A Congregational Prayer
Dr. Cathy Kroeger
God who created the universe and sent us our Savior Jesus Christ, we
praise you for the manifold works of your hands. For the moon whose
brightness was dimmed last night by the shadow of our own earth. For the
sun whose reflected light as the hours wore on again caused that moon to
fill the sky its marvelous radiance.
We confess that we too have often obscured the grace of Jesus, our Sun
of righteousness. We, the objects of your love have all too often
darkened the light of that love by our greed and indifference and
cruelty. We come seeking your forgiveness and your empowerment through
the grace of your beloved Son.
We thank you that your purposes do not fail despite all of our failures.
We put before you world in desperate need of your healing powers.
Especially we lift up those in Africa who respond so joyously to the
call Jesus Christ, and we praise you for the mighty stirring of your
Spirit and the marvelous expansion of the church on that continent. And
yet there is so great a struggle with such obstacles. We lay before you
the nations torn with civil strife, oppression and genocide. We remember
in your presence those afflicted with HIV/AIDS, the inadequacy of
medical intervention, the children who are left as orphans, the
desperate poverty, the terrible death rate. We pray your blessings upon
all personas and agencies involved in any aspect of ministry toward
those caught in this crisis.
We commit to you as well those who address starvation and malaria and
infant mortality. Give them hope in the midst of hopelessness, a sense
of your presence where all seems to dark. Cause the light of your love
to shine throughout the length and breadth of Africa, may the compassion
of Christ be manifested in every dimension of life. And commit to you as
well those in our own family of faith. Amen.
