Gracious and loving God,
We come before you this day with hearts full of gratitude for your abundant grace and steadfast love. We pause in this season of Lent, to reflect on the journey of faith we are called to walk. We recognize that the road ahead is not always easy, that it is marked by both deep pain and profound joy. We ask, O God, that as we move forward into the world with your love, you would open our eyes, our hearts, and our hands to the needs of all your children.
In our gospel lesson this morning, we read of Mary’s extravagant gesture— a moment of radical love and sacrificial devotion. In this beautiful act of vulnerability, may we be reminded that love is not always neat or contained; it spills over, it disrupts, it calls us to something deeper. May we, too, be willing to offer the costly perfume of our own hearts—laying aside our comforts, our privilege, our fear—so that we may live out love, unrestrained and radical, for the world to see.
Lord, we bring before you the suffering of our world, the brokenness that permeates so many corners of our lives. In our own country, we are witnessing ever deepening divides—political, racial, economic—and we confess that we are complicit in the ways we too often stand by, silent or indifferent. We grieve the violence that tears through our communities, whether it be gun violence, racial injustice, or the crushing weight of poverty. God, we ask that your transformative power move in our hearts, that we may become a people who no longer look the other way but who work together for the healing of your land. We pray for collective reformation, where we would each learn to live not for ourselves, but for one another, sharing in each other’s burdens, standing in solidarity with those who are marginalized, listening to those whose voices have been silenced for too long.
We pray for our leaders, those who hold power and influence, that they would lead with wisdom, humility, and compassion. We pray that they would hear the cries of those long discounted and the vulnerable and that they would be moved not by self-interest but by a deep desire to bring justice, peace, and reconciliation to all. Lord, we ask that these leaders – whether they sit in government offices, boardrooms or other places of influence – would embody the spirit of Mary’s love knowing that it is not always the powerful who are called to act but those who are willing to serve and make sacrifices for the good of others. May they move beyond mere words and promises, embracing policies and actions that reflect a deep commitment to justice, peace, and healing. May their love for others spill over into every decision they make, so that the hungry are fed, the sick are healed, the imprisoned are liberated, and the earth is cared for with reverence.
Across the globe, our hearts ache for the suffering of our siblings in places where war, famine, and displacement have become the daily reality. We think of the people of Ukraine, who have endured so much, and we pray for peace to flow like a river through their land. We pray for the millions of refugees worldwide—those forced to flee their homes due to violence, persecution, and natural disasters. We remember the Rohingya people, displaced and suffering in camps, denied their basic human rights. We think of the Syrian refugees, living in limbo, far from the homes they once knew, seeking safety in a world that seems unwilling to welcome them. We lift up the people of Yemen, where a brutal conflict has led to one of the worst humanitarian crises of our time, and the Palestinian people who are daily watching basic supplies run as their family and friends die not only from attack but also from malnutrition and lack of basic care. We grieve the ongoing crisis in Sudan, where political instability and violence have forced millions to flee, and where families face daily hardships as they struggle to survive. We remember those in Myanmar reeling from an earthquake while they continue to face oppression and violence after a military coup displaced countless families.
In this time of Lent, as we reflect on Jesus’ journey to the cross, we are reminded that the way of love is often the way of sacrifice. Lord, as we prepare to share in communion together, may it not be a simple ritual, but a deep reminder of your body broken for us, your blood shed for us, and your call to us to be broken open, to be poured out in service to others. May the bread we break and the cup we share transform us, reminding us that we are one body, bound together by your grace.
Help us, O God, to resist the temptation of self-sufficiency and individualism. Help us to remember that we are not alone, that we are part of a vast, interconnected web of life, and that the healing of the world depends upon our willingness to act together, to love together, to struggle together.
And in those moments when we are tired, when the weight of the world feels too much, may we remember Mary’s act of extravagant love. May we be reminded that love, even in its most humble form, can change the world. Love is always worth the cost, for in love, we encounter the divine.
And, God, when we leave this place today, may we each go with the courage to love beyond measure, to give of ourselves freely, and to stand with those who are suffering. May we go in peace, knowing that your presence goes with us, and that you are the one who transforms all things.
We pray all of this in the name of the one who poured out love for us, Jesus Christ, and we pray together as he taught us, saying…
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy 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 and the power and the glory forever. Amen.