Our Father, who art in heaven
hallowed be thy name
thy kingdom come
thy will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread:
–feed the hungry
–nourish the poor in spirit
–provide clean water
–assign meaningful tasks and living wages
–sustain our fields and farmers during this time of harvest

Our Father, who art in heaven

Forgive us our trespasses:
–we shun the homeless
–we forget to love our neighbors
–we use your name in vain, especially to justify war
–we covet material things

Our Father, who art in heaven

Forgive those who trespass against us:
–Aaron Alexis, a former United States Navy reservist, who shot and killed 12 people on Monday at the Navy Yard in Washington, DC
–in South Africa, where police lied about the Marikana shootings last year, in which 34 striking miners were killed
–in Pakistan and Afghanistan, where the Taliban continues to wield unpeaceful influence
–in Greece, where a neo-Nazi political party has gathered strength

Our Father, who art in heaven

Lead us not into temptation
–aid the addicted
–preserve our intent to have more peaceful and less selfish lives
–help us to not scorn or shame those whom we believe are wrong or different

Our Father, who art in heaven

Deliver us from evil:

–in Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad says he is committed to destroying his country’s chemical weapons
–in Iran, where President Hassan Rouhani says his country will never build nuclear weapons
–in India, where “honor crimes” will endure as long as citizens prefer arranged marriages within their own caste and frown upon love matches
–in Venezuela, where extremely overcrowded prison conditions result in gang violence, leaving at least 16 inmates dead this week
–in Mexico, the Caribbean, and the United States, where hurricanes threaten lives and property.

For thine is the kingdom
and the power
and the glory
forever and ever.
Amen.

Creator God we praise you for the changing of the seasons, for those areas of the Northern hemisphere where harvest is in progress or already complete; for those areas of the Southern hemisphere where the seedtime approaches and happens. The glory of the world wraps around us and we revel in the warmth and sunshine.

And yet there is another story to be told: for many there is no harvest and seedtime is hazardous. For many the glory of the world is told in cold and storm.

Creator God, grant wisdom, grant courage for their living.

We hear of a 92-year-old-man from the Colombian city of Barranquilla having a lucky escape after being swept away in a flooded river. We hear of flooding in Mexicoís Baja California following the path of Hurricane Lorena. We hear that over a quarter of a million people have been caught in heavy rains in Assam , India. Sometimes we expect you to speak through the storm and in the storm – speak to these people with comfort and wisdom.

Living God, grant wisdom, grant courage for their living.

When we hear mellifluous birdsong it is easy to take notice and care. We pray for those who care for our wildlife, especially the ugly blobfish and the unprepossessing huge-nosed p rob oscis monkey. With the Mt. Diablo ìMorgan Fireî still burning in California, U.S.A., and the early start to summer bush fires in Australia we pray for those who care for wildlife hurt, burnt, bewildered by loss of habitat.

Merciful God, give to those who fight fires and to those who care for the whole environment, wisdom and courage for their living.

In the horrendous civil war in Syria we are flummoxed that the use of chemical weapons can cause outcry when other sadistic acts did not. We pause to give thanks that Syria ís president has accepted the Russian plan for international control.

God of justice and truth, grant wisdom, grant courage to those who will police it.

We learn of preposterous attacks which, even in military terms, do nothing except cause terror. We pray especially for the people of Maaloula, Syria where reportedly militants threatened villagers with death if they did not convert from Christianity to Islam. Claims and counterclaims abound here and it is hard to know what is true and what is propaganda but fear is everywhere.

God of grace, grant wisdom, grant courage for their living.

As the news breaks that the final 8000 people, displaced in the aftermath of the 2007 Kenyan elections, are being resettled from camps we pray for the huge number of displaced people world wide and for the countries who host them.

Compassionate God, grant wisdom, grant courage for their living together without incomers overwhelming their host country.

While the people of Japan unite to celebrate their hosting of the Olympic Games in 2020 so we hear of another earthquake off Fukushima , Japan . The glory of human endeavor and the glory of nature in its violence all wrapped up together. From Catalonia , Spain to Scotland there is talk and demand for self rule and separation.

God, Creator and Redeemer of us all, grant to all nations the wisdom to be provident in their living together and the courage to be clement in their talks.

We give thanks for the innumerable people who love and care for our world in a multitude of ways, researching, meeting other cultures, learning new languages. We pray for those trapped in deadly situations as they walk the world especially the trekkers from Australia and New Zealand attacked, their two local guides killed, in Papua New Guinea.

God our Rock and our Refuge, to their families, friends, and those who dealt with this attack grant wisdom, grant courage for their living.

Lord these are our prayers for the contradictions, the courage, the affirmations and the wisdom we meet everyday.

Merciful God, grant to each one of us also the knowledge and conviction to be your people on earth.

Amen.

I praise you, O God, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” – Psalm 139:14

In the wonder of the moment we
marvel at eyes that see the clear blue of sky, hands that feel the hand of a loved one beside us, feet that feel the solid earth beneath and ears that hear the breeze rustle the trees. Every part of our body is a portal for knowing you, O God, and we are silenced at the mystery of it all.

And then…

We see images of those eyes that have
witnessed the gassing of hundreds of people in Syria.

We feel the hands of those who are near to
death tucked gently into ours as we seek to be present in hospitals and nursing homes.

We remember that for so many the earth
beneath their feet is not solid, but shakes with the explosion of bombs or gives way beneath the water of floods.

We remember that there are too many ears that
hear only weeping and screaming.

And then we feel our hearts
heave and sigh within us and we turn to you and ask:.O Lord how long?

And we are reminded of the
voice of the prophets that have sung out through centuries proclaiming your word and calling your people to action, to repentance, to the hard work of making peace and proclaiming your way.

We would be your prophets in
these days– faithful in action and thought, passionate in dream and vision. When we are tempted to shrink back and think one person can do nothing, remind us of the great prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah, but also of Martin Luther King, Jr. As we celebrate fifty years since the march on Washington D.C., grant that our stirring memories of that time may be transformed into faithful action for our time.

You have made us for your
purpose and claimed us for your work. We marvel at all it means to be created in your image and knit together by your loving hands, even so all that is for your work and your glory.

In these days strengthen us
to wage peace as so much of the world settles for war. Strengthen us to speak when it is so much easier to remain silent. Remind us that we are finally one human family living in one global community. We are one people bound by one hope – for peace.

Amen