In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1: 1-5. 14
The news in its various forms has left me agitated and sad, confused and dejected, angry and inspired. The maelstrom of reaction to what is happening around us, near and far, wherever we are on this wonderful planet given to us to live on, forces me back to basics. John echoing Genesis, puts it all in perspective. The light is here for each one of us and has not and will never be put out or overcome by darkness and evil.
So, let us begin our time of prayer with thankfulness, trusting in the love and mercy of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
The peace of the Lord be with you always
ALL: And also with you.
God of grace, we may not wish to follow in your steps or be open to your lead. We separate ourselves from your support and healing. Forgive us for all we have done or left undone, all we have said or left unsaid. You call forth eagles to bend wings in adoration. But there are times in life when we are unable to appreciate the gift of your creation in this world or in ourselves. We name before you the secret seventh round of negotiations between the EU and the US to benefit transnational corporations at the expense of, among other issues, democracy, food safety, the environment and banking legislation. Already one Swedish company is suing the German government for business losses following their decision to close down all nuclear energy plants after the Fukushima reactor plant exploded in Japan. There is the toll on human lives as well: the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the US, Canada and Mexico caused the loss of one million US jobs over 12 years, instead of the hundreds of thousands of extra jobs that were promised.
Lord let your light shine in the dark and secret places…
ALL: Let there be light.
Christ our Savior, sometimes we feel unable to walk with you. We grow faint and exhausted with life. Sometimes we want to give up. We name before you the continuing devastation, famine and war in South Sudan. We also name the continuing war in Syria, Turkey, and Iraq, Afghanistan and on the Kashmiri border between Pakistan and India, as well as pray for the 53 students who disappeared in Mexico… The list could be endless. But we do not despair. Instead we join together and give thanks for all those courageous selfless people seeking to bring light, truth, hope and care where there is so little or none.
Lord let your light shine in the dark and secret places…
ALL: Let there be light.
Spirit of God, when we are weary and tired, unable to soar in the sky of life, we can look only to you for healing and renewed energy. And so,
God of strength, thank you for your grace and forgiveness. Fill us with energy for each moment of life you give us. Help us to choose to trust you not just for this moment, but for the rest of our lives. Let Your light shine in our lives and illuminate with truth and love all that we seek to do as individuals, as communities and as states and we will acknowledge you as Lord, Creator and Redeemer of all.
AMEN
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