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The Reverend Dr. Katie Snipes Lancaster

O Life of the World, the one who spoke and the world was, we come before you humbled by the weight of this day, sunrise and fresh breath of dawn offering us the possibilities of now. Let us receive this day. Let us awaken to what is placed before us. Let us open our hearts to what might unfold, trusting in your mercy, your goodness, your nearness. For although what we fear will not disappear, you call us not to sink down into worry, but to rest in you, to confide in you, to hand over our distress to you. So hold us O spirit, hold us and those we love, each of us marked with the imperfections of this life, just as we are marked by your love.

We seek you, Lord of consolations, when uncommon grief eclipses all. We have felt the unexpected arrive, unwelcome, a bewildering loss amid the most ordinary of days. We need you, holy one of every hidden place, when the way is not clear, and the path ahead is obscured. Be with us, heartbroken. Be with us, mourning. Be with us, floundering. Be with us, carry us, steady us, comfort us.

We seek you, merciful one, when the powers and principalities of our day are off-center, skewed, misaligned, and lost. We hold again still, anew today, the people of Ukraine in our hearts, especially as the deepest sorrows of war become known. Let the way be clear for ceasefire, for nonviolence, for some possible armistice. 

God mark us with your selflessness, here in this place exactly where we are, let us become who we already are your disciples, willing to take up our cross, ready to be guided by our faith, dedicating our life, thoughts, actions, hopes, and dreams to your vision for this world: one of peace and justice, humility and radical reconciliation. Place your love in our midst, O God. Amen.