Sunday, June 14, 2009
Offered by Adam H. Fronczek, Associate Pastor

The psalmist says, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord.” And we know, O God, that at the work of your hands we must sing for joy

And yet, O Lord, we see in the world works that are not good, that cannot be from you, or if they are, we do not understand. And so as faithful people who have come before us have done, we cry out to you, O God, in hope that you would cause change for the better and calm those who suffer; calm their bodies, their hearts, their souls, and lift us up, O God, to something better, that we might lift up one another.

We pray for places where violence and corruption reign, and we pray for places where the struggle for power gets in the way of peace. We pray for Gaza and Guatemala, for North Korea and Iran, and lest we be too proud to ask for help, we pray for our own country. In our prayers for all kinds of places that are far away from us, help us not to forget the treasure stored in every human life in those places. Let us remember their faces and names, their families and relationships, for you do not forget them.

We pray for these same injustices closer to our own lives. We pray for the violence and corruption of our own government, our businesses, even our homes; we pray for all the places where we selfishly struggle for our share of the power. When madness and strife of past weeks and years and generations will not end, Lord, help us overcome our arguments and feuds with humility and forgiveness. Where substances and possessions have gained control over us, we pray that understanding and brave choices and real-life transformations would may take place. We pray for hope even in the midst of hopelessness, for when it seems like the evil is endless, like the hill is too high or the good choice requires too much sacrifice, you remind us of all that is possible from the mustard seed of faith you plant in every human life.

Old fights need not lead the front page when there are opportunities for forgiveness.

Children need not die of gun violence when there are double plays to be turned this summer.

Sickness and even death need not leave us mourning for too many days, for in three days you raised Jesus Christ, and we gather together today because we know and believe that death will never have the last word.

May we be the ones to carry this word of hope into the world as a sign to our neighbors that God is love.

You plant a seed in us and nurture it so that it will grow; it is good to give thanks to the Lord.

Our Father . . .

Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church