Download Prayers (doc)

We pray tonight, Lord, for all of humanity. That we would see the face of
Jesus Christ in those so easily despised by the world: that we would see
Christ's anguish in the eyes of migrants fleeing war; that we would see
Christ's love in the face of the poor; that we would see Christ's unending joy
in the face of those we would term "other" and would rather ignore.
We pray that we would have eyes to see those the world teaches us to label
"enemy" in the way Jesus saw the Samaritan women - as a child of God,
worthy of love and grace.
In Jesus' name.
As we remember the death of our Savior for the sake of humanity during
these days, let us also remember those around the world who die in the name
of extremism. We pray for all - no matter their religion or ethnicity - who
find themselves caught in the midst of fundamentalism that wishes to
destroy the other.
When we are broken down and can think of no other words except, "My
God, my God, why have you forsaken me?", let us remember the
faithfulness of the women at Jesus' tomb and the joyful Resurrection that
followed those dark days.
In Jesus' name.
Lord, whether it is in Syria with the kidnapping of Christians or in Jerusalem
where a church was vandalized and set on fire, religious extremism is
breaking our hearts and yours. Help us to pray for our brothers and sisters,
no matter their religion, who are in pain around the world and help us to
remember, no matter their religion, those who stand beside us in love when
we are hurt.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Lord, we thank you for this rain. For drenching the earth that so needs it, for
our olive trees. In summer, we will fondly remember this rain. But we also
pray for our brothers and sisters - especially those in Gaza or who find their
homes in refugee tents - whose shelter is not enough. We pray for mercy for
those who are cold and wet. In Jesus' name, we pray.
We thank you, Lord God, for this life-giving rain and we await the goodness
that we will see from it in the coming year. At the same time, we pray for
our brothers and sisters who suffer because of the rain, especially those in
Gaza and the Jordan Valley. Please love and protect them, we pray. In
Jesus' name.
Jerusalem is on fire and our hearts are heavy. Please pray for the Holy Land
and for all of the hurt here.
We praise God for rain! We celebrate in dry earth soaking up water, with
water seeping into water tanks, with olive trees spreading their branches. We
rejoice that the rain is here! Still, we remember those for whom the rain may
mean both salvation and misery, for those who lack shelter, for those who
suffer when the rain comes due to a lack of proper clothing or shoes.
May the renewing of the earth here be a blessing to all of God's children, no
matter their situation or station.
Let us pray today for the whole Middle East, for moderates and minorities
who fear extremists. Let us give our prayers, our money, our time, our
attention to a place filled with both so much love and so much hate. Let us
pray for people who are different, but oh so much the same as we are people who wish to live and to care for their children. We pray - we beg - for
this: that God would open our hearts and we would see with new eyes how
very much alike we all are.
In Jesus' name.
Please pray tonight for peace and justice in the Holy Land.
Through our prayers and our voices, let us work to bring light to this
darkness, even if we feel that our light is not enough. Let Christ's love shine
in our hearts as we seek to be brokers of justice, ministers of reconciliation,
and apostles of love.
In Jesus' name.
Let us pray tonight that peace would find us here in the Holy Land sooner
rather than later. We pray for victims of violence on both sides of the Green
Line and we pray that all would see the image of God in the other. In Jesus'
name we pray.
We pray, Lord, today for children who are often the collateral damage to
wars raged by grown-ups, whether it be between nations or parents. This is
not your plan. This is not your hope for the ones who you encouraged to
crowd around you. Protect all children - no matter their race or religion - and
teach all of us to look out for these dear ones who are so close to Your heart.
On this Pentecost, we pray for peace in the Holy Land. We pray that each
side would see the image of God in one another. We pray that Palestinians
and Israelis would recognize their humanity in one another. Lord, please
bless the meeting at the Vatican today and let your Holy Spirit descend on
those involved, just like it did so long ago.
In Jesus' Name.
Let us pray for those who suffer, including families of those who were on
the sunken ferry in South Korea, those who still await news from MH370,
those who are starving in the Yarmouk Camp in Syria, and all those who
know pain by the hands of men or from the wrath of nature. May our Lord,
who walked in suffering, show them the grace of Resurrection.
Lord, help free us from the things that bind us. Help us turn towards you
when we are stuck and when our bindings become tighter because of our
own doing. Restore us this time and every time we find ourselves entangled.