The Reverend Christine V. Hides

God of green pastures, Creator of abundant life,

On this Sabbath day we are grateful for your gift of rest, a respite from our daily journeys, for sacred music to lift our hearts, and for poetry and scripture to nourish our souls. We remember silently the people and situations you have placed in our hearts and minds this morning.

Hear  both our concerns and our gratitude for answered prayers: the new family member, the wedding, the relationship repaired, and the late summer opportunities to notice abundant life in the wildflowers and locusts,  and in the butterflies and hydrangeas.

Restore us O God. Restore our communities, restore your world and creation. We pray especially for those facing mental and physical illness. Relieve their pain and make a way through. Give strength to their caretakers who drive to the ER, sit by the bedside, and tend to medical appointments.

You are our companion O God, as daily we travel between home and work and church, prepare for a new school year and activities, as we run errands and rest. We ask for your guidance for those leaders of our community and nation facing important decisions. Always and everywhere, may we seek to follow the path you have set before us. When we are distracted or off course, when our attention is stolen by electronic devices, redirect us O God.

And renew us O God, When the stories of fires and floods, war and violence, hunger and variants overwhelm our individual and collective compassion, when the lines that divide us become so normalized that we look past them, when we have lost faith in our ability to find the common good, renew Us O God.

We bring these spoken and unspoken prayers to you, Holy One. You are our hope and so with confidence in your grace and mercy, we pray the prayer Jesus Christ teaches us to pray….