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Fire of the Holy Spirit, light the lamps of our hearts. Shine with the light of your Truth, that as we read your scriptures, we see your love flowing through everyone we meet. Amen.
God of peace…we give thanks
that you are our firm foundation
when the waves of chaos thrash around us,
causing the world to feel out of control.
We give thanks
that you have empowered us
to speak peace into chaos,
and to take action against injustice.
But too often, we lack motivation,
we are too afraid to challenge injustice,
or it simply is not in our own interest to act.
So we stand with the oppressor
instead of kneeling with the oppressed…
we carry torches of anger and hatred
instead of bearing the bright light of your love…
and we offer our “thoughts and prayers”
but render them empty and vain
by our silence and inaction.
Yet, we know you desire so much more from us.
So draw us away from our apathy…
away from our complicity…
and closer to your hope for the world…
Submitted by Rev. Scott V. Cervas, Meadowthorpe Presbyterian Church (Lexington, KY)
God of love and justice, you are alpha and omega, beginning and end…and in between you are the breath of life, the rock on which we stand and the hand that holds us fast. We come into this place, gathered as your people, listening for the voice of your Spirit, still speaking in the wilderness of our hearts. We know your commandments, we can say all the right words…and yet we confess to you that our lives are not always a demonstration of your love. We have looked for loopholes, or created reasons to follow our own way. We admit that we have trusted in other gods—gods of money, security, family, or power. We are on a first name basis with the gods of greed and jealousy, and we are loathe to turn away from the god of privilege. Our everyday actions often proclaim any number of idols, and we come now to ask your forgiveness and help. We cannot leave them behind without your strong hand to guide us in the right way. Give us once again the joy of your grace, and set us on the sure foundation of your word. It is in you, lord, that we live and move and have our being. As you forgive so freely, fill us again with the blessing of creator, redeemer, and sustainer, that we may show your glory in every word, thought, and deed. We pray in the name of Christ, whose faithfulness is our hope and our light, and who taught us to pray together…
Submitted by Rev Teri Peterson, Marchmont St Giles parish, Edinburgh Scotland
Lord, you are our guiding light. But when your world grows dim, when tragedy strikes, we confess that we tend to retreat from faith. We may lose our way, our vision clouded by anger or gloom. We fall back to our former ways because we may not know any other way to respond. Help us in our confusion. By your Holy Spirit, gird us with your holy strength to hold fast to what you have always taught us. So that, as the world may seem to fall apart around us, we stand strong, one Church, Your People, faithfully facing the darkness together, lit from within by your wisdom and hope. ~silence~ Amen.
Submitted by Rev. Amy Pospichal, First Presbyterian Tucumcari, New Mexico
Scripture offers us stories of
Heroes who have been
Immoveable in their efforts to inspire
People to stand against evil in the world.
Hatred and violence are too often a
Real problem…and we must wonder:
Are we…actively or inactively…silently or loudly…
Helping to preserve the problem?
Against our deep desire to trust your vision, we often
Neglect our responsibility for one another, failing to
Do justice, live kindness, and be humble.
Prepare us for your work…
Unite us in your purpose…
And
Heal us from our indifference…
Submitted by Rev. Scott V. Cervas (Meadowthorpe Presbyterian Church, Lexington, KY)
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