Holy One, creator of our inmost being, You who knit us together in our mother’s womb, we praise you.

We praise you for the holy ground of this day, a day set aside for your purpose. We thank you that we are here together in your name, and grateful as we are for this miracle, we are bold enough to ask for yet more of your presence.

We ask, oh God, that you knit us together in this place, so that we know, truly know, that our thriving must be mutual.
We hear in your scripture that when we reconcile to each other,
and to you, you rejoice! with us.

Help us to cross divisions of politics, religion, race, gender or creed. Guide our elected leaders toward wisdom and selflessness. Remind us of the radical ways you love us, so we may turn a fraction of that gift towards each other. Remind us, in our hurting, or in our fear, remind us that we belong to each other. 

Creator God, Help us not to squander the gifts of your Creation, whether they are gifts of new life, gifts of prayers answered, or the gift of hearing a hard truth. Let us not turn away from hearing, and instead let us listen for who you call us to be.

Holy God, you know how many of our hearts are weary.
You hear our cries, how long, oh Lord, as we see the planet burn
from wildfire, from war.
Come quench the fires that we cannot put out alone.
Fires man-made and in our hearts.
Fires of greed, or of loneliness,
Fires of climate and political crisis, of famine or drought.

Where there is fire, let there come water, living water, now.
Let us pour out living water for each other, onto ground wherever it has scorched.
Let us be a font of peace. Let us be a font of healing.

Unite us, not with a feeble allegiance that ignores how we have hurt each other.
Unite us in your way, in the way of honest looking, in the way of accountability to each other. You who see us beyond our worst day, beyond our ancestors’ pain or greed, be with us now to be good ancestors for those who are yet to come.

Let us welcome, with open arms and forgiving hearts, what work there is for us to do together.

We lay it at your feet.
We lay it in your hands.
We place our hopes, our hurting, there.

Tenderly we ask you, praying in the words that your Son Jesus taught us, saying together: