God of Abraham and Sarah, Mary and Joseph, we offer up our prayers and unite them with all the saints and with your angels in heaven. You are a God is who is mighty but gentle and who openly reveals yourself to us but who also desires to be sought after and wooed. You have created the community of faith called the Church, the very Bride of the Christ, so we can worship You, learn about You and have a place to practice how we are to love one another in this fractured world. Come, Spirit of Life, fill this room, saturate our hearts and lives with Your Presence!

Lord of Creation, we come this day and thank you for the gifts our fragile planet provides us from water, minerals, and trees to soft breezes, gentle rains, and nudges from a dog’s nose asking us to scratch it behind their ears. We acknowledge we have not been the best trustees of Your Creation, however. Recent news headlines indict our inability to care for your planet through poor forest management, rising seas and coastal flooding, sustained droughts and through causing the extinction of species. Forgive us and direct our ways to care for our world and for each other before it’s too late.

We pray for those living out West amongst the wildfires raging there. Particularly, bless those who have placed themselves in harm’s way to fight these blazes and bless their families who await their safe return.

We are mindful of those impacted by the horrible flooding in Germany and Belgium and the loss of life and livelihood from the recent rains.

We lift before Your Face our neighbors in Cuba and Haiti as their citizens clamor and cry out for justice, freedom, and political and social stability.

This morning we thank you for the freedoms and liberty we share in our nation and for the gift of the separation of religion and the government. Hold close to Your heart those who suffer from religious persecution at the hands of others who discriminate and oppress because of one’s faith, nationality, or identity.

Lord of Justice, we pray for our community leaders beginning with the President and Vice-President, Congress, the Court, our Governors and legislatures, our Mayors, Commissioners and heads of police, fire, and education; dog them to lead apolitically with justice, and fairness.

On this day, we are grateful for doctors and nurses who place themselves in harm’s way in this latest spike in the pandemic. We have been reminded our health is not bulletproof and give us the grace and sense to do all we can to remain safe.

Each of us comes this day with our own lists of joys and concerns and place them upon your lap. Receive our prayers of concern over illness, pain from physical or emotional injury, and grief over the death of one close to us. Spirit, pray with us in this time of silence…

And now, O Christ, we weave our prayers together using the prayer you taught your disciples as we pray simply, 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.  Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory forever.  Amen!