Dark and doubtful God—
We pray for the strength to hope.
We pray for those in places of war, and those whose nations are afflicted with turmoil, (particularly:) and we pray for all those who labor far from home for peace and justice, (particularly:)
We pray for the forgotten and the unloved, particularly the incarcerated, the homeless, and the mentally ill. We know that in some regard we are all captive, homeless, or ailing.
We pray for all who abide in the fear of death, and those sick with fear of life. We remember the lonely, the ill, and the bereaved, (particularly:) We beg to know gratitude in time of trial. We pray for the strength to use these times to enlarge our spirits, like Jacob, who wrestled with God, saying, “I will not let go, lest thou bless me.”
We give thanks for family: for parents, for children, for brothers and sisters, for intimate friends. We pray that our mortal love can imitate the honesty and depth of the all-conquering Love in whose image we are made.
We pray that this affection may be the rock upon which we build your congregations, and that this Universal Church, wheresoever it may be found, be extended only in love, and strengthened only in righteousness. We also pray for all its teachers and pastors, that they may seek all truth without fear, and bring each soul to fullest blossom.
We remember with sadness that we are not at peace, with ourselves or with each other. We live in a world where human ability is ill-used and human dignity is scorned. We pray that we can learn to live together in harmony and fellowship, abiding in the peace that only you can give.
God who calls to us, deliver us from the service of the superficial self, that we may do the work which is given us, in truth and beauty and for the common good.
by Benjamin Wooten Van Dyne
Read the accompanying Palm Sunday sermon
Posted by Sue Mosher at April 4, 2004 09:43 PM