Here
is a pastoral prayer inspired by the suggested scripture readings for the fifth
Sunday of Easter, Year A. It was posted on Life
in Liturgy.
Pastoral Prayer
Lord
God, we give you thanks for all your gifts to us—
for
daily food, for health, for each breath we take,
for
freedom to choose,
and
for the gifts of your word, your power and your love.
Our
hearts are truly overwhelmed, O God,
when
we consider how you have entrusted so much to us.
May
we be worthy of that trust—
may
we be a people who are unafraid to live
as
fully and as richly as you want us to live.
Help
us, O God, as followers of Jesus,
to
multiply all that you have given us,
to
risk spreading your word and perhaps see it misunderstood,
to
gamble by loving those whom others think worthy only of hate,
to
take chances by doing good to those who have not done good to us.
Help
us be faith filled and desire
to
increase your glory and your goodness in this world.
Make
us people who share in both word and deed
that
which you have given to us.
We
pray for the church gathered today,
both
here and around the world,
that
it may encourage all of its members
to
discover, develop and use all their gifts,
those
of nature and those of grace.
We
pray for those who are poor in body or in spirit,
for
those oppressed and heavy laden,
for
those sick or in despair, especially___________.
Minister
by your Spirit and by us,
to
all those for whom we have prayed,
and
help us walk faithfully in the path of our Lord Jesus Christ.
~
posted on Life in
Liturgy, from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). https://lifeinliturgy.wordpress.com/
