God of Abraham and Sarah,
We give you thanks this day for all that you created good.
You formed us out of dust,
Shaped us in your image,
Called us by your spirit,
Redeemed us by your grace.
You surprise us with your presence.
We laugh with wonder and amazement.
God of Hagar and Ishmael,
We bring to you the hurting of our world.
As you were present with your servants in the desert,
We pray that you will be present with us,
With the ones we love,
And with all who are in pain this day.
There was too much bad news this week, O Lord,
And we know that your tears were the first to fall.
For our world divided by false loyalties and harsh ideologies,
We pray for your uniting spirit.
For our siblings in Christ harmed by gun violence, assault, and war,
We pray for your spirit of peace,
For our neighbors who live in fear, grief, or pain,
We pray for your spirit of encouragement.
Empower us, O God, to be your hands and feet.
Move us to answer the cry of our neighbor.
Convict us to take responsibility
For our role in the violence of this world,
And lead us in shaping our lives to reflect your kingdom:
Where faith matters more than status,
Compassion more than comfort,
Peace more than calm.
God of Paul and of Chloe,
We give you thanks for the gift of your church,
And we ask that you make us faithful stewards of it.
We join our voices with the church far and wide,
Praying, Our father…
And also with you. 