Prayer for a Way Forward

I was asked by the Western District to write a prayer to be included with others in a group of prayers for last week's effort in the Annual Confernece to pray for The Way Forward.

Creating God, Sustaining God, Forgiving God, hear our prayers. We are grateful for what you have created us to be, and marvel in the thought that we are made in your image. How can it be that the great variety we see is all your image? And yet we know that our variety is a reflection of your nature. We are grateful that you have created us – by our very nature – to live in community.

We ask that your Holy Spirit inhabit our community – your church – so that we can hear your leading. We ask for the wisdom to discern your guidance for us, and we ask that whatever it is that you plan for us becomes more important to us than our own desires and beliefs. We ask, dear God, that you transform each of us and all of us together into what you envision us to be.

We pray for the church you have created for us – through us – in spite of us. We believe you are among us, and we know you are our hope. Inhabit the work of The Way Forward so that the church we are so grateful for is transformed into the church you created.

We ask for forgiveness for the ways we destroy the work that you lead us to do. We ask for forgiveness for the ways we hurt each other, ignore each other, degrade each other, and judge each other. We ask for forgiveness for when we dishonor the image in which we were created.

We pray all of this, loving God, so that we can be the light you have called us to be, and so that we can have a part in changing the world through you. We pray in your son’s name, Amen.