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Prayer: Mercy and Justice

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written for National Day of Prayer, for the government.
Lord, as we delicately balance a relationship between mercy and justice
Give us a prudence for Good News when only Sheol surrounds us.
Suffering is real, death is real, this pandemic is real, and you are real.
Those who discern their power in the midst of crisis through wisdom
comfort the poor, shepherd the vulnerable, feed the hungry, and heal sick.
May their work translate from the language of illness to the celebration of wholeness.
Those who discern their power in the midst of crisis through foolishness
ignore the poor, endanger the vulnerable, hoard from hunger, and heal only some.
We know now that you show no partiality and we search to find you in all creatures.
Make our leaders grow as people worthy of their civic calling.
Make us uneasy when they act with injustice, and proud when they pursue peace.
Dissuade any political entity or party from propaganda, misinformation, & scapegoating.
Bring forward in our government the best of who we are when we are fully human
And actively decide to love our neighbor as ourselves.
We do this because you first loved us.
In Jesus Name.
submitted by Brian Merritt, First Presbyterian Church of Hackettstown, NJ 

POP: Pandemic Hope on Earth Day

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Based on Luke 24:13-35 and 50 years of Earth Day   

God of resurrection, of miracles beyond our understanding, hear us now as we come to you with the prayers and burdens of our hearts…

We pray for your church throughout the world. May we truly be the body of our Risen Lord, the Body of Christ in and for the world. May we see where you are leading us and be bold enough to follow after, even in our uncomfortableness.

We pray for our community, for essential workers, those working at home, those without work. We pray for the children home from school or doing school at home, we pray for those who don’t understand and those who are anxious in their understanding. We pray for those who are lonely and those who wish they had some more space from those they love. We pray for those who are struggling with mental health, with addiction, in pain awaiting needed surgeries or medical treatment they are not currently able to get. O Lord, make your presence be known to each to remind them you continue to walk with us even on this difficult road of grief and unknown.

We pray for your good and very good creation. While we weren’t able to gather for earth day like 50 years ago, may what is happening in creation around the world stir in our hearts what a different way of living, what a new world, a healed and restored world can and will look like. Help us to better care for your creation, living into this command first given in Genesis, to make a way for healing and restoration for all.

We pray for those who had already given up hope even before this time of pandemic due to economic hardship, stuck in generations of poverty, oppression, and marginalization. May we learn to love them as Jesus loved, lifting up the ones often forgotten and restoring them to life abundant. We pray for the leaders of our nation and the leaders of our world. May they resist corruption of sin and greed, let their eyes be opened to you and be guided by your righteousness and justice.

O God, we thank you for this day and all our days. May we never cease to be amazed how you walk with us, guide us, and reveal yourself to us, especially in our times of grief and pain offering us what we need. We lift up these prayers and those on our hearts to you as we pray together the prayer our Lord Jesus Christ taught us, Our Father… 

submitted by Rev. Erin Moore, First Presbyterian Church of Chester, NY

 

POP: Appearances

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God of Life,

On that first Easter our Risen Lord appeared to Magdalene, who stood alone — weeping — beside a garden tomb; and to a pair of downcast disciples walking the Emmaus road; and to a band of fearful followers, huddled at home behind locked doors.

On that first Easter Christ came to those who loved him — not in some sacred shrine, filled with trumpet blasts and shouts of ‘Alleluia!’ — but in quiet, tucked-away places, where the faithful sought refuge from a death-dealing world.

Having cast aside his own grave clothes, Christ came to unburden his disciples: to wipe away their tears, to set their hearts ablaze, to offer the gift of peace.

And so you come to us this day, while the shroud of death hangs heavy, while your people scatter for safety’s sake. You come to us, meeting us in ordinary places — the backdrops of our ordinary lives — to whisper the most extraordinary news: Christ is risen!

You come to us, Living Lord, to wipe away our tears, to set our hearts ablaze, to offer us the gift of peace.

And so we lift joy-filled voices to proclaim again and for all time: He is risen, indeed! Even in this season of fear, when anxiety is a constant companion; even in this season of uncertainty, when chaos seems to reign; even in this season of grief, when the forces of death seem determined to triumph, we rejoice. Especially now, we rejoice. For you have shattered the power of the grave and opened the way to eternal life!

As you come among us this day, open our hearts to your presence among us and grant us faith to believe the good news. Faithful God, we lift before you all who feel trapped in a ‘Good Friday’ world, all who cannot glimpse the brightness of Easter morn. Bring comfort to those who feel death’s sharp sting, and hope to those entombed by despair. Breathe reassurance into the hearts of those who cannot yet imagine a day when mourning turns to dancing, and send whispers of resurrection through rooms where fear still holds sway. Wrap these sisters and brothers in the steadfastness of your love, and fill them with peace.

Resurrected One, we know that Easter is not the end of the story. Christ goes before us still, leading us into a world that is desperate for good news. Though today we cannot go to the ends of the earth, or even to the streets of our neighborhoods, you still commission us to bear witness to this good news of overwhelming joy. Breathe your Spirit upon us so that we might live as a resurrection people. As disciples of the crucified and risen Lord, give us compassion in the face of suffering, courage in the face of injustice, and hope in the face of despair. Empower us, we pray, so that we might live as those who have seen the Living Lord.

We lift this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord, who gave us words to pray: Our Father … 

My thanks to the Rev. Casey Wait, whose observations in a recent Facebook post regarding Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances were a source of inspiration for this prayer.

submitted by Rev. Sudie Niesen Thompson, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Wilmington, DE

prayers of the people: come to us

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Word of God, come to us as you came to Lazarus.

Come to the caves of our lives –
caves we have created,
and caves we have sought;
Caves to which we have been sent,
caves in which we now reside.

Come to the caves of our world –
caves of containment,
and caves of protection;
Caves of solace and anxiety,
caves that quickly become tombs.

Word of God, come to us as you came to Lazarus.

Call us back to life –
life created by you,
and life sustained by you;
Life in relationship with you,
life in service to others.

Call us back to life –
life that is hope in despair,
and peace in unsettled times.
Life that is joy in sorrow,
love beyond understanding.

Word of God, come to us as you came to Lazarus.

Unbind us and set us free –
liberate shackles of sadness,
and burdens too heavy to bear.
Release us from fear that inhibits
deliver us in your grace.

Unbind us and set us free –
call us to community,
and fuel us for connection.
Show us your way,
inspire us to walk with you.

Through the renewing power of your Spirit,
and grounded in the words you teach us to pray….

submitted by Katherine Kussmaul, Saint Giles Presbyterian Church, Raleigh, North Carolina

prayer for COVID-19: in the midst

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Holy One,
Bridger of Distance,
Connector of Beings,
hear our prayer….

In the midst
of non-stop news stories
about illness and scarcity,
press conferences and cancellations…
grant us quiet in our minds.

In the midst
of heightened anxiety
about caregivers and caregiving,
about health and hygiene,
grant us calm in our hearts.

In the midst
of opposing views:
close doors or stay open,
reach out or hunker down…
grant us peace in our spirits.

In the midst
of distance
in our families, our faith communities,
in all our relationships with others…
grant us connection in our separation.

In the midst
of our lives:
our gratitude and concerns,
our hopes and longings…
grant us an abiding sense of Your Comfort.

 

submitted by Katherine L. Kussmaul, Pastor, Saint Giles Presbyterian Church, Raleigh, North Carolina