Prayers of the People

PTS Chapel (1/28/14)

O Creating God, You spoke and creation

with the struggles of balancing work, family, school, and

appeared; you spoke and humans were created in your

our relationship with you. We need, God, the

image. You exhaled, and creation came alive; You

reassurance of your presence with us during both the

exhaled and humans became living beings. You formed

difficult and easy times, knowing that you do not

us in your image and gave us our first breath. When

abandon us in times of need or joy. We need to learn

we were but children, You discovered the world with us

to trust in You, to live our unanswered questions and to

and struggled alongside us through our youth; you held

look for the surprising ways we see your promise of life

our hand as we walked through the difficult spots and

unfold around us. Help us, God, to do all things in the

danced with us when we knew joy. Time and time

hope that You can redeem seemingly hopeless

again, you have called us by name and invited us to

situations in our world and in our lives.

explore your creation. You have called us to new

Loving God, you embrace us even in the times we

opportunities and invited us to know ourselves. You

are forced to die to old ways of thinking and doing.

have loved us as your children and challenged us to live

Give us the courage that we may not hide from those

out our full potential.

who suffer. We pray for those places in our world

Journeying God, we are here today as a response

where healing is needed: for those who are ill, for

to your call in our lives. Like the disciples of Jesus and

those who are victims of violence, for the hungry, for

others, we seek to understand the mystery of the

those who face the realities of human frailt, for victims

Gospel, how your expansive love includes all people,

of natural and human disasters. God of Tenderness

even us. At the beginning of a new semester, we

may they know your presence. Give us strength to walk

anticipate the excitement of learning new things, along

with, and if needed, to hold up those among us who are

wounded all forms of prejudice, hatred, and fear. Show

us how we might work in our world, right where we are,
to bring wholeness into the lives of individuals,
communities, and nations.
Invigorating God, propel us along our journeys
that we make seek to walk in the way of Jesus:
refusing to be dead in the midst of life and defying
those who ignore glaring needs and insistent cries for
help. Empower us, Creator God, to be true images of
You to all the world. In this time of worship, may we
be filled to overflowing with love for you, love for all
your children, and yes even love for ourselves. Hear
our prayer, O God, Amen.