Prayers of the People, E5C

Be present, Lord,
with hosts and hostesses
who express their love with tables
groaning under the weight of 
carefully prepared
feasts.

Be present, Lord,
with gathered friends
who express their affection through banter
and earnest conversation,
and the exchange of
ideas.

Be present, Lord,
with those whose devotion
is poured out lavishly from bottles
of expensive perfume
or selfless labor
or unrestrained
tears.

And be present, Lord,
with those whose greed
has overtaken their capacity to care
for humankind with compassion
and love.

May each and every one
be transformed by the wonder
of your grace
witnessed in the moments
that could not be orchestrated
by human hospitality
even if we
​tried.