We have heard the words this morning of your steadfast love so now let us prepare our minds and our hearts for prayer and contemplation so that we may profess our love for you. When you hear the words, "We commit our lives to your light", please respond with "Hear our prayers".
You O God are the constant in our lives. We see you in all that you have created — the majesty and the vastness of the mountains, plains, and the oceans and that which is so small we have to pay extra attention to notice; the wren, the hummingbird, the ant and the bee. And then there is all that which we cannot see such as the life that lies beneath the oceans and the life that continues into the expanse of the heavens. You are our birthing, our dying and our rebirthing. How do we even begin to understand the complexity of who you are and what you have created? And yet you are in our beings, in our hearts and in our souls. We need only to remain quiet and listen to the stillness of our beating hearts to know your presence... We commit our lives to your light... "Hear our prayers".
Gracious creator; Much is happening in the world, as it should, as life is all about change. However, much of what we see happening may make us feel helpless — we may think that our prayers are not being heard as little positive change seems to take place. Oil continues to spill into the gulf of Mexico, the rains continue to fall in the prairies, distrust among nations continues to fuel wars, and poverty continues to ravage most of the worlds population. However, in our relationship with you, you have told us that discipleship will not be an easy road to travel. You have asked us to remain faithful and to not look back at what has happened — only to look ahead to what is yet to be. Keep us strong to realize your commonwealth of justice and love and to know that whatever small task we take on in your name is all that you ask of us. Be with those whose task it is to keep peace in far away places and be with the leaders at the G8 summit to open their hearts to a different and new way that will bring about healing for the earth and its people. We commit our lives to your light... "Hear our prayers".
Beloved of all life; Bring your compassion to our lives so that we may see the pain of others and be motivated to help change that pain and suffering. Be with our brothers and sisters at the Nyanyadzi Methodist Church in Zimbabwe. In our own community of faith be with all those named in our Prayer List, our Re-imagining Team, and our Making Connections partners of Rapid City and Area Pastoral Charge as well as Riverport Pastoral Charge. Bring healing in whatever form is necessary to these individuals and congregations as well as to the loved ones we name aloud or in our hearts at this time... We also keep in our prayers the peoples of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay named in the World Council of Churches prayer cycle. And in our own Kootenay Presbytery Prayer Roster cycle we acknowledge the work and creativity of the Board and volunteers, staff, counselors and campers of Rock Lake Camp. We commit our lives and the lives of those mentioned to your light... "Hear our prayers".
Spirit of courage and daring; you call us to a discipleship that is transformative. Give us the courage to find and accept this radical and transforming love. If we look closely at ourselves we will discover that we can look up and see your radiant and shining light, knowing that you are there in whatever may happen. As Meister Eckhart suggests, "Spirituality is not to be learned by flight from the world, by running away from things, or by turning solitary and going apart from the world. Rather, we must learn an inner solitude wherever or with whomsoever we may be. We must learn to penetrate things and find God there." We commit our lives to your light... "Hear our prayers".
And the people say.. "AMEN".