Prayer from the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, October 10, 2021

 Apologies for the lateness of this-sometimes Word doesn't want to cooperate. 

Holy God, you value justice and compassion over empty acts of worship and piety because those are part of your core that is Love. For this we are grateful. As we worship, fill us with your Spirit that inspires us to actions that reflect your compassion and justice – actions seeking reconciliation and amends, instead of punishment or banishment. Form us together through our worship the morning to become an invitation to your liberating ways. 

It was not just in ancient times that prophets were needed. We still need those who will not only speak but act as your prophets, calling for those considered last to be treated in the same manner as those who consider themselves first. Calling for justice that is not afraid to look at where we fall short, not to chastise our failures but so that we may change. Challenging us to humbly, honestly, and fearlessly to love for the ways we perpetuate injustice, discrimination, even oppression in our systemic issues, our institutions, our communities, even ourselves. Open our ears to the prophets aong us new, entreating us to hear the cries of those experiencing poverty, discrimination, fear, and those who are feared merely because of they are who they were born to be. Move our hearts to respond as you would and do.

For we don’t even need to look to people to see where acts of injustice and imbalance have taken a toll over the years. Stir us to act in new ways to stem if not reverse the centuries of misuse and misappropriation of your gift of Creation itself. We need only look at nature around- raging wildfires, floods, more animals extinct while other roam our streets because their habits are gone. Forgive us our self-centeredness and stir us to have compassion upon the environment itself.

Bring us together O God, as we seek to live out your ways in addressing these issues. Remind us that these are not about faceless issues, but people, individuals who are our siblings, our parents, our children, our friends – prod us to visual the face of one who would be helped whenever we seek out solutions and new ways. And when we disagree over how, remind us that the one we disagree with is also your child, as well as a child, parent, sibling, friend themselves.

We lift up all these prayers, as well as the unspoken ones of our hearts and spirits, in the name of Jesus. Amen.