Posts Tagged ‘justice’
September 20, 2020
We thank you Lord for those who build your kingdom –
- for those who step forward to care for us, even at risk to themselves;
- for those who accept the call to military service;
- for those who, despite fear and threats, take action in the pursuit of justice;
- for those who speak up to defend rather than diminish our democratic ideals of community and trust;
- for those working to ensure all can vote;
- for those who feed the hungry and provide support to those who have lost their jobs;
- for those who shelter the homeless;
- for those who educate our children;
- for those who comfort the grieving;
- for those who reach out in hope and healing.
Bless all of these who are doing your kingdom work here and now.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Amen
Tags:community, country, democracy, healing, hope, justice, kingdom, politics, Prayer, service, trust, United States, USA
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September 13, 2020
Today’s prayer is adapted from Romans 12:9-21 and 14:17-19.
Teach us to love O Lord –
- to share, not hoard or waste, our resources and assets;
- to welcome the stranger;
- to hate what is evil yet cling to what is good;
- to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer;
- to forgive even those who harm us and ever focus forward on what we might be if we loved others as you do.
Help us to find the ways that lead to peace and mutual learning.
Guide us with your Holy Spirit as we seek the justice, peace, and joy that love can bring.
Support us Lord, as we confront evil, so that we might not be overcome, but might overcome evil with good.
Amen
Tags:country, evil, good, joy, justice, love, overcoming, peace, politics, Prayer, United States, USA
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August 2, 2020
Today’s prayer is adapted from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer.
Lord, please help us protect our elections which are the heart of our democracy.
Guide us in our responsibilities as citizens that we may elect trustworthy leaders and make wise decisions for our common good.
Ensure the faithful administration of our voting processes so that the rights of all may be protected.
And in our thoughts and in our actions, help us to align ourselves with your justice and mercy and grace so that we might be a people at peace among ourselves.
Amen
Tags:democracy, elections, grace, justice, mercy, peace, politics, Prayer, United States, USA, wisdom
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July 26, 2020
Lord, give us the courage to move forward and not fall back –
- courage to work through our fears,
- courage to put aside the old patterns of exclusion and denial,
- courage to confront our hate and anger,
- courage to care for one another.
Give us the courage to challenge –
- mendacity,
- fake news,
- narratives of hate and fear,
- paranoia and conspiracy theories masquerading as facts.
Give us the courage to bridge our divides and work together to build a future better than our past –
- more just,
- more equitable,
- more merciful,
- more compassionate.
Guide us O Lord, teach us your paths, show us your ways, guide us in your truth and give us hope. (Ps. 25:4-5).
Amen
Tags:care, compassion, country, courage, facts, fear, hope, justice, mendacity, moving forward, politics, Prayer, truth, USA
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July 19, 2020
We recommend this letter from the Missouri Union Presbytery.
Lord, we thank you for the life John Lewis and his dedication to justice.
Let us too hear and follow the words of your prophets –
This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.
Jeremiah 22:3
And of your Son –
“Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Matthew 22:37-39
And of your disciples –
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God. . . Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.
1 Timothy 6:17-19
Help us O Lord to find ways to move forward together and build a more just economy and culture.
Amen
Tags:country, courage, economic justice, John Lewis, justice, neighbor, politics, Prayer, prophets, USA
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July 12, 2020
Today’s prayer comes from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer.
Almighty God, who created us in your own image:
Grant us grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace with oppression;
and, that we may reverently use our freedom, help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy Name;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you , and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Tags:community, courage, Creator, freedom, God, grace, justice, mercy, oppression, peace, politics, Prayer
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July 4, 2020
You my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. Galatians 5:13-15
Lord, we know that freedom isn’t free and democracy is not self-sustaining.
Both take courage, and persistence, and regard for others.
Help us to do our part.
Help us use our freedom not just to claim “liberty,” but to seek justice for all, to care for one another even if that means wearing a mask, and to reach across partisan divides with love and forgiveness.
Open our eyes and our hearts that we might free those who suffer in our economy from want and need and loss of opportunity, and find ways to prosper together.
Help us to seek your truth and serve you O Lord.
Amen
Tags:courage, democracy, forgiveness, freedom, Independence Day, justice, liberty, love, persistence, prosperity
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June 28, 2020
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:23
We are used to empty promises.
Legislation well named but devoid of content. Unfunded mandates and standards without consequences. The creation of commissions and the drafting of studies and reports, all with no action that might bring about real change.
Let this time be different Lord.
Help us to enact laws that move us forward.
Laws that might actually advance our collective health and safety.
Laws that could provide a foundation for future growth.
Laws that reflect our ideal of liberty and justice for all.
Laws that will bring us peace.
Help us Lord, to create the change we need.
Amen.
Tags:change, empty promises, justice, peace, politics, Prayer
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June 14, 2020
Lord, we know what to do for you have told us:
to love you and
to love others as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39);
to love even our enemies (Matthew 5:44);
to act justly, to love mercy, to follow with humility the path you set out (Micah 6:8);
to seek wisdom (Proverbs 3:11-24);
to do good and share with others (Hebrews 13:16);
to welcome the stranger and care for the poor (James 1:27, Zechariah 7:9-10);
to grow and bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-26).
But we have become polluted by the world (James 1:27),
aligned with those who divide (Romans 16:17),
entertained and misled by deceit and hypocrisy and slander (1 Peter 2:1),
entranced by the deceitfulness of wealth, and
overwhelmed by the demands of our daily lives (Matthew 13:22, Luke 8:14).
We have wandered from your ways.
Forgive us Lord.
Help us now to put our faith into action, and to build a better world.
Amen
Tags:forgiveness, humility, justice, love, mercy, moving forward, new way, partisan politics, politics, Prayer, United States, wisdom
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June 10, 2020
This prayer was submitted by a reader, Kay, from the heart; First Presbyterian Church Elder, Presbyterian Women Moderator
Dear God help us to listen to one another and to unite in our actions for the good of all.
Help us change our ways.
Each of us needs your spirit to light the way.
When we march lead us.
When we pray hear us.
When we cry give us comfort.
Protect us from the virus as we are drawn to demonstrate.
Lift this movement into action for a better future for us all, but especially for our black brothers and sisters who have struggled for so long.
Guide us to universal change that brings justice to all.
In the name of your Jesus we pray.
Amen
Tags:change, comfort, country, future, justice, listen, politics, Prayer, protest, USA
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