Prayers of Church & Community, 5.19.24, Pentecost Day
Westminster Presbyterian Church
Holy God, Eternal Light …
grant us thy mercies:
that we might see with our eyes the beauty of your world -
the rise of the mountains,
the clouds on high …
the flight of a gull in the morning sun …
trees tall and green …
flowers bright with red and yellow, purple and white …
give us such eyes, dear God,
that would see your world
in all of its glory, wonder and mystery …
eyes to see one another - images of your goodness and love.
By your Holy Spirit, O God, open the portals of our minds and hearts … open wide the gates of learning, the wellsprings of love … give us, we pray, a fresh start, a new beginning, a chapter of untold goodness and hope … on this Pentecost Day.
Wash our souls of the weary dust … the dust of our mortality, that we might see within ourselves the evidence of eternity, the very breath of your love, O God - given to us in our creation, and given anew in faith, hope, and love … our very own Pentecost, dear God, when the flames of love burn bright and true, when we find ourselves as never before - as those beloved of your eternal majesty … as those crowned with glory … creatures of immense ability and imagination …
In these moments of quiet reflection and adoration, Holy God, help us to see Christ high and lifted up … to see Christ on the cross of self-giving … Christ in the tomb of struggle and sacrifice … Christ risen from the dead, creating the world anew, setting free tired souls long held in chains of superstition and gross materialism … souls that have loved things undeserving of love, and missing the point of life … to love, and to love again what is true and good and eternal … to never give up, to never turn away, to never cease in our quest to be the creatures of your love, to be servants of Christ, to be kind in our ways, learned in our thoughts, humble in achievements, and always seekers of justice for the widow, the orphan, and the stranger at the gate.
Help us, O LORD, when we are tired, to find rest in Thee.
Help us, O LORD, when we have given our all, to take a deep breath of faith …
Help us, O LORD, to walk slowly when we cannot run, to rest when body and soul have reached their limits … to wait upon you, dear God … to wait for the mercies that come in the morning, the love that comes in the night … to heal and renew, restore and rebuild, forgive and empower.
On this Pentecost Day …
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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