Gracious and loving God, there is not a moment that we do not belong to you. You claim us as your beloved from beginning to end. Reassured and emboldened by this good news, we uplift our petitions and prayers to you this day, knowing nothing separates us from you and your love for us.
God of mercy, when will the shootings end? How many people must die for change to happen? When will we recognize that the solution to gun violence is not more guns? We pray for all affected by the shootings in Hyland Park, U.S., and Copenhagen, Denmark. Lord, bind up the wounds of the brokenhearted. Comfort those grieving a loss or separation of any kind. Do not let us be immobilized or numbed by our fear, anxiety, and anguish. Come alongside us, so we do not feel so alone. May we find concrete ways to denounce violence and become peacemakers. Amid sorrow and pain, help us to hold fast to what is true, beautiful, and good. Shield our joy and hope to be found in one another.
Holy Spirit, keep watch over all those who have been uprooted from home and seek safety in unfamiliar, even inhospitable, places. Keep watch over those who cannot escape abusive relationships or difficult circumstances. Keep watch over those who have nowhere to go. Make your presence known to the 7.1 million people displaced in Ukraine because of the war. Bring peace and solace to the loved ones of the 53 migrants who died after being shut inside a truck in blistering heat and without any water in Texas, U.S. Scripture tells us to welcome the stranger. Christ, who was a refugee, spoke of a welcome that was more than tolerance or passive acceptance. Help us to make room for others in our hearts, homes, and lives, as he made room for us.
Maker of heaven and earth, we hear the laments of our desecrated earth, yet we continue to wreak havoc on our environment. We hear the news of floods in Sydney, Australia, and Mumbai, India; a landslide near Chavin de Huantar, Peru; and a tropical storm killing four people in Nicaragua and one person in El Salvador. We cannot deny the ways our changing climate is reshaping our daily existence, often most acutely affecting those are marginalized and neglected. Hold us accountable. Show us how we have fallen short, and how we can recognize that our survival and flourishing are interconnected and interdependent.
Source of love and life, you shower us with your love abundantly and freely, and wish for us to do the same. You claim all of us as your beloved children—all sexual orientations, all gender expressions, all gender identities. Help us to recognize your divine image in one another. As our LGBTQ+ siblings celebrate Pride around the world, we lift up a prayer of thanksgiving for the overruling of law criminalizing same-sex acts between consenting adults in Antigua and Barbuda. We also uplift a prayer of lament after police used teargas and pepper spray to halt an LGBTQ+ Pride march in Ankara, Turkey, detaining at least 36 people. May we rejoice and stand up for all forms of liberating and life-giving love and relationships—including with ourselves.
Holy One, so much seems irreconcilable in our families, homes, nations, creation. Let us turn over to you whatever feels insurmountable or impossible in our lives. Continue to remind us that your love and grace have no end. We pray for all those living amid turmoil, division, and dispute, including our siblings in the United Kingdom during this turbulent political time. Bring a sense of humility and compassion to world leaders so they look beyond self-interests and better serve their citizens, especially the oppressed and vulnerable. Lord, give us the courage to claim the spaces where we are leaders and to name our responsibilities in caring for one another.
Christ, keep expanding our capacity to love one another, so we may recognize you everyplace we go and in everyone we meet. Help us to love the world as fiercely and tenderly as you do.
Amen.
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