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World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, April 23, 2020

Praying with Psalm 116 in this time of pandemic*

We love you, O God, because you have heard the voice of our supplications,
because you have inclined your ear to us whenever we called upon you. (Psalm 116, v. 1, adapted)

Because you have been faithful to us, O God, from time immemorial, bringing us time and again out of despair into hope, out of death into new life, yet even now in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic shall we trust you.

The cords of death entangled us;
the grip of the grave took hold of us;
we came to grief and sorrow. (v. 2, adapted)

The count of the dead, and the ill; the endangered; the closed-in, the unemployed or out-of-business or unable to provide for their families – the numbers are beyond our comprehension.

San Marino, Belgium, Andorra, Spain, Italy, France, St. Marten, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Sweden, Isle of Man, Switzerland, Channel Islands, Ireland, United States, Luxembourg, and Monaco are all reporting more than 100 deaths per 1M population. That’s 2,714,942 confirmed cases worldwide and 190,395 deaths reported so far – but we know those counts are likely to be way underreported, since testing for the virus is basically unavailable in many developing countries. And the first wave of the pandemic hasn’t even peaked yet. (Statistics as of today from https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries).
Handwashing with soap and water is crucial to preventing the spread of COVID-19. Yet in sub-Saharan Africa (that’s 46 countries), 63 per cent of people in urban areas lack access to handwashing. It’s 22 per cent in the urban regions of Central and South Asia, and 28 per cent in Indonesia. Even many health care facilities don’t have basic sanitation.
The International Labour Organization this week reported that more than 4 out of five workers globally live in countries affected by full or partial lockdown measures. In the U.S., nearly 27 million people have lost their jobs and filed for unemployment since the crisis began. Half of the private sector workers in France are now unemployed. The United Nations is predicting 195 million jobs will be lost worldwide due to the virus.
Severe famine “of Biblical proportions” is likely to hit 30 or more under-developed nations due to the labor shortages and supply disruptions caused by the pandemic, according to reports released this week by the United Nations. The greatest worry is for people living in conflict zones and those forced from their homes and into refugee camps, especially in northeastern Nigeria, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

We can’t even name, let alone mourn, that many lives lost, so many countries locked down, so many people trying to shelter in place, so many families disrupted, so many at risk of starvation. We are buried in our grief and shock; tangled between our desire for life to return to normal (soon, if not even sooner) and fear-filled and realistic prudence (that warns it may be months or years before we can safely end our social isolation).

The sheer numbers are beyond our stunned comprehension. Yet you, O God, have known and adored us before we are even born. You count the hairs on every head. You accompany every person who dies, and comfort every person who grieves. You restore the trembling nations. Even now, we shall trust.

Then we called upon your holy Name:
“O God, we pray you, save our lives.” (v. 3, adapted)

And we see your saving hand at work, not through a sudden magic snap of your fingers, but in so many large and small daily items:

Thousands of scientists, researchers, doctors and other health professionals across the globe, sharing ideas and data across national boundaries in the rush to find a vaccine, a cure.
An overwhelming number of people in Spain stepping in to foster the pets of those who have fallen ill
Eric Kim, an Oregon, U.S., high school student who is making clear face masks so the hearing-impaired can communicate while protected.
Ireland pledging to quadruple its pledge to the World Health Organization. and last Saturday’s “One World: Together At Home” concert in the U.S. that raised $127.9 million for WHO’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
Restaurants and bakeries and food trucks in many places donating meals to health care workers and seniors, and individuals and agencies donating money so these businesses can buy more food and pay their employees.
People posting on the internet, “If anyone near me can’t afford food or medicine, message me, and I’ll help.” And then doing so – for strangers.
The factory in Kenya that – overnight – transformed from making gardening clothes, to assembling 30,000 surgical masks a day. And what this change symbolizes for the workers there. Josephine Wambua, 24, who never went to school, said, “To sit here and do something that is useful to the world is a dream. I never thought I would be part of something that has the potential of saving millions from dying.”

