Sunday, May 3, 2009
Offered by Alice M. Trowbridge, Associate Pastor

God of the universe, whom we have not seen with our eyes, but whom we have come to know in the experience of love and forgiveness, we praise you and magnify your holy name. We gather in the house of the Lord on this bright and hopeful morning to remember who we are and, even more, who we can become in Christ.

For you sent Jesus of Nazareth to know us, to love us, and to redeem us. He walked this earth as we do, yet he never strayed from the course you designed. As a shepherd, he watches over us. Even in our meandering and confusion, he leads us from behind and gently encourages us to return to the path of his guidance. Forgive us for the ways we fall short in our faith; in our wilderness of broken covenants and confused goals, remind us of our constant need for guidance from you.

We pray for leaders of nations, for the shaping of their principles toward peace. We pray for regions in ongoing conflict, for Iraq and Afghanistan, for Israel and Palestine, and for troops who stand in harm’s way; for all who have lost loved ones and who grieve. We pray for the people of border towns and cities in Mexico, for the bush villages in Sudan and Somalia. For all regions of instability, we pray for peace. We pray for members of our congregation who are on a mission trip to Cuba, giving thanks for our mission partnership there and asking your continual blessings of grace and peace.

We pray for those who are facing illness, for all who await test results and who are undergoing treatment. Remind us all that even in the valley of the shadow, you are there, to comfort, to hold, and to guide.

We pray for those who are without a home, for those who are hungry or thirsty, for those who struggle for a fair chance. May the disparity in our world and the urgency of need call us toward swift and just action in your name.

We thank you for curiosity that leads to learning, for the willingness to move beyond what is already known. May that spirit of inquiry prod us out of our complacency and make us bold to ask big questions and impatient to know more of your truth. In the midst of trials we face, those that test our allegiance, confront us with the courage of Jesus, who endured on our behalf. Guide us to your Word in search of wisdom and give us the discipline to pursue the quest.

Go before us on the path of life to guide us, we pray, and behind us to encourage us; live within us as the God who fashions our being, as Christ who keeps us from falling and shows us what humanity was intended to be. Send your Holy Spirit to form in us that new creation, so that we may know, no matter what our station or our situation, that in any broken place we would discover a prelude to new growth and that we do indeed dwell in the house of the Lord forever. For we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together saying, Our Father . . .

Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church