ALL SAINTS SUNDAY 2020
God of all nations, we come before You today on the brink of an election. We are weary of negative ads. We are skeptical of promises easily made. We yearn for leadership that will place the needs of the wider community above their own self-interests. We place before You the deep rift in our nation from a myriad of dreams and strong opinions about how to achieve them. Sometimes it feels as if we are hopelessly lost. So we beseech You to help us find our way. We pray for Your blessing upon our elected leaders that they may know You and seek to serve You.
Help us to anchor ourselves in Your love for we know that alone brings healing to us and those around us. We recommit to live on this earth as Your Son, Jesus, did, reaching out to the poor and oppressed. Help us to recognize and relinquish the false gods to which we cling. Give us generous hearts so that we can ease the financial burden of those who are deprived of the most basic needs. Inspire us to assist those whose lives were devastated by earthquakes in Greece and Turkey this past week. We pray for our friends in the south who are cleaning up after yet another hurricane. Open our eyes to see the faces of children who are counting on us to speak up for them and to make sure that they have every opportunity to grow into adulthood with strength of body, mind, and spirit. We pray for the refugees in our country who fear for their safety. Fill us with Your Spirit so that we advocate for just systems that make room for the least of these. Help us to work alongside of our neighbor in spite of differing politics to bring healing and hope to those too weak to cry out on their own behalf.
We pray for patience and safety as the COVID virus continues to ravage our communities and world. Help us to continue to respond to the challenges it presents in our homes, schools, and church family. We pray for those fighting the virus now. We pray for those who have lost loved ones. We pray that we will work together as nations to find a cure so that we can get back to Your work of healing our world.
Today we remember the impact of particular saints who loved us and helped us to know You. We are keenly aware that we are who we are because of who they were. May we freely give of our many gifts to those around us, as they did in their generation, leaving an imprint of Your goodness in our wake. We ask this in the powerful name of Jesus. Amen.
Preaching Life 