Prayers of the People, P+13B

Great are you, Lord!
And great are the works of your hands!
Your children stand before you
with hearts that are filled with praise for you!
Hear our prayers for your Church, O God.
Help us to study not just scriptures,
but also the life of Christ
and to examine our own lives as disciples
with honesty and transparency.
Open our hearts to those who are hungry
for food
for compassion
for love
for acceptance
for welcome
for hope
for peace
for justice
for joy,
and help us to be bearers of the Good News
in a world that so desperately needs it.
Be present, Lord, with those whom we have 
neglected,
rejected,
hated,
excluded,
oppressed,
bullied,
disregarded,
violated,
robbed,
and destroyed in your name.
Grant that they may be restored to wholeness
in a world where the wisdom that created the world
and all that is in it
reigns over the chaos it has become,
in a world where seeking to understand 
is valued above egos,
in a world where faithfulness to Christ's example
and justice that lifts the marginalized
is a cornerstone
and joyful celebration overcomes anger
and grievances and fear.
May it be so.