Hosanna! We praise your Holy Name.
Lord, you came to us not as a king but as a servant.
And showed us a way of mercy, of compassion, of healing from sin.
Forgive us for all the times we failed to heed your call.
Especially in these difficult times O Lord, remind us that there is life after death, and that evil can be overcome by good. (Romans 12:20).
Turn us O Lord, and guide us through that we may share your mercy and love, and rebuild our world so that all might thrive.
Amen
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.” Matthew 5:9
Lord, please cure our warring madness, bend our lives to your control.*
Help us to witness to the dignity of others and to your faith and justice and mercy.
Give us the compassion and knowledge to share our blessings and alleviate the sufferings of others.
Help us to avoid the lies that you hate, and pursue the truth and love that lead to peace. (Zechariah 8:16-17)
Give us the courage to see our world as it is and to challenge its systems and shortcomings.
Show us your ways, teach us your paths. (Ps. 25:4-5)
For you are a God of love and not disorder, of peace and not of chaos. (1 Corinthians 14:33)
We need your help O Lord.
Amen
*Chalice Hymnal, Chalice Press, 1998, # 464 God of Grace and God of Glory, v.3, Harry Emerson Fosdick.
O Lord, help us to see those around us,
their struggles,
their hopes,
their joys,
their depth,
their humanity.
And as we see, fill us with love of your creation in all its beauty and complexity.
Help us O Lord to see what we might be:
One country, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Guide us there O Lord.
Amen
On this 4th of July as we think about our country’s past struggles, current condition, and future, we invite you to review and add your prayers to the following verses, most of which are adapted from the “Prayer For Our Nation” in the Lutheran Book of Worship:
Bless our land and people with honest industry, and an honorable way of life.
Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil course of action.
Make us who come from many nations, with many different languages and cultures, a united people.
Let us provide a truthful education, and informed public discourse.
Give those whom we have entrusted with the authority of government the spirit of wisdom, that there might be justice and peace in our land.
Help us to understand and value our interdependence as much as our freedoms, and help us forgive and care for one another.
We need your help O Lord, and seek your guidance.
Amen
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21
Lord, thank you for the love, forgiveness, and mercy shown by the survivors at Emanuel A.M.E. Church and for the witness they have given in the face of hate. Thank you for the politicians who departed from the usual patterns of division and denial to speak up and out in support of their brothers and sisters in faith.
As James Russell Lowell, observed in 1845*,
To us all, to every nation comes the moment to decide,
in the strife of truth with falsehood, for the good or evil side;
Let us choose good O Lord.
[N]ew occasions teach new duties, time makes ancient good uncouth; they must upward still and onward, who would keep abreast of truth.
Let us move forward O Lord, guided by your grace. Help us to learn new ways.
Heal our hates O Lord. Help us live in peace with one another (Romans 12:18).
Amen.
* Quotes from poem printed as the hymn, “To Us All, to Every Nation”, v. 1 and 2, Chalice Hymnal #634.
O God, you will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are fixed on you . . . Isaiah 26:3
On this 13th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center, we pray for an end to hate and violence throughout our world. We remember and pray for those who died in the attacks, that they might be at peace with you. We pray for their families and friends, that in their grieving they may find the peace which transcends all understanding. [Php.4:7] And we pray for all who remain in our unstable and violent world, that we may find new ways of living together.
We pray for peace O God.
O God, our creator, look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and guide us as we work through our struggle and confusion. [#3]*
We pray for peace O God.
O Lord you have commanded us to love our enemies: Lead them and us from prejudice to truth; deliver them and us from hatred, cruelty, and revenge; and in your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before you. [#6]
We pray for peace O God.
Give us the grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away all hatred and prejudice, hurt and anger, and whatever else may hinder us from peaceful union and concord. Help us to seek the holy bonds of truth and peace, of compassion and charity. [#14]
We pray for peace O God.
Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom all nations and people work in harmony, guide us in love. [#3, 4] Lead us from dissension, factions and selfish ambitions to a world abundant in the fruits of your Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. [Galatians 5:19-26] Guide all the nations, — and each of us as individuals in our interactions with family, neighbors, and community, — into the ways of justice and truth, peace and love. [5]
Grant us peace O God.
* Adapted in part from The Book of Common Prayer, “Prayers and Thanksgivings”, No.s 3 -6, 14.
