word reminds us that while no one has ever seen You, You are made visible when we love one another. As we look into the eyes of our neighbors – our neighbors without houses, our neighbors reliant on drugs, our neighbors who look and talk differently from us, our neighbors who worship differently from us, our neighbors who are sick, grieving, or facing a period of transition – when we look into their eyes, may we be reminded that You love them and sacrifice for them and ask us to do the same.
Living God, let our hearts be tender and our vision clear. Let us see the world as You see it. Let our hearts be broken and our feet moved to serve You far and near. We pray all of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, the living manifestation of Your love, and pray together as he taught us to pray saying,
“Our Father, who are in heaven….”