God, in whom we live and move and have our being, there is nothing that can separate us from you and your steadfast love. Out of this love, you created a world of unsurpassed beauty and you called it good. You continue to recreate and repair this world with that same attentive love.
Holy One, open us as we pray, to admire and love the world as you so fiercely and tenderly do.
February marks the beginning of Black History month in the United States. We grieve. We are shocked with the news of Amir Locke’s death in Minneapolis and stunned by the bomb threats at Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) across the country. Justice remains elusive as white supremacy keeps a hold on our systems and power structures. May we confront this evil with strength and offer a transformative, alternative way with truth-telling, accountability, mercy and justice. Let us not just proclaim that Black Lives Matter, but build a world where Black Lives Matter.
Lord, your steadfast love endures forever.
Merciful One, we find ourselves in another disorienting stage of this pandemic. Some of us are “over it!” We are exhausted. We are fearful. Some are overwhelmed. We cannot keep up with the cycle of news.
- We hear the United Kingdom could lift its restriction requiring individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 to self-isolate by the end of the month.
- Sweden has halted wide-scale testing.
- While Afghanistan endures a surge that is crumbling its health care system.
- In Canada demonstrators are blocking travel along the United States border to protest coronavirus restrictions within the country.
- The head of the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland insists that “COVID isn’t finished with us.”
Source of Solace, how much more can we endure? We are weary. We want rest. Help us to find moments of respite and restoration. Bring clarity to our discernment of how to navigate this period of this pandemic. Remind us that we are all at different stages in how we experience it. When our patience is frail, help us to hold fast to our graciousness and sensibility. When we feel empty and adrift, may we turn to you for strength and support.
Lord, your steadfast love endures forever.
Maker of Heaven and Earth, we do not live as you would wish we would. We are so far from building your Beloved Community. We are more concerned with our own interests, pride and power than the safety and wellbeing of our neighbors, especially those who are neglected and marginalized. Help us to shorten the distance between heaven and earth. May we see the world anew with your vision—your beloved creation filled with your beloved children each created in your own image. Thus, today, we pray for our neighbors, our enemies and ourselves so that peace, justice, and love may be known fully and intimately by all. May we all find hope and healing in you and through you.
- We pray for your children in Russia and Ukraine as tensions mount amidst looming threats of Russia invading Ukraine.
- We pray for young Muslim girls in Karnataka, India who are protesting after being denied entry into their colleges for wearing hijabs.
- We pray for your children in Tunisia as political unrest endures and fears of a return to authoritarian rule grows.
- We pray for your children in Libya where there are mounting concerns about the possibility of a new power struggle as parliament is set to name a new prime minister.
- We pray for detainees at a camp in Syria where tens of thousands of family members of ISIS fighters have been held for years, and this week guards opened fire on residents after women and children attacked them with rocks and knives. One child was killed, and several people were wounded.
- We pray for our siblings in Madagascar where the death toll has risen to 92 deaths and more than 112,000 people have been displaced by the aftermath of Cyclone Batsirai.
Give us the courage to denounce hatred and bigotry that we witness, especially when it is done in your name. You call us to beat swords into ploughshares. We ask that your Spirit guide our leaders in their discernment and actions. May they make decisions that benefit all, and not a specific group.
Emmanuel, you are God with us. Any time that we try to draw a line between us and them, you and me… there you are looking at us from the other side. There is no one who does not belong to you and in whom you do not dwell. Bring everlasting peace and transcendent understanding, not only among the places we have named, but among all nations.
Lord, your steadfast love endures forever.
Alpha and Omega, we rejoice in the restoration you bring to this world, the promised wholeness that awaits all of creation in your eternal reign.
We pray in the name of Christ Jesus, your Son and our Savior.
Amen.
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