Prayers of the People, OT 33A

Liberator, Deliverer, Wisdom,

We come before you this day, lifting those who need your healing touch, your comforting presence, your reassuring word. Hear our prayers, we pray, and make us agents of healing in your name.

​Your people are oppressed, God! People with power are abusing their power through discriminatory practices, boundary-crossing behaviors, prejudicial violence, and fear-mongering. Those who have been silenced for too long are crying out in hashtags and kneeling postures, and yet the victims continue to be victimized by those who refuse to acknowledge their perpetuation of such injustices. Hear our cries, Liberator, and come to the rescue of your people! Embolden the voiceless to speak truth. Empower your leaders to dispense justice. Marshall your Church to serve with love and compassion all who are hurting and afraid.

Your people are oppressing, God! People who call upon YOUR name are using that name to claim superiority. People with power are abusing their power through discriminatory practices, boundary-crossing behaviors, prejudicial violence, and fear-mongering. Your people are silencing the powerless and demanding that everyone subscribes to strict piousness they themselves to do not follow. Enter the hearts of your people, Deliverer! Speak to us of the grace we have received and teach us how to love one another the way we have been loved. Prophecy to your Church, O God, and open our eyes to see the effects of our own alienating exclusiveness.

Your people are lost, God! Lost in the wildernesses of illness and injury, of fear and frustration, of hopelessness and despair, we long for your presence and cannot find it. Move among us, Spirit of Wisdom, and inspire in us a new understanding, a new insight, a new way of living, that our lives might glorify you.