Eternal God, in these moments of worship and wonder, help us set aside our concerns and ambitions, to focus on Christ and the faith of the church; to recalibrate our souls and learn anew of your kingdom; to ponder the eternal questions that lift the human journey - from the pursuit of self, to the quest for your justice and peace … and in our faithfulness, O LORD, in our determination to serve Christ, unfold for us, we pray, the pathways of our life, that we might truly know ourselves, and discover the riches of your kingdom, treasures that neither moth nor rust consume, nor thief break in and steal.
We pray for our world, especially those lands torn by war … we pray for the earth and the animals, the water and the air … they all suffer the predations of human greed and willful power, the smoke and fire of war, that burns the eye, and clouds the soul.
We pray for Iran, and the winds of freedom … all around the world, O God, women are crying out for justice … “Hail Mary, full of grace” we can say, to give thanks for the voices of women.
We pray for our nation, O God - help us sort out the gold from the dross, the lies from the truth … that which is of death, and that which is of life.
We pray for colleges and universities … may they remain places of safety, for mind and body … where science is honored, truth pursued, books read, liberal arts celebrated … as students discover the deeps of life, and learn the basic skills of communication and thought - gifts for the common good - these students are the tomorrow of our nation, O God, and we pray for them, one and for all.
We pray for Pastor Harlan Redmond and Interwoven … we pray for our San Gabriel Presbytery, for Wendy Tajima and Ally Lee … we pray for our churches and pastors, elders and deacons, boards of trustees, administrators and musicians …
For loved ones, we pray - parents, children, grammas and grampas, all who have loved us, those whom we love … keep watch over them … keep them safe and sound, in mind, body, heart, and soul. Grant to them, we pray, fullness of days, life well-lived.
All of this, 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.
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