You, O God, are the one who gives us life, and gives it abundantly. Even now, we shall trust.

We will walk in the presence of God,
In the land of the living. (v. 8, adapted)

We celebrated Earth Day on April 22, marking the 50th such annual celebration. Even from within our COVID-19 restrictions, we could look out and know the presence of God…in a flower, a hummingbird, the stars, the wind….in the face of a loved one here with us, or online, or in our memories…in the commitments we make, to made this a life-giving planet…

For you, O God, have entrusted us with this your world, and with one another – your beloved children.

How shall we repay God
for all the good things done for us?

We will lift up the cup of salvation
and call upon the Name of God.

We will fulfill our vows to God
in the presence of all people. (v10-12, adapted)

Even now, we trust.
Amen.

*Portions of Psalm 116 will be read this coming Sunday in all churches that use the Revised Common Lectionary. Verses here are adapted from The Saint Helena Psalter. Since we are all so physically isolated these days, it seemed appropriate to change the language of the psalm from a personal, first-person prayer, to one prayed by and for all of us.

World News in Prayer – Thursday, 12th March 2020

Every little thing is sent for something, and in that thing there should be happiness and the power to make happy. Like the grasses showing tender faces to each other, thus we should do, for this was the wish of the

Grandfathers of the World. Black Elk, (1863-1950)

Oh God, we read these words from a holy man who lived not so long ago. We have heard in the Gospel of Matthew Jesus’s words to his disciples of certain strength in the meek. We are reminded of his teachings to care for the poor and the least or marginalized. We remember that Jesus came humbly and joyfully into Jerusalem on a donkey with her colt – not the horse a symbol of war.

The ways and acts of peace are tender. They seem fleeting and small. Help us like the very grasses to act with hearts shining toward each other. As we turn to each other we ask that we may we see the other. Help us to pass the peace and love you have offered us through your son Jesus Christ.

We are grateful for the communication systems that connect each country through reporting and analyzing data to understand the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is on our minds night and day.

We are grateful for the common sense public health measures and call to action of simple hand washing not hand wringing.

We pause in our hearts. We grieve for the families whose elders have been swept away by the virus. Replace fear during increasing lockdowns with focus and quiet action. Help us in unforeseen ways to grow in our understanding of our connectedness. Safeguard the emergency and health care teams and families exposed across the continents. We name them out loud thinking of the peoples in locked down regions…knowing the list will grow.

Africa – Algeria, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa

Americas – Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,

Guadalupe, Mexico, United States

Eastern Mediterranean – Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates

Europe – Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Herzegovina, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia (23%), San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom

Southeast Asia – Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand

Western Pacific – Australia, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, North Korea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russia (77%), Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam

In celebration of International Women’s Day this past Sunday there comes singing, clapping and dancing, tears and laughter. Help us to receive the wisdom from indigenous women of the Ecuadorian Tribal Nations of Kofan, Siona, Siekopai and Waorani peoples as we hear their voices: “We are at the forefront of our peoples’ struggles and victories against the exploitation of our natural resources of extractive industries. From monitoring our territories and confronting emerging invasions to leading sustainable economic alternatives to resource extraction and shaping a vision for the education of our children and grandchildren, we are creating solutions for the long-term protection of a forest we all depend upon for life. And now, we are also training to become journalists and filmmakers in order to share our stories and struggles from a female perspective.” Lord we ask you to amplify their words: “We come with love and peace, we, women from four indigenous nations of the Western Amazon in Ecuador, are fighting against the threats to our forest.”

We end this weeks prayers for the hungry – the over 820 million people who have suffered from hunger in 2018, the greatest number since 2010 as reported by the World Meteorological Organization released this past Wednesday.

We ask for your mercy in these times.

Increase our compassion.

Sustain us in doing your will.

Amen.

World News in Prayer – Thursday, 19th September 2019

There is a voice ringing throughout the universe; throughout all space and time; seeking to reach our ears, to touch our hearts and souls.

