Prayers of the People, P+21B

Teacher of teachers,
hear our prayers 
for those who teach your Word faithfully,
with wise discernment 
and careful attention
to details.
Continue to grant them 
the wisdom of Solomon
and the patience of Job,
the courage of Esther
and the creativity of Lydia,
the fire of the Spirit
and the eternal hope that comes
from abiding in the Vine.

Master,
may all who seek to follow you
be strengthened for the journey
that the cup we drink
and the baptism we endure
for your sake
will refine us for the day
when we stand before you 
and answer for our actions.

Lord of all,
teach us humility
and compassion
and show us how to love
as you love.
Send us out to serve
as you alone have taught us to do,
welcoming the stranger,
feeding the hungry,
loving the unloved,
visiting the lonely,
and encouraging the hopeless,
so that we may bear your likeness
and be recognized as 
​siblings of Christ.