Eternal God, You have chosen us from before the foundation of the world to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
We didn’t choose you, because we couldn’t. Our sins were too many; our burdens too great.
But in your mercy, you came to us, to redeem us and bring us unto yourself. You saved us from the pit of despair.
You saved us from our sin. You brought us into the light of Jesus Christ our LORD. You did for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves.
Even now, O God, you give us peace with yourself, and you give us hope for eternal life.
You give us the Holy Spirit, to work out our salvation – to conform us to the image of your Son.
You lead us through the worst of times … You deflect the fiery darts of the evil one … You guard the salvation of our souls and enlarge the work of Christ … You help us along the way every day of our life … and you are at work in all things for good …
Help us this day, O God, to see the wonder of your love and the joy of our salvation.
Lift our eyes, we pray, from the tarnished glory of this life to the true beauty of faith, hope and love.
That we might turn our attention to THIS world with the purpose of Christ.
That we might join hearts and minds with women and men of faith everywhere … to right the wrongs that condemn millions to war and poverty, sickness and death.
To right the wrongs that enhance the welfare of privilege and power and ignore the voiceless millions who toil in sweat shops and fields, barely able to hold body and soul together.
To right the wrongs that force millions of children to live hideous lives and cry themselves to sleep at night …
O LORD, our God, there’s a whole lot of life we’d just as soon ignore – it’s hard to look into the face of an Afghan child and ignore her sorrow … we’d like to turn away and go shopping.
It’s hard to look into the eyes of the man begging on the street corner … we’d rather blame HIM for his ills and let ourselves off the hook.
It’s hard to see the millions for whom life is mean and hard – we’d rather read our Bibles and sing pretty songs.
But don’t let us do this, LORD. Don’t let us cheapen our lives with such tawdry thoughts. Don’t let us escape into our own little world and lose our soul.
This day, O God, we pledge ourselves anew to Jesus Christ our LORD.
We join ourselves to him. And take up our cross.
That every creature, great and small, might know your love and live in peace … it’s a big task, LORD, but we wouldn’t want anything less. We ARE up to it, for you have made us well, and with you, we will do it! For in Christ, all things are possible!
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 …
Tom, thanks for speaking for our consciences. I know that you are thinking, praying and working to right the wrongs against so many that we have ignored for too long. It's a good fight, and a worthy prayer.
ReplyDelete