Gracious God,
we come to you this Lenten season acknowledging our brokenness –
We name that which confines us:
prejudice buried,
fears and mistrust that weight us down,
distorted self-protection,
breaking us, breaking you.
We bow our hearts before you,
we come seeking you,
seeking to go deep, seeking growth, seeking to be made whole.
For you, God, put your love within us;
you wrote it on our hearts, that we may be your people.
Listening God, hear our prayers for those who weep,
those who are struggling from lack of
clean water
healthy food,
quality, affordable health.
Hear our prayers for global suffering due to covid pandemic, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized who bear the brunt of inequitable systems.
We pray for world government leaders and pharmaceuticals charged with timely and wise response. We pray for patience as we wait out turn for vaccination.
Compassionate God, we pray for our Asian brothers and sisters and all who have experienced racial violence.
We pray for all who experience violence due to gender.
We confess our biases that insight violence and division.
We come to you seeking to be made whole.
For you, God, put your love within us;
you wrote it on our hearts,
that we may be your people.
Compassionate God,
God of love,
We come to you tired and pandemic weary,
yearning for peace and harmony and refreshment.
Hear our prayers for all who grieve.
Hear our prayers for loved ones in long term care and their families providing support safely distanced.
We pray for those struggling with anxiety, relational pain, loneliness, mental illness, and loved ones who support them.
We pray for our Households of Faith.
Lord Jesus, you taught your disciples that unless a grain of wheat
falls into the earth and dies it remains just a single grain,
but if it dies it bears much fruit;
as we prepare our hearts to remember your death and resurrection,
grant us the strength and wisdom to serve and follow you,
this day and always. Amen.