by: Rev. Ralph W. Thomas
On This World Day of Prayer
The morning prayer of the Church... God calls to us through the words of the Prophet Isaiah... "Turn to me all you ends of the earth, for I am God."
At this noon hour, let us pray...
Our Father, in Heaven, we seek Your presence and desire Your blessing. We gather as Your people in prayerful communion with Christ Jesus, Your Son, our brother and Savior.
In these Lenten days, we are struck anew with the Passion of Jesus who suffered and died bearing the burden of "man 's inhumanity to man. " We believe that His pain and death are not His final destiny, nor ours. His glory has become our glory, as we are called to become a "new creation "in and through His death and Resurrection.
May the prayer of Your people, Lord, be worthy, not so much abounding in word and sound, as deep in trust, coming from contrite and humbled hearts. May our prayer emanate from hearts and hands ready to act with compassion, mercy, and justice.
Enable us, Lord, through Your Holy Spirit, to bear Your undying love to one another and to each stranger, near and far. In Jesus' name we pray, who lives and reigns forever and ever.
by: Angela Eickelman
Loving God,
Thank you for the many ways Your love touches our lives. There's still too much coldness and loneliness in the world -and sometimes in our own souls. We get so absorbed with our own concerns that we don't always see or care enough about others' problems. Yet, Your love intimately links us all. Help us believe that and realize what that means. Help us step out of our shyness, insecurities, and selfishness to reach out to others. Give us Your hope and courage, so we don't give up on improving our world. Let us understand how it's in loving one another - especially those in greatest need - that we love You.
Amen.