Prayers
A Prayer for Humanity
Lover of all humankind,
you call us to be caring and hospitable
toward strangers in our midst.
When brothers and sisters from other countries
flee the difficulties of their land,
help us to welcome and to walk gently with them.
When students and visitors from far away
choose our land as their destination,
help us to respond in kindness to their interests and needs.
We pray especially for the immigrants of this country,
who fear for their safety and their well-being.
We pray for the individuals, communities,
and organizations supporting immigrant families.
May we care for all our neighbors as for ourselves,
that we may know the blessing of giving. Amen.
A Prayer Based on Psalm 146
How crooked is our world, O God, and how heavy with sadness:
the hungry cry out for food; the imprisoned long for freedom;
the blind want to see; the troubled in heart need relief;
the foreigner, the orphaned, and the widow are desperate for help;
those who stand for what is right want to know their cause is not in vain.
Show yourself to be God:
Frustrate the ways of the wicked.
Sustain the righteous
and help those who are in need.
In the name of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
A Prayer for Rest
O God, resting place of pilgrims and sojourners,
so many of us are weary.
Give us rest, O God.
Our days are heavy with obligations,
and our nights disturbed by worries over them.
Give us rest, O God.
We are tired of battling old temptations and besetting sins,
tired by our defeats, and tired from despairing over them.
Give us rest, O God.
We are tired from trying to help people
who resist our help.
Give us—and them—your rest, O God.
Gracious God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who welcomed all who were weary and burdened,
inviting us to cast our cares on him,
for his yoke is easy and his burden is light,
our hearts are restless until they come to rest in you. Amen.
A Prayer for the Weary
We are tired, Lord,
weary of the long night without rest.
We grow complaining and bitter.
We grieve for ourselves
as we grow hardened to the pain of others.
Another death leaves us unmoved.
A widow’s tears fall unnoticed.
A foreigner’s cry goes unheard.
Our children know only the bitterness
already possessing their parents.
Our violent words explode into violent acts,
bringing destruction without thought or reason.
Lord, heavy mercy upon us.
Lead us to repentance, that we may forgive and be forgiven. Amen.
A Prayer for the Moment
by Matthew Grauberger
God of justice and mercy,
the scriptures tell us that you hear us when we cry out to you, that you will not abandon nor forsake us.
We cry out to you on behalf of our neighbors who came to our country looking for a place of refuge, a fighting chance, a place to call home.
How long must they hide, fearing the wrath of a system that acts as if they are less than human, as if they are not your children, because of the color of their skin, their accent, or place of birth?
How long until we see the image of God in all humankind?
How long until justice rolls like a river a righteousness like a mighty stream?
How long until we beat our swords into plowshares?
Forgive us for our indifference and our willingness to uphold the status quo at the expense of our neighbor.
We pray for all immigrants—for refugees, for students, for persons of all legal statuses, for fathers, mothers, and children, for caregivers, and for the brave folks loving neighbors and placing their brothers and sisters before themselves.
We pray for those detained, for the families of those detained, for those scared, deported, or unjustly accosted.
We pray for the families, friends, and colleagues of Keith Porter, Renee Good, and Alex Pretti.
May the depths of despair teach us of the depths of your love for us.
May your self-sacrificial love cause our hearts to open so that we may follow wherever you lead, loving and serving our neighbor without reservation.
May our anger give way to resolve and may it not keep us from washing the feet of our enemies, of those perpetuating injustice, of those whom we may disagree with.
It is the great name of Jesus and in and through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit we pray. Amen.