“. . . where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.” 2 Co. 3:17
“Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32
Lord, on this 4th of July, grant us freedom from our fears:
Fear of moving forward.
Fear that feeds cynicism and despair.
Fear that flashes into anger and hate.
Fear that is reflected in our selfishness.
Fear that fuels our partisan divides.
Fear that crushes hope.
Lead us from fear toward love and compassion, caring and community, for there we will find you (1 John 4:8). In you there is no fear (1 John 4:18). Free from fear, we can find the way to a better future: one country, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Amen.
Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37
Help us O Lord to love you with all of our mind. Help us to challenge the “facts” we are fed when others would lead us astray. Teach us to ask hard questions, to study our history, to learn from our lapses, and to imagine how our world might be if we followed your message of love, compassion, and self-control. Save us from demagogues who would narrow our vision with appeals to fear and anger. Turn us from our eagerness to grasp at easy but false truths. Renew in us a love of learning and a willingness to explore new information and new ideas. Help us to turn away from false gods and counterfeit promises. Turn us instead to mercy, to justice, and to a closer walk with you. Guide us, O Lord. Amen
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34. “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” John 14:15. “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” John 15:12. “This is my command: Love each other.” John 15:17
One of our readers wrote in response to Charity and Truth 2 that
Economics is a science but we sometimes forget that it is a special kind of science. It is not a natural science (like astronomy, geology or botany). Economics is essentially a study of culture, not of nature. This is an important point. When economists study and talk about the market they are dealing with a human construct, not a natural force like the tides or eclipses. . . [T]he concept that economics deals with culture (not nature) means that to a large extent we can structure it to be what we want it to be, and if we want to change it for social or ethical reasons it is possible and proper to do so and we are not as some suggest) tampering with a natural force.” (read the full comment below posted following Charity and Truth 2).
Lord what would it look like if our markets were bounded by care and compassion for our neighbors? Should those who profit by moving financial capital be required to reserve for the risks of dislocation and loss borne by those who provide the physical capital needed for actual production? Can we find ways of ensuring that a market’s failure to properly manage risk does not cause a loss of jobs and homes for those who have no control over the decisions made? Or ways to ensure that those who work and save do not see their life savings eliminated as businesses and banks are restructured? Help us to find ways to fund training for new forms of work and opportunities to those who are in desperate need. Free us from unquestioning acceptance of the myth that markets act wisely, and give us the courage to change. Give those who profit both the humility to recognize that they build on the contributions of others and the grace to share the benefits they receive. Help us to search for and find the structures that could help our markets better serve our communities. Help us to care for one another O Lord.
Amen
[Note: this prayer, like last week’s prayer, reflects and quotes from the Encyclical Letter Caritas In Veritate given by Pope Benedict XVI on June 29, 2009. Quotes from the letter are identified by paragraph number.]
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 1 Cor. 13:6
Lord, your love is the truth you ask us to accept and share with others. (John 15:12). Help us to follow your command as we work to reform our economy and allocate our resources. As the Encyclical Letter states: “The economy needs ethics in order to function correctly —not any ethics whatsoever, but an ethics which is peopled-centred.” (Encycl. Ltr, par 45). Do not let us be misled by blind faith in “markets”. Instead, give us the political will to set the boundaries needed to ensure that our markets function in ways to that do not unjustly enrich the few at the cost of impoverishing many. The Encyclical Letter also warns that:
The risk of our time is that the de facto interdependence of people and nations is not matched by ethical interaction of consciences and minds that would give rise to truly human development. Only in charity, illumined by the light of reason and faith, is it possible to pursue development goals that possess a more humane and humanizing value. (Encycl. Ltr, par. 9).
Do not let us be misled again by undue reliance on the science of economics and mathematical calculations that fail to account for human fears and costs. Help us instead to identify and analyze what would best promote the common good, and to accept responsibility for improving the lives of those who have suffered greatly as a result of our past failures, both economic and political. Help us to recognize our interdependence and accept that each of our fates – whether rich or poor or in between — are intertwined. Let us recognize that our wealth as individuals and as a nation depends on our genuinely caring for and helping each other, especially those who now struggle day to day simply to survive. Guide us O Lord, and move us forward.
Amen
Prayers For Our Country 