Sunday, August 27, 2017
Offered by Victoria G. Curtiss, Associate Pastor

Gracious and almighty God, we praise you for transforming hearts, for delivering and liberating your people. We praise you for defeating hate with love, for overcoming evil with goodness, for conquering indifference with compassion, for breaking the chains of oppression and racism with justice. We thank you for making all your people in your image and for guiding humanity to live in reconciled community. We pray that your transforming power gives us courage and continues to heal our city, our nation, our world, and our church.

As people of faith, we ask your forgiveness. For those of us cast by society as superior, we repent, and ask you, and our neighbors, to forgive us for believing we are superior and acting accordingly.

For those of us cast by society as inferior, we repent, and ask you, and our neighbors, to forgive us for believing that we are inferior and acting accordingly.

In all places that have recently experienced the trauma of violence and hate, we pray for your healing and deep peace, especially in Charlottesville, Barcelona, and Syria. For all who grieve the loss of loved ones, we ask that you sustain us and others with your comfort and hope. For all who have been wounded in spirit and body, we pray for recovery and renewal of life.

We pray for all who have suffered damages and loss from the severe storms in Texas. Comfort and strengthen communities as they rebuild their lives together.

We honor you, God, for you are present where women and men of goodwill choose to live in obedience to you over all other authorities, caring for creation and for one another, courageously speaking truth to power, and resisting fear and evil. You are there when people unite for racial justice. You are there when elderly people share their wisdom. You are there when children dance in the rain. You are present wherever, in this broken world, hope is alive. Thank you, God, for being present with us now and for your work in the world. Hear us now as we say together the prayer Jesus taught: Our Father . . .

Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church