Dearest Lord, we read of suffering daily, of those whose lives are destroyed by fire, famine, violence and war. In your mercy, help us heal our broken world. Teach us to reach out in love to one another.

In your great mercy, O God, answer us with your unfailing help.

Dearest Lord. Your church is the face of Christ in the world. Let that face be one of mercy, not judgement. Of love, not hate. Of compassion, not indifference. Of generosity, not secreting fear. Let your people sing lovingkindness to the world.

In your great mercy, O God, answer us with your unfailing help.

Dearest Lord, we see in our nation an increasing gap between the haves and the have nots. How can we forget the poor and call ourselves good? Assist us as we bend in prayer and service to our brothers and sisters who long for food, shelter, safety and belonging.

In your great mercy, O God, answer us with your unfailing help.

Dearest Lord, help us to be ever vigilant in love for the least among us. Lead us in the cause of justice for all peoples. Help us to remember that our love for you becomes real only in the great commandment, in our lovingkindness to one another,

In your great mercy, O God, answer us with your unfailing help.

Dearest Lord, we are in awe of the beauty of the world — its seas, its skies, the earth and all that lives upon it. Help us to remember that when we desecrate the earth, we desecrate your creation and its life-giving abundance.

In your great mercy, O God, answer us with your unfailing help.

Dearest Lord, you promise us that even the hairs of our heads are counted. Help us not to be afraid, but trusting in your love for us. Embrace the recently deceased and their families who grieve. Comfort the living in their hour of need, especially those we now name silently (pause) and those on our parish prayer list:.…

Let your love, revealed through the holy spirit and the lovingkindness of others, be a bright path to health and wholeness.

In your great mercy, O God, answer us with your unfailing help.

Presider: Give ear, O Lord, to our prayers, and attend to the voice of our supplications. Amen.