Pastoral Prayer 9/22/19

Pastoral Prayer 9/15/19


Prayer for Luke 15 (9.22.19)

God in this moment we pause to say thank you. We are blessed beyond measure; we have friends and family whom love us and ground us in belonging and purpose. We have warm beds and full plates and sturdy homes. We have the freedom to voice and influence the communities and world around us.

As so many have done yesterday in the climate strike, we too lift up our voices, in prayer to you, the creator of this beautiful earth. Shake us from complicity; bend our ears to the voices of the young people who will inherit what we have left of our earth’s rich resources. Grant us the courage to change our own patterns of comfort and convenience so that we can step up and be the kind of stewards of our creation that you have called us to be.

The needs are great Lord, from climate change, to the continued relief efforts in the Bahamas, to the gun violence we read about. Ground us when it seems overwhelming. Remind us that you are a God of redemption; a God of great turn arounds; a God who make the impossible possible. Even as the world and its needs are great and require our prayer we are reminded that we follow a Lord who cares for the lost sheep, the lost coin, the 1 of the 99.

And so in faith we know you care for our own individual needs and worries and losses. We pray for those who are suffering in mind, body or spirit. We pray for those who received diagnoses that change the course of their life. We pray for those who grieve the loss of someone they loved; whether it was a week or a decade ago; the grief and longing they live with is present.

We thank you that you care for the intimate details of our lives and immense needs of the world. Lord, continue to hold us in your love and challenge us with your justice and wisdom in the weeks to come, in Jesus name, Amen.