Gracious God, help us to listen for Your voice, calming and clear, throughout the chaos of our frenzied lives, the voices in our heads, and the roaring sounds all around us. Help us to tune into you as we pray for our world.

Holy One, we listen for Your guidance in healing your world. We pray for resolution of political, economic and social paralysis and uncertainty affecting the UK and Europe over Brexit. We pray for the people of the Bahamas, who have a long road of recovery ahead after Hurricane Dorian turned their world upside down and the need for help seems endless. We also lift our hearts in prayer for Bermuda, where Hurricane Humberto knocked out the power for about 80% of the island.

We pray for all the places in the world that are burning, including Brazil and Bolivia, and Indonesia. We pray that we are given ears to hear the cries of your children, including those across the Globe who have organized the Climate Strike this Friday, September 20th..

Loving One, we listen for Your tranquility when the clamor of gun violence and missiles so often ring in our heads, even days, months, and years after we hear of them. We pray for change in the United States, where gun violence is so prevalent, particularly after the Sandy Hook Promise commercial has been released and gaining so much attention, seven years after the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary.

We pray for the Middle East, especially since the Saudi Arabia oil attacks, that they may experience healing rather than rage. We cry with those grieving in Afghanistan following the attacks by the Taliban yet again on civilians and now a hospital replicating the murderous attacks on hospitals in Syria. We pray for the protection and provisions for all seeking to help the wounded and vulnerable.

Help us tune into Your voice, O God, that we may live lives of true discipleship and carry out Your will to bring peace to this tumultuous world around us. Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, August 29, 2019

Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. – 1 Peter 4:8

God of love, you created the world and everything in it. You created the beautiful rain forests, the colorful sunsets, the innumerable animals and leaving creatures, human beings, and most of all you created the love which flows through all of it. We see your hand in every living thing and we mourn as we see your creation lose life in all of its forms. Help us to be comforted by your incredible love and may it wash over every hurting being in this world.

May your love flow through, Oh Lord.

Lord, we ask that you be with your creation in the many places which are being destroyed. We pray for the Amazon rain forest as it burns away causing Brazil to be forever marked by destruction. We pray for all places where fire continually consumes your creation in Siberia, Indonesia, Greece, the United States, Russia, South Africa and so many other places in your world. We ask for your presence to be with your incredible trees, plants, and animals which are dying and in need of your healing. We ask that you be with all of those in the Caribbean and United States who are affected by hurricane Dorian. As your creation fears for the loss of life and homes we ask that you breathe life as well as hope back into your creation.

May your breath flow through, Oh Lord.

God of our hearts, may you release the anxieties which fill our world. Be with the people in Hong Kong as more troops are sent into the streets where your children work, play, and are trying to live. We pray for your people in the Jammu and Kashmir region of India as they contend with detention and as many suffer severe injuries. We ask that your love be spread also to the people at the border in the United States as your dear people suffer and many die as they are turned away. Lord, we ask that your love be spread throughout all regions where your dear people only long for safety and love in a world which is filled with conflict.

May your protection be a shield, Oh Lord.

God of us all, may you open our hearts to be filled with more love than divisiveness. May your love spread out as a calm breath, a protective shield, and a flowing stream. May you teach us all that while we may never know the right thing to do, we always know it is better to share your love rather than spread hate and violence in your creation. As you soothe all of your children’s hearts, may you continually teach us that above all else we shall only spread love which is a comfort to all things in all time.

Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer- Thursday, January 3, 2019

Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted;

but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,

they shall mount up with wings like eagles,

they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:30-31

Heavenly God,

How can we ever thank you? How can we thank you for another year of life. Another year of blessings. Another year of your presence in our lives, whether we choose to hold on to you or not. Here we stand, Lord, at the beginning of a new year of life remembering this past year and thinking ahead to the next. While there is so much to consider, worry and look forward to in the next year, there is still so much to remember from the last. Help us, God, to gives thanks for the good and send us comfort for all the things which brought your people hurt, distress, and sadness in the last.

Lord in your mercy; renew our sense of gratitude.

