Here’s
a congregational prayer based on the prayer Jesus taught his disciples (Matthew
6: 9-13, Luke 11: 2-4). It comes from the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.
A Collective Prayer
based on the Lord’s Prayer
(Matthew 6: 9-13, Luke 11: 2-4)
Our
Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…
We
approach your holiness with empty stomachs,
opening
our hearts to the people here in Canada
and
around the world who have this feeling every day.
May
your kingdom come…
And
unite us in faith.
Turn
the tables to inspire our imagination for change.
Reveal
your truth to us,
replacing
our ignorance and greed with justice and mercy.
May
your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…
Let
your love enter our hearts, our communities, our nation,
and
give us joy in our work as we share the abundance of your creation.
Give
each of us this day, our daily bread…
Nourish
everyone, everywhere—
in
rural areas, in cities, towns, farms and reserves,
those
who rely on food aid in refugee camps,
in food
banks or soup kitchens.
Forgive
us our trespasses…
We
lament our disconnectedness.
We tune
out the injustice around us and forget the dispossessed,
those
displaced by natural disaster,
the
hungry used as an instrument of war,
the
fertile soil lost to pollution, landmines, flooding or drought,
the
loss of indigenous knowledge and of species.
Just
as we forgive those who trespass against us…
Teach
us mercy.
In a
world where the rules benefit the rich
but
create real suffering for the poor,
teach
us to be forgiving and compassionate
without
losing our sense of urgency for change.
Lead
us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…
Guide
those who set prices, regulate markets,
and who
control land at a time when competition for natural resources
threatens
the ethics of those who plant, process, transport,
prepare
and serve food in the world.
For
yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever…
We
acknowledge you as the ultimate authority
over
leaders and citizens of all nations.
Instruct
those who have earthly powers to submit to your will,
to do
justly, and to love mercy.
Generous
and holy God,
inspire
us with your love,
challenge
us with your truth,
and
empower us with your strength
to
build a world without hunger.
Amen
~ from Fast
for Change Resource Kit 2008, published by the Canadian Foodgrains
Bank http://foodgrainsbank.ca/worship_resources.aspx
