Here’s a prayer of intercession based on Matthew 25: 31-46. It was written by Richard Einerson.
Prayer of Intercession
(based on Matthew 25: 31-46)
O eternal one, we come before you with gratitude this Thanksgiving week. Of all people we have been inordinately blessed with bounty and a standard of living which the world has never seen. We have so much for which to be thankful.
We thank you for plentiful food.
We thank you for homes which are warm in winter and cool in summer.
We thank you for an expansive country with stunning beauty.
We thank you for work and leisure.
We thank you for family and friends.
We thank you for a nation built on law which guarantees us religious freedom.
In spite of our blessings we have many concerns. Parts of our country have been ravaged by hurricanes. We are caught in a war which goes on and on and each day brings casualties and tales of sadness and grief. We ask your blessing and care for all who suffer, who have known grief, whose lives are shattered. O divine healer, bring us a better world and bring to the violent restraint. Temper the world’s hatreds and bring us peace.
In moments when we would shirk back from the challenges of life to be your people and to reach out and care for others bring an appropriate soberness to our spirits. May we ask: ‘When did we see you in the guise of the homeless and fail to help you?’ May we ask: ‘When did we see you sick or in prison and fail to meet your needs?’ May we ask: ‘When did we see you as a victim of war or disaster and fail to come to your aid?’ May we ask: ‘What, O God, do you require of us who have been so blessed?” O God, help us to respond to the Jesus in our neighbor and to serve you. Amen.
We thank you for plentiful food.
We thank you for homes which are warm in winter and cool in summer.
We thank you for an expansive country with stunning beauty.
We thank you for work and leisure.
We thank you for family and friends.
We thank you for a nation built on law which guarantees us religious freedom.
In spite of our blessings we have many concerns. Parts of our country have been ravaged by hurricanes. We are caught in a war which goes on and on and each day brings casualties and tales of sadness and grief. We ask your blessing and care for all who suffer, who have known grief, whose lives are shattered. O divine healer, bring us a better world and bring to the violent restraint. Temper the world’s hatreds and bring us peace.
In moments when we would shirk back from the challenges of life to be your people and to reach out and care for others bring an appropriate soberness to our spirits. May we ask: ‘When did we see you in the guise of the homeless and fail to help you?’ May we ask: ‘When did we see you sick or in prison and fail to meet your needs?’ May we ask: ‘When did we see you as a victim of war or disaster and fail to come to your aid?’ May we ask: ‘What, O God, do you require of us who have been so blessed?” O God, help us to respond to the Jesus in our neighbor and to serve you. Amen.
— Richard J Einerson, posted on Richard J. Einerson: Prayers of the People. For more of his prayers, see his book, Prayers of the People.