Lord, we lift up all who have struggled this past year, in particular those who have been left behind after their dear ones have gone to be with you in their new heavenly homes. We lift up the many who have and continue to suffer and die in Yemen. We lift up your children in all war-torn places who continue to suffer due to conflicts, wars, and crises which cover so many places and yet about which little is known in other parts of the world. We ask that you walk alongside your dear children. May your strength wash over them as a blanket of healing.

Lord in your mercy; renew our strength.

While this next year may bring pain and heartache to some of your children, may we find hope in knowing that you will always walk with us regardless of what may happen. We ask that you be with the many families who are still separated from their little children at Mexico’s border. While so many of us will never understand this kind of separation, we know that your presence is so necessary for your terrified children and their devastated parents.

Lord in your mercy; renew our hope.

As we reflect on this past year, we remember all those who will no longer be a part of our lives in the coming days and months. We already know that our lives will not be the same without them, and yet we know that their memories will live on with us even though their presence feels so far from us. We particularly pray for the many who have died and the many still missing because of the volcano eruption and landslides in Indonesia. May you bring solace to those overcome with worry because of their still missing loved ones.

Lord in your mercy; renew our memories.

God, while it may seem that this year will be the same as the last, help us to cling to you and have the courage to share your hope and divine love with everyone we meet as we re-imagine our lives as not only our own, but as your own blessed children. For this and for your hope, we give thanks. May you continually nurture our voices that we might share your love with all. Hear these words, Lord, that we might continually draw near to you.

Lord in your mercy; renew your people.

Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, November 22, 2018

Note: Words in italics are from Ps 8 (NRSV)

O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

As cosmologists view a “ghost galaxy” hidden in sight…
You have set your glory above the heavens.

As the UN tries to recruit more women to be Blue Helmets peacekeepers, Mali has the grim distinction of being the deadliest active peacekeeping deployment in the world…
Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
to silence the enemy and the avenger.

As astronomers announce the discovery of a planet around our nearest neighbor star…
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have established;

As a U.S. federal judge blocks an order issued by President Trump to deny the possibility of asylum to migrants crossing the southern border illegally…
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them?

As environmentalists battle to protect the only place in the world where orangutans, rhinos, elephants and tigers still co-exist in the wild (the Leuser Ecosystem in Sumatra, Indonesia) from destruction by companies producing palm oil…
Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
and crowned them with glory and honor.

As spurious health claims about diseases carried on clothing are used against the providers of humanitarian aid in Mediterranean Sea…
Lord, what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them?

As children search for food in the rubbish of the streets of Yemen; while marine life dies as it engulfs plastic instead of food; as wildfires still smolder; as a volcano erupts in Guatemala; as Vietnam floods; as El Nino triggers severe weather in South America…
You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under their feet,

all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,

the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

World News This Week in Prayer, Thursday, October 4, 2018

Holy One,

Shape our prayers to the Gospel of Your Son. Teach us to see as you see and to feel as you feel. This is our prayer.

This day and each day, we lift up our prayers for each and every person who needs to see you in their lives and to feel your presence around them. We pray for hope in the midst of everything that goes on around us. We pray for the faith that when we, all Your people of every background, come together, good things can happen. This is our prayer.

We pray for the survivors of the plane crash last week near an island runway in Micronesia, we are grateful for their lives. And we pray for the one person who was killed, as we mourn this loss. May all who are affected find comfort in Your loving arms.

May we remember that each member of your divine design, no matter how far away, is connected to each of us as a sibling through Your love. This is our prayer.

We pray for the survivors of the earthquake and tsunami in Sulawesi, Indonesia, where thousands were injured and more than 70,000 were displaced. We pray for the thousands who were killed and mourn these losses. May all who are affected find strength and be given help as their lives are now so drastically changed. May we offer what we can to show them that they are never alone, especially when dealing with such great loss. This is our prayer.

We pray for the survivors of sexual assault around the world whose voices are silenced, who are too afraid to speak up, who have been told they ‘asked for it.’ May they reclaim their voice and find strength to release themselves from any burdens of shame or guilt.

