With those who have another year for preparing to serve as delegates to General Conference, that they may have patience in this time of waiting;
With those who live in places where it is unsafe to claim the name of Christ;
With those struggling to live Jesus’ way in places where money, power, greed, and status rule the day;
With those who feel unworthy or unprepared to serve as Christ’s witnesses in the world;
With those who feel called to ordained ministry but are forbidden because of who they are or whom they love.
God of hope and courage, you call each of us to bear witness to your abundant love in a frightened world. All around us are signs the world is struggling and the future is unclear. Strengthen our confidence in your unfailing grace and grant us the courage to move onward even when we cannot see the way, knowing that you will guide our every step. Amen.
Empowering God, you called your disciples to share the good news of your love to the ends of the earth. They were a motley crew, many from the margins of the society of their day. Sometimes I feel on the margins of life, and I wonder if you can use me. Remind me that power comes from you and you alone. Give me a courageous and willing spirit so that I may boldly go wherever and to whomever you send me. Amen.
God, our witness is only as good as the love it conveys. Millions of United Methodists have been waiting to see how the General Conference will manifest your love. Untold numbers of others have been watching to see if what happens looks like Christ. Now their hope is delayed and their wait seems endless. In this interim time, may we live and speak in such a way that all will know we are Christians by our love, Amen.
Holy God, you have taught us to live in the “in-between” and the “not yet” and we thought we knew how to do that. But the changes around us are happening so quickly, and there is so much confusion in our world that we feel like we have hardly learned at all. We want to go back to “normal.” Help us to learn anew what it is to live in a world that is “on hold.” Help us find small ways to witness to your unfailing love in the midst of our uncertainty. Amen.
Holy God, you said to us, “Look, I make all things new.” Grant us, we pray you, the vision to see you at work in our world healing our brokenness and making us new. Grant us the wisdom to hear your voice through the noise that surrounds us. And grant us the courage to bring to fruition the world you are creating. Amen.
With those affected by natural disasters
With those who are in their own dark night of the soul
With those who see no hope or light
With those around the world weary and searching for hope throughout years of war and disease
With those who don’t see God’s promise of resurrection
With those trapped in old beliefs, which don’t allow them the joy of your light and love for all people
God of sunrises, in the midst of what feels like an eternal night of the soul, we praise you for you are the One who causes the sun to rise. When the disciples felt the despair of Holy Saturday, with Jesus inside the darkness of the tomb, you were there. And soon, the light of the new day would arise, and your triumph over death and despair would be brought into the light. Thank you for always being a light in the dark places of the world and the dark places of our lives. Our hope is in God, for you are the light of the world and you call us to be lights for others. May your light and love blaze in us and in all the world. Amen.
God, we find ourselves in a time of great sorrow. Give us the gift of tears that moves us beyond sadness into compassion. Inspire and empower us not only to cry about others but also to weep with them. Teach us to lament, so that we do more than regret our circumstances; we resolve to cooperate with you to change them. Make us instruments of your peace. Amen.
God, your light is the commencement and culmination of creation. From now until forever you are the light of life. You invite us to walk in your light and become lights to the world as we do so. Revive our hearts to sing, “This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine!” Amen.
Transforming God, whose light always penetrates the darkness and whose love always overcomes hate, we ask that you sustain us as we struggle to make your light visible in an angry and frightened world. Nurture us daily as we work for your justice in unjust places and your peace in places where no peace is to be found. Give us courage and strength when we are fearful and weak. Give us hope and forgiveness when we feel hopeless and angry. And guide us every step of the way as we walk toward the light. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Holy God, “when the earth was without shape or form, it was dark over the deep sea,” yet you were there. Even amidst the darkness in the world now, I trust that again, you are there, preparing once more to intervene with your creative power. In some instances, I find it easier to call out the darkness that exists: when your beloved LGBTQ children are dismissed by your church; when I sheepishly neglect to stand up for my marginalized neighbor; when fear of the other seems to win the day. But I cannot always separate the light from the darkness in the world, for like at dawn and dusk, the powers and light and darkness often meet, mixing and mingling in systems, in structures, in my enemies, in myself. Grant me the humility to allow your light to shine through the cracks in my life. Shine through the broken places in our institutional church and in our world, so that all may be healed. In the name of Jesus, the true light of the world. Amen.
