prayer of commitment

O come, faithful God,

who empowers the weak,

who encourages the fearful,

who enlightens the blind,

who intones the deaf,

who energizes the lame,

who emancipates the speechless,

who enriches the poor,

who invigorates the dead;

O come, faithful God,

Come and enable us, right now,

to worship you and work for your

Kingdom, filled with:

your strength,

your hope,

your vision,

your melody,

your motivation,

your Word,

your inheritance,

your Life!

All this we pray,

through him who came to be our Savior,

who lives to be our Lord,

who will return and fully make all things new:

In Jesus Christ, we pray.

Amen.

– Peter Haynes

Prayer for Catching Your Breath

O God of each sacred breath

Breathe rest into our weary bodies and souls

For children keep growing, seasons keep changing

And we keep waiting for a chance to catch our breaths

Help us hold space for hope with each inhale

When overwhelm holds our hearts

Help us hold space for peace with each exhale

When information floods our minds

We’re gasping for air,

O God Help us catch our breath

And refresh our souls with the power of your

Spirit Fill our lungs with

Your peace

So that we may rest

Fill our lungs with

Your peace

So that we may keep going

Pour into us so we may pour into others

And clear the air for them to live into a better way

May your Kingdom break into the smog of this world

So we, all of us, may breathe a little easier

Amen.

– Kayla Craig

A Prayer for you world

In a cynical and despairing world,

O God, give us a quietly prophetic voice to proclaim your hope.

In a violent and angry world,

O God, give us a quietly prophetic voice to proclaim your peace.

In a dismissive and disinterested world,

O God, give us a quietly prophetic voice to proclaim your compassion.

In a lonely and inhospitable world,

O God, give us a quietly prophetic voice to proclaim your love.

In a grieving and weeping world,

O God, give us a quietly prophetic voice to proclaim your joy.

May we be so captivated by your hope,

O God, that we cannot help but to whisper, to sing, and to enact, the message of your reign which is always coming into our world;

And may our quietly prophetic lives, be channels of your restoring grace wherever we may go. Amen.

– John Van de Laar

Help Me Listen

O Holy One,

We hear and say so many words,

yet yours is the word we need.

Speak now and help us listen;

and, if what we hear is silence,

let it quiet us,

let it disturb us,

let it touch our need,

let it break our pride,

let it shrink our certainties,

let it enlarge our wonder.

– “Help Me Listen,” Ted Loder