God we pray as a community; some of us do this daily, some weekly, some wonder if you hear
us at all. And yet we keep praying. We keep hoping. We name our concerns and our joys and
we say we “lift” them to you; as if they are wafting towards heaven directly to your ears. Prayer
is a strange thing. Even as we might not understand it all, we cannot explain how it works or
when it works, we believe, it does in fact work. It works because it keeps us in relationship with
you; in an honest covenant in which you hear us and love us. Thank you for the opportunity to
pray. Thank you for always listening.

God today we pray for perseverance. Today we pray for the courage to keep asking, keep
trying, keep pushing. Today we pray that we are able to embody the doggedness of the widow
who wouldn’t give up. When it seems like we are powerless, remind us we have a voice. When
it seems we are invisible, remind us we sometimes just see in a mirror but dimly. When we
wonder if it makes a difference, remind us that all change starts with a nudge. The world you
love and the world that we are responsible to redeem; to move the scales of justice towards
the least and the last, will require perseverance on our part.

Help us persevere Lord, for we all carry burdens. Some here are grieving, some are caring for
aged parents, some are raising young children and can’t seem to juggle it all, some are worrying
about adult children that they can no longer raise or effect change for. Some are brand new
parents, overwhelmed and sleep deprived. Others may be seeking purpose, community, or
fulfillment. They are defining who they are and what that looks like. Others may be broken by
relationships or jobs or complicated family systems. We all carry these burdens Lord, some too
heavy to handle. Help us bear the weight. Help us share the load. Remind us O Lord that we
weren’t created to do but created to be. Remind us of the water our baptisms where we were
claimed and loved because of who we were to you and who you created us to be.

Hear us now; our prayers of joy and our whimpers of pain. Sustain us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.