Holy One,
of days and nights,
of sinners and saints,
of left and right,
and everything between and beyond,
we are grateful for Your presence
that abides in every corner of our living.
You lurk quietly, keeping watch,
in the loneliest places in our hearts.
You grieve with us in our devastations,
our losses, and our fears.
You journey with us in our celebrations, our defeats,
and even in the monotony of our days.
You delight in us, and love us.
Holy God, before time You named us.
Through time, You redeem us.
You call us, precious in Your sight.
May we live in Your delight,
knowing that as we sink into You,
as we lean into Your lavish love,
we might become more like You,
wanting life and grace for this world
and all peoples and creatures that live upon it.
O, God of many names,
we give ourselves into the hand of Your continuing creativity;
our past,
with its joys and triumphs,
its failures and regrets;
our present,
with its struggles and accomplishments,
its hopes and setbacks,
our future,
with its fears and freedom,
its pain and possibility.
We lay before You our past, present, and future,
trusting the Spirit that breathes life,
trusting the love that will not let us go,
trusting the promise of the Word made flesh.
Your Word opens up new futures,
where we see no way forward.
You know the places in our hearts,
where we are afraid:
— afraid of a future we cannot control;
— afraid of losing health and independence
— afraid that past mistakes will ruin our future.
God of justice, remove the fears
and distractions of our lives
that keep us from hearing and following Your call.
You are our loving God,
and we are Your people.
We are grateful that You have claimed us as Your own.
You have set us in the company of saints, past and present.
These are loved ones
who have made bold, passionate witness
to Your goodness and Your truth.
O Lord, write the stories of Your people deep into our hearts,
so that we may learn to trust You beyond our fears.
Give us hearts and minds and spirits,
ready to trust and follow wherever Your Spirit leads,
confident that You will not lead us
beyond Your loving embrace.
We ask in the name of Jesus,
whose outstretched arms welcome us
and hold us securely in Your grace,
and who taught us to pray by saying these words:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
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