May 29, 2022 Prayers of Church & Community - Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

God of glory, and God of grace, we give thanks for your ceaseless mercy and your boundless

love … your goodness beyond all comprehension … your goodness judges us in our pride, and heals us in our sorrow … your goodness reveals the dark side of our soul … your goodness leads us to Christ, to the light of all light, to the hope of the ages, that we might serve the high purpose of peace, and follow the tides of truth.

We pray for our nation, dear God … remembering those who have fought and died in the service of nation … and those who have returned with injury of body and soul … remind us, dear God, that war is costly beyond measure - especially so for the children. We pledge ourselves again, O God, to seek peace in all regards … to shun violence … call out the lies of power, and lift up the truths of Christ.

We pray for our politicians and preachers - may they offer good counsel, tell the truth, point the way to sanity and salvation, confront our prejudice, reveal our proclivities to harm and to hurt, and show us the better way.

O LORD our God, we pray for the families of the teachers and children killed in the Texas tragedy … those hospitalized and in need of healing … those providing care for them, and the generations to come, who will always remember the day of horror, and carry within their souls the pain of great loss.

Help our nation, O God, to face the truth about gun violence … speak to our hearts forcefully; remind us that things can be done, must be done, to right the wrongs, and create a better future. 

We pray for our families and our friends … we pray for safety in travel and wellbeing in health … we pray for our communities … for our elected officials … those who serve the public good … police officers, fire fighters.

Bless us in this place, O LORD, that we might be the salt of the earth and the light of the world …  help us, we pray, sort out our own dreams, measure the rainbows we follow, that our lives be grounded in truth, compassion, and the common good. Help us, O God, to live in the love of Christ, in the light of his words and with the purpose of his work.

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. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.