PRAYER FOR OUR WORLD

Lord establish your justice and righteousness across our world.The economic crisis in Iran, military confrontation with Israel, and even more strikes on Gaza leaving nothing but oppression and dehumanization. May full transformation grow and propagate from the rubble. Bring equity and human flourishing for all.


PRAYER FOR OUR COMMUNITY

Our state is under ICE occupation. Hide our friends of color in the shadow of your wings. Protect the most vulnerable among us, and yet help us to locate those that need food, rent, and practical care. A star in the night that only the helpers can see. The mother at home, the spouse forced to work, the children needing their schools - bless them and keep them close to you. History is yet again proving the past is not in the past. We’re in a baptism that feels like burning, soothed in part by neighbors gathering together in sub-zero temperature to demand better. This is soul work of the highest order. Salt our city. Salt our collective soul.

For the people of Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, who came before us and who have invited us, Awaken Community, to be among them now, we do thank you. Thank you for Redeemer's history, for their ministry, and for their welcome to us. Specifically this day, we thank you our God for providing through Redeemer a way for the Awaken garden ministry to continue. Use the Awaken garden to deepen the work of renewal and restoration in this land. Show us how to live out our values of justice, hospitality, and beauty as we go about the planting and watering, the weeding and harvesting. Multiply the bags of produce and the bouquets of flowers so that our neighbors will be extravagantly blessed by you, through Walking With a Purpose.



PRAYER FOR OUR LIVES

God, we are tired and wrung out. Mostly for our neighbors, as we bear witness, but also because we are people who feel deeply. We’re not just watching horror, but carrying it. The images live in our bodies and sit on our chests. Our central nervous systems are on high alert and sounding the alarm.

It feels futile to grieve without a funeral: instead we have a constant, low-grade mourning we carry into meetings and grocery lines. It feels lonely to know so much, and still not know what to do. It feels shameful to have a good day when the world is on fire.

In this season of collective grief, threatening to swallow us whole, would you help us not look away? Would You help us hunt for Hope with the same intensity we feel the sorrow? And work out that Hope as a muscle, not a mood? Would you help us choose tenderness, especially when it costs us something?

Help us sit with the both/and: that the horror is real, and so is the love showing up to meet it. You. Are. Love.

Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy.



- Read by Joy Donley
- Written by Awaken Prayer Team








“Prayers of the People” music by The Brilliance
© 2015 Brownie Hawkeye Music; Integrity's Praise!
Music; Evan Wickham Music; Remaining portion is unaffiliated
Performed by Halle Groves

Once a month, we invite a member of our community to write and share prayers for the world, our community, and our lives during the service. In between, the body sings a refrain in spiritual agreement of the prayers. The goal is to hear from a diversity of voices in this space (in age, gender, culture, etc), and to spark creativity and encouragement in your own prayer life. Email Katherine if you’re interested in sharing your prayers with the community.