Prayers for the United States

Prayers naming the United States have followed storms, tornadoes, wildfires and floods across many states, along with elections and political tension, gun violence, and questions of migration and race. Health, mental health and the well-being of ordinary households appear often, as do thanksgivings for its landscapes and wild places.

One of Those Sleepless Nights: A Prayer for a World That Will Not Let Us Rest (January 16, 2020)

Dear Friends in Prayer, Did you ever have one of those sleepless nights? When, after three hours of perfectly wonderful, refreshing sleep, you are suddenly awake, wide awake, for no apparent reason? And when, despite watching a couple of shows on your Kindle Fire (or whatever you resort to during wakeful hours), your mind is […]

A Prayer at the Turn of the Decade: For Nations at War and Hearts in Despair (January 2, 2020)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. James 1:17 Oh Lord, there are many things that concern us and call us to prayer. We open our hearts to you in gratitude and wonder. We pray for those who rage and are quick to anger, for those who seem to be eaten up […]

The Prince of Peace in a Weary World: A Christmas Prayer for Refugees and the Poor (December 26, 2019)

As we approach the end of another year, we tend to reflect and look back over the last year or decade but unless this informs our choices and behaviours going forward it is in danger of being an empty and futile activity. So many have expressed frustration, anger or disconnectedness with the political process in […]

Anticipate the Coming Light: An Advent Prayer for Samoa’s Measles Outbreak and the Whakaari Eruption (December 12, 2019)

During this season of Advent, this season of waiting, we are called to anticipate the fulfillment of God’s reign. Advent is a chance for each one of us to practice the reign of God in the way we meet and treat one another. As we prepare for this time of prayer, let us anticipate the […]

O Be Careful, Little Eyes: An Advent Prayer for the Climate and Desecrated Graves in Alsace (December 5, 2019)

We open our hearts to you, God of compassion, God of power, Because we know we need your creative power and precision of language when we speak, we need to learn the voice of clarity, to see with vision, to hear with discretion and act with generosity. In this season of hyper-charged commercialism, ever attempting […]

Are We Nearly There Yet: Albania’s Earthquake, Floods in France and Italy, and Thanksgiving (November 28, 2019)

Father God, are we there yet? We are between the last Sunday of the year and the first – are we nearly there yet? “The days are coming” (book of Jeremiah) – are we nearly there yet? We are between the new beginning and end of the last new beginning – are we nearly there […]

Hope on the Horizon: Prayers After US Shootings, Amazon Deforestation, and Unrest in Bolivia (November 21, 2019)

Ever-present God, as we come to the end of another liturgical year, we remember and celebrate the present and coming kingship of Christ. We anticipate the coming day when the prophetic words of scripture are fulfilled and we work, diligently, to co-create a world where all people are loved and respected. Yet, we are perplexed […]

A Great and Awful Time: Prayers for Venice’s Floods, Ebola in DR Congo, and Violence in Gaza (November 13, 2019)

Great justice-seeker of the universe, You know that we live in a great and awful time. You have opened our minds to the secrets of nature, but record flooding in Venice, Italy, and raging fires from the United States to Australia, give us reason to pause about having the power of sub-atomic particles placed into […]

We Build Walls: A Prayer for Those Waiting at Borders and Drowning in the Mediterranean (November 7, 2019)

Dear Lord, Great Mystery, Comforter and Reconciler of All. In your Great Mystery you are a bulwark, a fortress and watchtower. You protect and shield and send light forth to guide and unite. We build walls, over 70 of them across lands and around the world from the U.S.-Mexican border to the fences separating Hungary […]

All the Saints: Prayers for California’s Wildfires, Britain’s Election, and Lebanon’s Protests (October 31, 2019)

Holy God, we give thanks this day for the diversity of your creation. As we prepare our hearts and minds for prayer, we remember that you created our world in all of its differences. We give thanks this day, O God, for all the saints who have come before us: those who worshiped in homes […]