With those affected by legislated horror because of their gender identity or sexual orientation;
With those who lament inability to serve a church as a pastor because of whom they love;
With people of color who face micro-and-macro aggressions day in and day out;
With those who lament their decision to cross into this country because of our unjust migrant-detention policies;
With those who face threats and acts of violence because of gender, class, and race;
With the parents and children of those killed because of senseless violence.
Listening God, with each new day comes fresh news of terror. We lament each new way we find to be inhumane to each other. We lament the numbness many of us feel as we are increasingly desensitized to horror. We sorrow as those harmed by the sin of exclusion and hatred but also as those who are complicit in its execution. We lament the structural sin that can sometimes leave us feeling helpless. But Lord, we aren’t helpless. We tear our clothing; we cry aloud, our tears flow, and our hearts break. Hear the deep pain in our hearts. Help us to hear the deep pain in others. But we will ever trust in you, God, our helper and our defender. We will raise our voices, shout out, and not hold back. You call us to justice. Give us courage to pursue it until the day when all the tears will be wiped from our eyes and we look forward in hope. In the name of the One who has heard our cries and delivers us even from ourselves. Amen.
God, we find ourselves in a time of great sorrow. Give us the gift of tears that moves us beyond sadness into compassion. Inspire and empower us not only to cry about others but also to weep with them. Teach us to lament, so that we do more than regret our circumstances; we resolve to cooperate with you to change them. Make us instruments of your peace. Amen.
Gracious and merciful God, you summon us when we are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and then you promise rest. But there are days when we are waiting for healing and redemption, when the Spirit groans alongside us, and we don’t know how to pray. We can’t find the words, and yet we hold on to your promise of rest. We’ve been wounded by the words and actions of others, and our voices fall silent. And yet by your mercy and grace, we find that praise bursts from our throats. Through your sustaining grace, shape us into safe communities who love each one that seeks refuge and rest. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Merciful God, do not turn away from me, for I am in pain. Hateful and deadly words and actions are being hurled against your LGBTQ children, while too many people stand silently by. I hold fast to your promise that you are never far from those who are suffering. Draw near -- and transform me! I mourn the ways I have strayed from love, justice, and peace, and I repent of my sin. I trust that you hear the cries of the oppressed and the downtrodden. And so, I lift up my eyes, and I give you praise. In the name of Jesus, who is no stranger to mourning. Amen.
For all God’s people, that we may have the courage to resist. For the Church, that we may resist the temptation to settle for easy answers to hard questions. For our LGBTQIA+ siblings that they may draw strength from the willingness or all God’s people to stand together to resist the forces of exclusion and know here and now the love of Christ.
Loving God, resisting evil, injustice, and oppression in all of its forms is hard work and I often feel small and fearful. May your love abolish my fear and replace my wavering with unfaltering courage. May your strength annihilate my feebleness. Give me the boldness to step forward with full courage to call the Church to celebrate our wide diversity and to proclaim God’s love for all, resisting all those forces that reject any of God’s beloved children. In the name of Jesus, who promises to be with us in this and all things, Amen.
Almighty God, you know the heart and mind of every person, and (yet) you love them, including me. As I seek to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in all its forms, may I never resist your love, wherever it is to be found and however it shows up. Grant me the strength and clarity to proclaim Your love for all of Your children and to co-work with You for a world where diversity is celebrated and welcomed, not feared and punished. When I am weary and need to rest, may I find my rest in You. In the name of Jesus, the Christ. Amen.
Inviting God, give us grace to hear and respond to your invitation to be co-creators with you in the cause of justice and peace-making, through the practice of nonviolent resistance and the ministry of reconciliation. Amen.
Overcoming God, who brings light out of darkness, hope out of despair, and life out of death, give us the strength to overcome evil with good, to defeat hatred with love, and to eliminate discrimination with inclusion. Give us the strength to endure hardship, misunderstanding, and opposition, so that the fruit of the Spirit may characterize our resistance. Empower us to continue laboring in the vineyard until all are one in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Loving and holy God, when you set a task before us, you do not leave us to labor alone. Thank you for the presence and power of your Holy Spirit who empowers us and enables us to persevere in the face of challenge. Give us steadfast hearts and minds towards the day ahead, surround us with your love and help us to be forces for love in all that we do. Remind us God that you love both the outcast and the one doing the casting out. It is a mystery we cannot fathom, yet as we follow in Christ's footsteps we seek to spread your love, inclusion and justice to all. May it be so. Amen.
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