Prayers for the Week of April 24, 2022

Please feel free to join us in the prayers we prayed in worship Sunday, April 24, 2022:

Holy, Risen Christ,

When the disciples gathered behind closed doors,

you appeared in the midst of them,

and breathed your Spirit into them,

and said, “Peace be with you.”

We welcome your presence with us

here and now,

and we give you thanks and praise.

You are present with us,

and with the whole world,

alive in and loving

every bit of your creation.

And so we bring you

our questions, and our longings, and our doubts,

the concerns, and the ache, and the bewilderment of our hearts,

and our loves.

We pray for those who are ailing in body or spirit,

from every type of illness, including COVID 19,

we pray for your healing comforting presence,

help us to be a part of your healing work.

We pray for the healing of a planet

we have damaged to the point of climate catastrophe.

Stop our continuing destruction of the earth,

and teach us healing, life-restoring, life-sustaining ways.

We pray for all who suffer from oppressive systems,

including systemic American racism,

and every system that misallocates access

to shelter and food and economic resources of every kind.

Help us see with Resurrection vision

the ways that we participate in those systems;

help us to stop;

Teach us better ways, give us clear thinking,

to create and embody systems that ensure

shelter for those living on the streets,

enough food for everyone,

a living wage that honors the work of all people,

and access to healthcare that honors the dignity

of every body and every person.

We pray for a world wracked with war,

and particularly for the people of Ukraine.

We shudder at news of mass graves,

and at the continuing cruel and inhumane assault

on innocents as they shelter.

We pray for all who grieve the loss of loved ones.

We pray for all dislocated from their homes,

for all in harm’s way.

We pray for peace.

Risen Christ, help us to see your presence in the midst of us.

Help us live Resurrection lives,

that we might help you mend and heal the world.

Lifting our voices together,

with the voices of those in every time and place

who have called your name,

we pray the prayer that Jesus taught, saying:

Our Father/Mother, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

Photo credit: Melissa Askew, used with permission via Unsplash