Holy One,
We pray to see the world as you see it.
We pray to have our hearts rejoice with what delights you.
We pray to have our hearts break with what grieves you.
The world has wonder, but also pain. When our spirits are full of tumult and questions, we turn to you. You gather in all that we spill out. You hold all that we cannot grasp. We have so many emotions, you sit with us and we rest in your presence.
Loving Lord, gather us in. Gather us in as you do with all your children.
Gather in your children who are living with the rising unrest in Venezuela, who seek economic and political security, who worry about the next days food. Hold each and all of those who live in trepidation and instability around the world.
Gather in your children who are dealing with political frustration in Britain and France, as well as many other countries. Where a select few make decisions for a great many, offer a new vision that might lead to the flourishing of all citizens.
Gather in your children who live amid horrendous violence in Syria and Yemen. Where we see conflict that seems like an indiscriminate mess, you see each person who cries out for a home, for a safe place to rest their head, feed the hungry and for peace that will let them raise their young ones without fear.
Gather in your children who are hurt by racism and systems of oppression in the United States, particularly after the exposure of some Virginia, politicians’ past decisions and behaviors. When we mock an entire group of people and ignore history for the sake of frivolity, you see beautiful people, worthy of attention and the need for tough and honest conversations about racism, the need to build meaningful relationships through the work of justice. Show us the way.
Gather in your children who live in habitats filled with crisis, including those living in the aftermath of the 2018 California, USA fires and in Australia with its extreme heat and extensive brush fires. Bring to fruit in us a deeper understanding of your Creation, that we might be stewards of its resources and understand and address climate change in the same spirit, as you love this world.
Gather in your children who worry about where their next meal is coming from, how they will pay the bills. Gather in your children who wait for the doctor’s call or the test result or exam grade. Gather in the many whose wellbeing is always at risk and seems to hang in the balance.
Gather all of us.
We need your light, your love, and abiding grace.
Gather us, each one into your arms, all day, each day, until the last day.
Amen.
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