Prayers for the Week of May 19, 2024

Please feel free to join us in the prayers prayed in worship on Pentecost Sunday, May 19, 2024:

Spirit of the living God,

present with us now,

you hovered over the waters at creation;

you breathe life into all that lives;

you accompany your people

in every moment of every day;

in our deepest need, you pray with us

in groans too deep for words,

and, in Pentecost, you draw us together

and fill us with power

to live lives for you.

In our shared experience

of your presence in the midst of us,

we know that we are made for belonging, and

we give you thanks and praise.

Spirit of the living God,

present with us now,

enliven us to participate

in your good news for the poor,

and for all who are in need.

Help us help you

provide shelter for those who are unhoused

food for all who are hungry,

and to re-order our world

so that everyone has enough.

Enliven us to proclaim release to the captive

and freedom to all who are oppressed.

We pray for an end to all systems of oppression,

and especially for an end to systemic racism.

Open our hearts to hear and follow the voices

of those who have been harmed the most,

to listen for their solutions and their leadership.

Open our awareness to see

the ways that we participate in harm,

to stop,

and to dismantle and rebuild

systems and structures

so that all may live free.

Enliven us to bring your healing touch to the world,

and to bind up the brokenhearted.

We pray healing for all who are ailing,

in body or in Spirit;

healing for the Earth in climate emergency;

healing and comfort, for all who mourn;

healing and peace, for those who are suffering in Gaza,

and particularly for those crowded into Rafah.

We pray for an immediate and permanent cease fire,

for a return of hostages,

and for peace that brings justice.

Spirit of the living God,

present with us now,

in this moment, in our moment,

fill us with your Spirit,

that we might see visions,

and dream dreams,

and live lives that embody

your love for the whole wide world.

In connection with all creation,

we join our voices, with the voices of all who have ever called your name,

praying the prayer that Jesus taught:

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: Engin Akyurt, used with permission via Unsplash