Prayers of the People, OT25B

​For those in committed relationships
who find their covenants difficult to keep,
for those who keep them
and for those who determine they cannot,
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.

For families of every size and shape,
of every color and constitution,
who strive to love one another
in spite of differences and challenges,
in spite of distance and pain,
and for those who find it easy,
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.

For merchants and for farmers,
for business owners and for workers,
as they labor for their living,
sensing the worth of their efforts,
even if they are not valued by others,
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.

For those who have plenty
and those who struggle to make ends meet;
for those who give generously
and those who hoard their resources,
and for those in position to use their authority
to make a difference,
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.

For the homemakers and the parents
whose tasks are endless
and whose passion is as well,
even when their patience wains
and their fatigue is overwhelming,
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.

For those who strive for perfection
knowing perfection is permanently out of reach,
and for those who have come close to giving up;
For those who have known the freedom
of grace-filled love in human relationship,
and for those who are imprisoned by judgement --
their own and that of those around them,
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayers.

Move your Spirit in and through and among us,
we pray,
that all our attempts at living our best lives
will be guided by your wisdom
and your covered in your grace.