Posts Tagged ‘justice’
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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May 31, 2020
Come Holy Ghost, Creator blest, and in our heart take up thy rest. Come with your grace and heavenly aid, And fill the hearts which you have made.
Come Holy Ghost, Pentecost Hymn, Rabanus Maurus, 776-856.
On this Pentecost Sunday, Lord, people are dying, cities are burning, and our future is uncertain.
For generations you have put before us both a path to peace and prosperity, and one that leads to destruction and death. (Deuteronomy 30:15, Acts 2: 28).
Too often Lord we choose the wrong way, and then having lost our way, we cry out in despair. (Judges 2-10).
Yet you are ever with us and hear our cry. Your love and forgiveness are everlasting. Let them guide us forward, loosening the grip of hate and fear, inequity and greed, to a better way.
Spirit of Truth, you live in us (John 14:17), guide us to your peace.
Amen
Tags:despair, forgiveness, Holy Spirit, hope, justice, mercy, Pentecost, politics, Prayer, United States, USA
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May 27, 2020
[A reader, K.M., from Missouri sent us this prayer. She was Moderator for the Presbyterian Women in her Presbytery for 4 years and served for over 12 years in PW leadership in Missouri.]
What does the Lord require of you?
To seek justice, love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8
Holy Spirit send us your light.
Give our country the strength and courage to move forward caring for all people, respecting all people, feeding, healing and reaching out to all people.
May we be guided by your light in all that we do to make our country safe again for all your people.
Amen
Tags:all people, courage, healing, Holy Spirit, hope, humility, justice, kindness, light, politics, Prayer, respect, strength
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May 3, 2020
“Break the bread of new creation where the world is still in pain. Tell its grim, demonic chorus “Christ is risen! Get you gone!” God the First and Last is with us. Sing Hosanna everyone.”
Brian Wren, 1986. Christ Is Risen! Shout Hosanna! Chalice Hymnal, #222.
For too long Lord, we have allowed ourselves to be misled by the grim demonic chorus emanating through all of our media and playing to our hates and our fears.
Open our ears that we might hear beyond the shouting, the sneers, the chatter, the dismissals, the deflections.
Help us to hear through the mendacity to find the truths that are aligned with your justice, your wisdom, your mercy.
Open our ears that we might listen for and find the voices of compassion, and knowledge and love.
Help us to hear your hope, your peace. And then help us to follow your word, O Lord.
Amen
Tags:country, justice, listening, love, mendacity, mercy, politics, Prayer, USA, wisdom
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Prayers For Our Country 