Prayers of Church & Community, May 26, 2024
Westminster Presbyterian Church
Holy God, Eternal Light …
The origin of our life, and the destiny of our journey.
We give thanks for the world around us … from the stars above to the creatures of the sea … all of it your handiwork, all of it mysterious and glorious … and we, O God, a part of it, created in your image, full of hope and love, courage and intelligence … mighty gifts that we have used well to further the hopes of humanity … freedom and democracy … the welfare of children and the building of a just society.
We thank you for the good we’ve done … and of the good we haven’t done, we pray for your forgiveness and mercy … for a troubled conscience to push us ahead, to strive all the more for the goodness of life.
We pause in our hurried days to worship you, O God, the triune God of mercy and peace: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit … Mother, Daughter, and glorious Love … thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
We remember those who have carried the flag and served our nation … with gladness we note their sacrifice … with sadness, we confess our warring ways … nation against nation, the powerful upon the weak … vanity of might, and the foolishness of greed. On this day of holy remembrance, help us see the truth - not only the good that so many have sought, but the evil that even the good commit. Help us, O God, as we think about ourselves, our nation, our world, to be truth-tellers … to not lose ourselves in discouragement over the human condition, nor lose ourselves in moral blindness and self-interest.
We pray, dear God, for loved ones near and far … we pray for their well-being, their safety, their health … we pray for Westminster - we pray that our faith would reach as high as the Tower, and higher still, to the very reaches of heaven itself. That we might love you with all that we are, and with all that we are, love our neighbors with all that we can.
Thank you for the blessings of life … we are a most fortunate people, a nation blessed beyond all measure … and here, O God, in this place of worship and wonder, we give thanks for Christ … his life and his love, his work and his devotion … the cross he carried, and the tomb he conquered … to live forever with you, dear God, and to live forever in our hearts and minds.
With gratitude untold, we commit ourselves once again to Christ our LORD … we will follow him where e’er he lead … we will speak in his name, and love with 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. 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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