Prayer

Gracious Spirit,

Save us from a narrow-minded interest only in the questions that have answers. Keep our minds open to asking deeper questions, which make life worth living by inviting us to imagine and dream of new possibilities. As we continue to focus on getting things done and fixing our problems, inspire us as well to take the long view towards what it all means. Show us the value of pursuing a deep understanding of who you are and what you must be like, the world you have made and our places within it, the purpose to which you have called us and our reason for being. Amen.

Prayer

Ever-working God,

Today we celebrate the progress made in advancing a just workplace. More broadly we give thanks for the dignity of work itself. Work of all kinds. Work that gives purpose and direction and satisfaction as we provide for our families and contribute to the good of our communities. For those of us who serve in this ministry, we are especially grateful for work that taps into our deepest passions as humans, as we use our gifts and our skills to be with and for others. And for those who are waiting for work or struggling to find meaningful labor, we pray to be agents of change alongside them, advancing the cause of justice in work. Amen.

Prayer

Source of Prosperity,

The work that we share is rewarding because we know it is not self-serving. It is an extension of your own healing ministry and a sign of your gracious care for the world. We are joyful and glad to be a part of it! As we seek to be faithful in response to your calling, we ask for your kindness to fill us and that you would prosper the work of our hands. Yes, prosper this work that we share with you today and henceforth, that the ministry that you are extending through us might flourish well into the future. Amen.

Prayer

Love in Action,

As we celebrate the Feast of St. Gregory the Great, we thank you for the boldness and clarity with which Gregory reformed and inspired your Church. Thank you for the practical wisdom he shared, inspiring others to unite their spirituality with everyday life. In the ups and downs and as we work beside others, let us share something of Gregory’s pastoral spirit, shepherding each other into lives of love in action, spreading the concrete effects of love with all those around us. Amen.

Prayer

Holy God,

We will stand in many places over the course of this day. Some will be places of business, with tasks to accomplish. Some will be places of need, where compassion and healing are called into service. Some will be places of friendship and peace or perhaps, instead, places of conflict and fear. Wherever we stand today, may we be sensitive to the spirits around us and so filled with awareness that we will know how to make a positive difference. May we change the atmosphere around us so that all feel welcome and enriched by our engagement together. Amen.

Prayer

Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer,

It’s typical for us to assert our rights and claim our independence, more than to affirm our obligations and our call to communion. On this World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, we take time to grieve and reform this unfortunate tendency, which continues to reveal just how self-defeating it can be. The world that you gave us to steward together is in trouble. It can feel sometimes as if the ship is sinking. Yet rather than fall to despair, inspire our hope and quicken our consciences, today and tomorrow and tomorrow again. That we might unite our prayers and our efforts as one human family, to renew the health and well-being of this home we share in common. For the sake of all living things we pray, Amen.

Compassionate God,

Too often we judge ourselves more harshly than we should. Whether its guilt and self-loathing for mistakes in the past, or the lies others have spoken over us that we still seem to hold on to. Whatever it is that prevents us from accepting your compassionate love, we ask for your healing embrace to come closer today than ever before. Remove the obstacles we put in the way of your grace and restore us, from the inside out. May we walk in the freedom of your love so as to love others more selflessly. United as one by your compassionate love, we pray. Amen.