Sunday, June 19, 2011
Offered by John W. Vest, Associate Pastor

Almighty God of all creation,
we join our voices to praise you today,
singing of your wonders,
giving thanks for your grace and care,
and celebrating the joys of life you have blessed us with:
family and friends,
new relationships and deeper relationships,
new life and transformed lives,
reconciliation and restoration.

On this day we are especially grateful for the gifts of fathers,
the gifts of being a father,
and fathers that we miss.
We thank you for the many ways that our fathers have shaped us,
for their example and their love.
Yet we also pray for those who have painful relationships with their fathers,
those who are estranged from their fathers,
and fathers who are estranged from their children.
And, God, we pray for those who are unwilling or unable
to accept the responsibilities of fatherhood.

God of love,
we are indeed a divided people
who stubbornly hold on to things that separate us from each other.
Help us to live together as sister and brothers;
help us to recognize your presence in each other;
help us to trust each other as much as we trust you.

God of peace,
in parts of our world this morning, division has led to war
and people are suffering.
We continue to pray for the people of Libya, where violence is taking lives,
and we pray for the people of other lands that have suffered such violence
or find themselves simmering on the brink of armed conflict.

God of reconciliation,
we pray for an end to our warring ways and for the coming of an age of peace.
Be with those members of our congregation
witnessing to the possibility of reconciliation among the Lakota people.
Be with those of us travelling to Israel and Palestine,
and inspire us with visions of peace and reconciliation
in that land we call holy.

God of hope,
there are many people suffering from fires and floods,
earthquakes and tsunamis,
extreme weather that is beyond our control
and environmental disaster for which we are to blame.
Help us to care for each other and care for this world you have given us.

God of wholeness,
surround those who are suffering from illness and disease;
support them in their struggle for life and healing;
support those who walk with them along those journeys.
Comfort those who grieve,
and prepare those for whom the end is near.
For those without jobs, without homes, or without food,
help us all to be good stewards of the abundance you provide.

Gracious God,
all of our prayers are summed up in the longing for your kingdom,
that wonderful, amazing, and new reality that is emerging all around us.
So we join our voices together, God,
praying for the coming of your kingdom,
using the words that Jesus taught us.

Our Father . . .

Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church