Prayers of the Church, 8.2.09

Praise be to the God of goodness and mercy, the one true God who loves us and cares for us despite our failings, despite our weakness. Praise be to the God of grace who showers us with forgiveness and never forsakes us no matter the circumstance.

We thank you so much for your great love, Lord, because we so often fail you, the God we call Father. We live with the illusion that we have control of the world around us. You have given us the responsibility to care for your world, but in our failed reasoning, we have determined this planet belongs to us and that we can do as we will with it. We see ourselves as great, as creators. Our civilizations have evolved at an ever increasing pace and we think we are at the helm. We do not see fit to acknowledge you; instead, we pat ourselves on the back and crow about how wonderful we are.

How wonderful…the words are so hollow, so empty. Without you we can be the vilest creatures. We have murdered, raped, pillaged, lied, cheated, coveted. Our ability to perpetuate evil knows no bounds. Many times we have committed these sins in your name which is nothing less than pure abomination.

In our meager attempts to “control” our world, we often point our fingers at those who we see falter, failing to realize we are mired in the same transgressions. There is no friend or enemy when it comes to sin. Give us merciful and empathetic spirits. Give us the strength, God, to recognize our sins and work steadfastly to live lives in the image of Jesus Christ, never flagging in our efforts to be the Christians you intend us to be.

We humans have made such a mess of your world. When we do experience moments of clarity regarding our mistakes, we often make matter worse by our ineffectual efforts to untangle the many messes we have made. One solution begets another mess and the cycle continues. Praise be to the God who is ultimately in charge of this world and can protect it from the likes of us.

Regardless of our weakness, regardless of our failings, we live in hope because of the risen savior. We live by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us. Because of this great love, we have hope. Praise be to the God of hope.

In the silence, we repent of our sins to you. We ask your help in leaving them behind and moving forward in faith and service.


We ask your blessings, merciful God, on the Veals: Warren, Julie, and their family as they serve with Missionary Aviation Fellowship in Mozambique. Thank you for their strong faith and devotion to you and your kingdom as they serve the indigenous people and tribes by providing transportation and assistance to other missionaries as well as supporting medical efforts, community development, training development, and disaster relief. Be with the MAF missionary pilots and their families. Keep them safe and help them feel our love and backing as they do your will in a very remote part of the world.

And now we pray together as Jesus Christ taught us to pray: