The following prayer was written by me to be given at the Sunday Morning Services at the Lancaster Church of the Brethren, Lancaster, PA where I served as liturgist on Sunday May 16, 2004.The theme for the service was "We are not alone."
- The Old Professor
Creator God, we thank you for not abandoning us to our own humanity. You sent Jesus, who showed us a better way to live. For his birth, we gave him a dirty stable. He gave his love to all he met, yet we gave him a cross. Forgive us, Father, for not giving him the very best room in the house. Come into our hearts, Lord Jesus.
Father, while we were yet strangers, you showed us hospitality. In turn, Jesus taught us how to live in harmony with each other. Yet we live in much disharmony. Give us the courage to love each other. Give us the strength to show hospitality not just to our friends and not just to the stranger, but even to our enemy. Make us beacons of hope in a very dark world.
The cycle of violence seems to be accelerating out of our control. When will we learn that violence only begets more violence? In the past weeks, we have seen the kind of abuse humans wield on each other. Our hearts weigh heavy with the knowledge that any one of us is capable of abusing others when filled with enough rage.
Much of the foreign policy of our country is based on violence, but our own personal relationships are also fraught with possibilities for violence. In many homes, even little children are in danger. We need to search for the ways of peace. The survival of our families, our communities, our nation, and even our world depend on finding the pathway to peace.
We thank you for sending Jesus to show us that way. We thank you for sending your Holy Spirit to give us guidance and comfort. We all need your continued presence in our lives. We pray for those in our own congregation who feel alone today. We also pray for the wider world. All your children are in need of your care. We pray that the sick will find relief, that the grieving will find comfort, and the troubled will find peace.
When Jesus submitted to a death on the cross instead of rising up in revolt, he broke that cycle of violence that always ends in death for so many. When he forgave his torturers, he broke down the wall of hatred between the persecutor and the persecuted. We thank you for coming to us through the life of Jesus. Oh that we could look beyond the veil and see you in all your glory. In the words of the Apostle Paul, “Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.” Lord, we long to know you fully even as you already know us. Come Quickly then Lord Jesus.
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. They kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.