Sunday, May 25, 2008
Offered by Martha Langford, Pastoral Resident

Almighty God, as we come before you in prayer, we calm ourselves and quiet our souls. In your presence we are like the weaned child in the arms of its mother, for our hope—hope for restoration and wholeness, hope for peace and justice, hope for strength and courage—all our hope lies in you. Hear our prayers.

Lord of all the worlds that are, Savior of all peoples, we pray for the whole creation. Order the unruly powers, deal with injustice, feed and satisfy the longing peoples, so that in freedom your children may enjoy the world that you have made and give thanks to the name of the Lord as they enter the gates of your peace.

Sovereign God, you rule the nations. On this Memorial Day weekend, as we honor those who have answered our nation’s call, we remember the men and women of our military who have given that last full ounce of devotion. Comfort those who grieve for them. Guard those who still risk their lives in places across the face of the globe. Be with those who remain behind; ease their anxieties and calm their hearts. Grant our nation and all nations the strength of will to seek peace, so that one day we may plow up the battlefields and pound weapons of war into farm implements and building tools.

Loving God, you have ever sought after the lost sheep, finally sending your son Jesus Christ to call us out of sin and into a life lived in the shelter of your love. He called the disciples to follow and calls us still. We pray, this day, that the church that bears his name be united as a witness to his redeeming love. Strengthen us with your Holy Spirit. Give us the will to use our hands and feet and voices to act out and proclaim Christ’s vision of your kingdom in our communities and across the world.

God of compassion, the ministry of our Lord was also one of healing and comfort that tended to the sick, the blind, the deaf, and the lame. Through the example of his care, we see more of your love for all peoples. May your Holy Spirit bring a healing touch among all those who are ill and support all those who care for them. May we also bear healing hands and caring arms for those who suffer, and may they be restored to the wholeness that you intend. Comfort those who mourn this day. Fill the emptiness of loss with your boundless peace and the assurance that nothing, in life or in death, can separate us from your love through our Lord Jesus Christ.

God of grace and mercy, as we seek to ground our lives in you, we ask in the words of the hymn, may your house be our abode, that we might find a settled rest, while others come and go, no more a stranger or a guest, but like a child at home. Amen.

Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church