Almighty God, creator of the rain and snow that water the earth, bringing forth seed for the sower, and bread for the hungry[1]. Your word goes forth into all the earth to accomplish your purpose, and bringing forth the fullness of your kingdom, in your time.
Like every generation before us, we live in anxious times. We are quick to find fault and tempted to retaliate when we are slighted. Our hope becomes threadbare from putting our faith in so many things that are not you: money and markets, human progress and ideas, status and security.
Today we give thanks for our veterans, who served their country with honor to secure peace and human rights. Let their service never be in vain. Ensure that services that provide for their physical, mental, and spiritual well being are available.
We give you thanks for this week’s peaceful and fair election process and ask you to watch over the transition of power. Guide all of our leaders, from every party and in every office, in the ways of justice and compassion.
Holy One, we remember all who are in need of comfort and encouragement,
For whom the weight of grief is heavy,
For those who worry about their employment and relationships,
For those who fear for their themselves or their loved ones.
For those who are in need of healing in body, mind, or spirit
Hoping for their name to arise on the waitlist,
Making their way through the unknown,
And spending precious hours at the hospital.
For those who love and care for them offering a ride or a meal,
And an encouraging word.
We bring to you the cares of our neighbors
Who stand on the corners with hands out,
Who need the basics of shelter, food, and medicine
So that they might find stability and a path forward.
For countless agencies who knit together the thin threads of
Resources into a web of care for those most in need.
Holy God, transform us, through prayers and praise, story and song.
“In the place of our hatred and fear, sow seeds of love and understanding”[2]
Work in our lives that we might become ever more Christlike,
Bearers of light, creators of justice, makers of peace,
Resistors of evil, and builders of community.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, the victor over power and death,
Who calls us by name and shepherds us now and forever,
Saying, “Our father…. Amen.”
[1] Isaiah 55:10
[2] Feasting on the Word Worship Companion, Year C, Volume 2, Proper 3 page 13.
*You may use these prayers and/or sermons for non-commercial purposes in any medium, provided you include a brief credit line with the author’s name (if applicable) and a link to the original post.