This prayer was inspired by Ecclesiastes 3 (NRSV)

The quoted phrase can be footnoted:  Whyte, David. “Memory,” in Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment, and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words. Langley, WA: Many Rivers Press, 2015.

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Eternal God, Ruler of the Mysteries of Time, 
The one who created a season for everything and a time for every purpose,

We praise you for the ongoing harvest
Where we reap what has been planted in the nourishing earth.
Hear our gratitude for the ways you, O God, have built us up, 
gathered us together and made a way for laughter and dancing.

We strive and we strive to live in the present,
Breath by breath, step by step,
But find that every moment holds countless memories.
We inhabit “A multi-layered inheritance of existence”
Of your divine making.

As we attend to the intertwining of life and memory
and our interdependent lives, 
our joy and praise, lament and petition commingle.

Gracious God, let there be time for weeping for what is lost,
Mourning those we love,
Honoring those who have served their country and
sought the common good.

In this time of war and strife,
Shape your people to be
Creators of love and peace,
Protectors of children and the innocent,
Bearers of hope,
Speakers of truth.

Let us never forget that behind every sterile statistic
There is a name, a face, and a story that is sacred to you, Holy God.

With every rising of the sun,
Fill us with longing for you, O Author of Time.
Ignite our will to live as Christ lived,
Sustain us by your spirit
Yesterday, today, and forevermore.

Our Father…. Amen.