​Be present with the children, Lord,
as they imagine a world
where love and kindness reign,
where there is no fear because there is no violence,
where people work cooperatively
for the good of all humankind.

Be present with the young adults, we pray,
whose fire and passion inspire us and give us hope.
Grant them courage to speak boldly
as they confront the evils of this world,
speaking truth to power in ways that generations before them
have lost their will to do.

Be present with the prophets, O God,
who answer your call
even when the message challenges
and disquiets
the comfortable,
the full,
the pious,
and the powerful.

Be present, we pray, with the poor
and the lonely
and the grieving
and the hungry …
with the marginalized in every time and place
that their voices may echo through the distance
and be heard.
O God of all, let these voices be
HEARD.
Put your words in the mouths of,
and rescue from danger, we pray,
all those whom you have called and commissioned
to serve in your name,
that the world may hear and repent
and turn from its hurtful ways
and begin to heal.

All who say, “Not me, Lord. Surely, you don’t mean me,”
gather in,
for you were known before you were created,
you were appointed before you were born.
All who say, “I am too young, too old, too shy, too scared,”
gather in,
for God has promised to be with you, to rescue you.
Do not be afraid.
All who say, “I do not know what to say,”
gather in,
For God will put God’s word in your mouths and teach you
​the language of Love.

Call to Confession
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. (Matthew 23:23) Let us confess our sin before God, and seek God's mercy.
Prayer of Confession
Are you looking for justice from your people, God?
You won’t find it here. 
Here, your people murder one another in the streets
and in department stores
and in schools
and in nightclubs.
Here, injustice runs bloodred.
Cries of the victims
and their families 
echo throughout the city.
No, there is no justice here, O God,
in spite of the myriad of ways
you have taught us to love,
our love comes with conditions …
rules about skin color
and gender identification
and sexual orientation,
rules about political viewpoint
and cultural backgrounds
and theological beliefs.
Forgive us, O God,
and cover us with your grace,
inspiring in us a desire for justice that heals and uplifts 
in your name.
Assurance of God's Grace
For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation. Psalm 149:4 In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven, thanks be to God! Let us live as people of grace.
Since God has forgiven us in Christ, let us also forgive one another. The peace of Christ be with you.
Please extend the peace of Christ to all whom you encounter this day~

Come, you inhabitants of the kingdom.
Our God sings a ballad of love for us.
Come, you beloved of God.
Our God stands in our midst as nurturer, protector, and keeper.

​From sweat factories
and hot corporate fields,
from the victims of sex trafficking rings
and drug cartels,
from dictatorships
and censored media,
from racist
and gender-empowered societies,
businesses,
and homes,
your people cry to you, Eternal One,
and you listen.
Embolden your church, Lord,
to answer cries for justice
for the voiceless, the powerless, and the fearful.

From the darkest valleys of despair
and grief,
from loneliness
and poverty,
from disease
and pain,
from addiction
and mental illness,
from victims of abuse
held as prisoners in their homes
as well as those struggling
to make a living wage,
your people cry to you, Eternal One,
and you listen.
Dispatch your church, Lord,
with compassion and kindness,
to the voiceless, the powerless, and the fearful.

From the bloodied interiors of department stores
and nightclubs,
of elementary schools
and high schools
and institutions of higher learning,
of office buildings
and warehouses,
of movie theaters
and shopping malls
and places of worship,
your people cry to you, Eternal One,
and you listen.
Inspire your church, Eternal One,
with wisdom and discernment,
to use their voices in places of power
that violence is stopped in its tracks
and peacemaking methods taught in every classroom,
that the language of leaders becomes thoughtful and inclusive
and that loving our neighbor becomes the law
by which we live.