For Leaders

O, Lord, You proclaim Your truth in every age by many voices.

Direct those who speak where many listen and write what many read, that they may do their part in making the heart of Your people wise, its mind sound, and its will righteous.

Amen.

A (Late) Father's Day Prayer

Dear God, heavenly and present Father, on this day that we celebrate fathers, we are grateful for your presence in our lives.

Sometimes your presence is unexplicable…for you are powerful God, you created the heavens and earth, you give life, you were and always will be…and yet you became human for us, you healed and fed and served us, you died on a cross for us, and you rose from the dead, for our sake, because you loved us.

For all those in our congregation who are fathers, those who act as fathers, and those who are trying to become fathers, we give you thanks and ask your blessing and encouragement for them. God for those fathers who have lost their children and for those children who have lost their fathers, we ask for your comfort and strength on their behalf. And God, for those who struggle as fathers and those who fail to be good fathers we ask your guidance, your peace, and your redemption. We know that none of our relationships on this earth are perfect. Even though we fail to always be good and kind and loving to each other, we remember and are so thankful that you love us perfectly, unconditionally, that you forgive us and call us your children.

God, as you love us, help us to love one another. Be with those who are in fear, and grief, and pain…give them strength and hope. And be with all those men and women, fathers and mothers, around the world who are willing to give their lives for justice and peace, while we pray for a world that doesn’t require that sacrifice.

God, thank you for everything we have, for our families and our fathers, for our community here. In your son’s Holy name, we pray.

Amen.

For Worship Always

Holy God,

You call us to worship you, and by your Spirit prompt prayers and praise.
Keep us from saying words or singing hymns with ritual disinterest.
Fill us with gratitude for the mystery of your unfailing love for us.

Amen.

In the midst of suffering

We come to you, God.  We take a moment to raise our voices, our hearts...to you. We say, we know you love us, we know you are there. We hear the words of scripture and your promises to our ancestors and to us that say you will be with us always, that you will protect and defend and rescue us from evil.

And yet God each one of us can cry out individually and together: Why? Why God is there so much suffering, so much hurt, so much sadness and destruction in this world and in our relationships and in our lives?

Our hearts break. We are tired and weary. We do not know why things are the way they are.

So, God, we come to you. We hand over our broken hearts, we rest and take refuge in your arms. We remember the words of your Son, who came before us, who led the way...who suffered and was tortured and died…who was risen, who then defeated death so that we do not have to be afraid anymore. We remember Your Son…who has indeed gone to prepare a place for us.

God we are so grateful for that hope…for the fact that this place of suffering is not the end of the story. And we thank you for all that we have...for your love that sustains us through it all…for the opportunity to ask and challenge and still to know that you are there.

We pray all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, who was and is and always will be even in the midst of suffering and questioning.

Amen.

Mark 9:24

I believe...help my unbelief!