As the hearings for Brett Kavanaugh took place this past week in the United States and deliberations for his vote into the Supreme Court are about to take place, shine Your light on the decision makers that they may be guided by Your love. May we be emboldened to fight against ingrained attitudes of oppression and dominance as we work toward a more just world. This is our prayer.

We pray for communities that come together, like the Kudumbashree, the all-female volunteers in Kerala, India, who have volunteered hours of their time every day to clean up their neighborhoods and towns since the catastrophic flooding in August. May they accomplish even more than their wildest dreams. May we be inspired to work together for the good of all of your creation. This is our prayer.

As we long to see your reign here on Earth, give us the endurance and loving hearts to do Your work as we await that day. This is our prayer. Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, August 23, 2018

God of compassion

God of green earth and snow
God of darkness
And illumination
God of new things
And of things torn apart
God of waters and maker of dry land
God of tender souls clinging
God in this moment and across all sunrises and the universe

Help us to understand our place in this troubled world, this vast and complex mystery. We ask for a deepening of our caring for our neighbor.

Be with the people of Kerala, India, with nearly 800,000 living in 4,000 emergency relief camps. Sustain them as monsoons continue to cause massive flooding, landslides, and strain resources. Be with rescue teams as they move people to safety. Support community leaders as they discern where to turn their attention in this catastrophe – to straining dams, deforested areas, impassable roads and railways. Comfort those who mourn the over 350 dead and missing.

Bring comfort to the people of Ghazni, Afghanistan, under siege as war continues. Be with those fleeing, those in harm’s way and those unable to leave. Have mercy on the suffering and be with those who have lost over 400 loved ones. Comfort those in the Shia neighborhood of Dasht-e-Barchi who mourn the 34 people killed in a suicide bomb attack in front of the education center in Kabul. Bring relief to the injured and those who mourn as a cease-fire offer receives further rocket launches, killings and abductions.

Come Holy Spirit, walk the streets of Pacaraima, Brazil, as residents are attacking migrant encampments of people fleeing Venezuela. Open the borders of our hearts to recognition of the universal need for a home.

Care for your people in Indonesia and especially on the quaking island of Lombok. Landslides, unstable and stressed buildings, people moved to living in tents, so much loss in this catastrophe. We ask for your compassion for those who mourn for the dead, 436 and rising. Sustain the hearts and hands of those who rescue and tend.

Teach us to love in powerful ways, in earnest ways that speak out against malice, prejudice and injustice. Bring wisdom, right action and compassion during the unprecedented worldwide displacement of over 68.5 million people. Protect and sustain the 44,000 people newly displaced today and each day around the world. Open the hearts of those who want to deny refugees a place of safety – in the US, for example, where President Trump’s administration is rumored to be considering a second sharp reduction in the number of refugees who can be resettled in the country.

Be with the people of Assam, India, as their leaders sort citizens from non-citizens. Help us to grow in humanity, called insaniyat in Hindi.

Sustain the teams who courageously work at the wildfire front lines day and night, with nearly 2 million acres burning in the US and 2,500 hectares in Canada, with yet more fires around the world, from The Great Dividing Range, Australia, to the coast of Greece. Comfort those who flee waiting to return uncertain of what they will find. Bring strength to those involved in the longer-term care, as overwhelming anxiety and grief is sorted and sense made of loss. Protect the wildlife. Protect us all from the consequences of the ashes spreading through the atmosphere, even to places distant from the fires themselves.

Holy Spirit come beside us. May we speak words that offer dignity and R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Inspire us even in these times of dread to make a joyful noise and walk in your light.

God of Love
God of fields and harvests
Of clouds, rivers and forests
God of night
And of broad noonday
God of the broken, sick and near death
God of the healed
God in this moment and across all sunsets and the universe
We call to you with these prayers for the people.

Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer- Thursday, August 8, 2018

Holy One,
our lives push us forward each day, distracting and distressing us. We move through the motions and meet the demands laid out before us. We have many priorities and not enough time. We make decision after decision that pulls our attention away from you. Yet, you are here. We declare this; we believe this. You are here, among us, within us, around us. You are the One who is Word Made Flesh, God with Us, True Light from True Light, the One who will not let us go, no matter how far we might flee from your presence. We cannot ascend to heights, dive to depths, lie down or rise up without your wings enfolding us.

And so, as we come to our prayers, we prepare once more to turn our thoughts, our attention, our lives back to the Creation which you so lovingly shaped and in which you so graciously dwell. We turn our attention back to you, to see this world with your eyes, to love with your heart, to work with your hands for the presence of your Kin-dom on earth.
We pray for the people and all creatures in earthquake-striken Indonesia, as aftershocks grip the region. We also remember the sites of past natural disasters, like Puerto Rico and Pakistan. Wherever nature unleashes deadly force, we pray that relief might come swiftly, aid might be distributed fairly, and all who all those struggling with loss and might find that they are surrounded by love and provision.

We pray for the families of the children who have been killed in a brutal school bus attack in Yemen. We also remember the nearly 10,000 who have died in the civil war thus far.
We pray for the people and creatures caught in the whirlpool of violence along the Gaza-Israel border, as new rockets have been fired in the past week. We pray for the families of those who have had someone killed in recent months, including the 1 Israeli soldier and the more than 150 Palestinians. Wherever there is violence, break into the chaos, O Lord. Shatter the grip of hate, unlock the cords of fear, blind us with your light and give us the chance to see each other again with your vision of mercy and peace.

We pray for those struggling with a heat wave across Europe and drought across Australia. May communities look out for each other and may we more fully and wholly steward your Creation. Wherever climate change is being felt more radically, show us how to care for each other and for your creatures. Open our eyes to the resources you have given us. Embolden, empower, and enable our political leaders, our business leaders, and our selves to care more fully for your Creation.

We pray for those who wait and watch and weep this night, this day, and in the hours in-between. We remember those who struggle silently with illness, whether it is mental or physical or emotional. We pray for those who seek your face to shine upon them. In all these things, we rejoice that you draw near us. No matter where we are, no matter what we do, we are your children. May we hold this truth close to our heart, close to our day.
In your most steadfast, gracious, and holy name, AMEN.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, August 2, 2018

On God alone I wait silently;
God my deliverer, God my strong tower.
Paraphrase from Ps. 62, John L. Bell*

When all efforts have been made to cope with natural disasters:
the earthquake in Lombok, Indonesia;
the wildfires in California, USA, Sweden, Siberia, Russian Federation, Greece,
water shortages in Yemen, the UK, Syria, Kenya;

On God alone I wait silently; God my deliverer, God my strong tower.

When people are exhausted from the struggles against injustice and terror:
those forced to care for the children of imprisoned gang members in El Salvador;
the Zimbabweans fearing their Presidential election has been hijacked again;
refugees in the US, Sweden, the European Union, Canada, India, Bangladesh, Turkey, Australia and so many other countries;

On God alone I wait silently; God my deliverer, God my strong tower.

When people seek to care for their fellow human beings in need:
Maria Makrogianni (Mama Maria) of Samos, Greece, still feeding refugees from
home having been forced to close her restaurant due to threats on her life;
firefighters (including prisoners) and people of all faiths and none helping those
burned out in Shasta County, California US;
all who act as care givers (paid or unpaid), medics, police, firefighters,
those who keep our communities clean and safe, often with little thanks;

On God alone I wait silently; God my deliverer, God my strong tower.

When families are changing, new life is being formed and others prepare to leave this earthly life:
give us all a sense of thankfulness and proportion as to what is real or imaginary;
help us nurture truth rather than deceit;
humility rather than hubris;
tenderness, love and compassion rather than aggression, hatred and division.
Despite all we like to think, we are not in charge. You are; and we believe you have
a purpose for every season, even the waiting one.

On God alone I wait silently; God my deliverer, God my strong tower. Amen.