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The Reverend Dr. William A. Evertsberg

God of the universe, at the dawn of creation, your spirit breathed on the waters, making them the wellspring of all holiness. You created the oceans and rivers, and all that dwell within them, and at your word the wind and the waves were born.

The seasons follow your plan, and the tides rise and fall on your command. In both calm and storm, you are with us.

Our spirits are crushed when we see hurricane wreckage in Florida and elsewhere. Our prayer is that you will intervene for repair and wholeness with your strength and wisdom.

We dare to pray that you’ll bring shelter to the homeless, water to the thirsty, nourishment to the hungry, power to the powerless, hope for the hopeless, comfort for the disconsolate, and respite for the grieving.

God, thank you for the skilled helpers who’ve so quickly swooped in to fix things—paramedics and fire fighters and electric line people and machinery operators and delivery drivers and helicopter pilots and sailors to ferry goods when bridges are out, and that good friend who is quick to help when we are in trouble.  Strengthen them and lift them up from their weariness.

In all things and in all times, help us to remember that even when life seems dark and stormy, you are in the boat with us, guiding us to safety.

Gracious God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these your gifts of bread and wine, that the bread we break and the cup we bless may be the communion of the body and blood of Christ.

Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor are yours, eternal God, now and forever. Amen.