July 5, 2009 - Prayers of the People

On this weekend of fireworks and picnics, O God, we give thanks for our nation, for the women and men who founded our land with dreams of liberty and justice  … who set before us a lasting challenge worthy of our prayers and our devotion.

You have blessed us mightily, O God, with peace and plenty.
From soaring mountains to shining seas, a vast and beautiful abundance.
We have put our hand to the plow, and our mind to the task.
With our power, and your blessing, we have a built a great nation.
We count our blessings gratefully.

But all is not well, LORD.
We confess our sins, as we must, in the light of Christ.
Too many folks are homeless and too many out of work.
Too many children go hungry.
Too many schools in bad repair.
Too many folks who work in hideous environments.
We are not proud of this, LORD.
We know it all too well.

So give us the strength, we pray, the moral and political resolve, to tackle our problems with faith, hope and love … in your grace, all things are possible.

Help us, we pray:
To face our challenges with fresh vision and new ideas.
To fashion a government of the people, by the people and for the people …
To speak wisely and humbly to a world often suspicious of our motives.

Help our soldiers, we pray, to do their best, and protect their souls from the corrosive acids of war and death.

Help our teachers, we pray, and school administrators … their students and their families …

Help our churches, synagogues and mosques to be places of faith and peace … creative places where good questions are asked,  … questions of conscience and soul.

Help us, we pray, to live lives worthy of the name Life.
And worthy of Christ our LORD.
Worthy of the cross he bore and the death he died.
Worthy of the hope he gives, because he is risen from the dead.

At the foot of the cross, O God,
Help us to find our place and our purpose,

In the name of our LORD Jesus Christ who taught us to pray, saying, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven …