Dear Creator, Christ, and Holy Spirit—we celebrate you with joy on this day set aside to honor your triune presence in our lives.  We have just heard again the wonderful words of our forebears in describing the mystery of your creation. For ages we have told our children that you made us just a bit lower than the angels so that we would tend this earth and its creatures with the loving care that created it in the first place.  Help us all to be more mindful of this sacred duty: to put the earth and all sentient beings before our own self-serving desires.

We are the guardians, the keepers of your sacred covenant.

We pray that the wisdom and grace of our priests, Berto and Hugh, our Acting Bishop Melissa, our Presiding Bishop Michael, and spiritual leaders everywhere will continue to flower in ways to benefit all creation and that we may hear and heed their deepest wisdom, serving the good of all.

We are the guardians, the keepers of your sacred covenant.

We pray that the leaders of governments, local and national, hearken to the profound needs of our time as architects of lasting peace, true justice and liberty, without regard to gender preferences and expressions, and that all races and religions embrace our common human purpose as careful planetary stewards.

We are the guardians, the keepers of your sacred covenant.

We pray for the successful premiere of “Peace for All Time”— may it broadcast its message to every nation, generating newfound hope and fresh approaches to resolving disputes among nations and repairing damages brought about by climate change. Dear Creator, if enough of us cry to you from the wilderness of our ignorance, could there be a global ceasefire and a redistribution of resources?  Could great healings take place in the war-torn hearts of so many?  We, the People of the Book, your loving children, do beseech you with all our hearts.

We are the guardians, the keepers of your sacred covenant.

We also pray for the success of all those actively engaged in preserving the land and the millions of species that live on this earth: this includes the SeaDoc Society, the Land Bank, San Juan Community Trust and myriad world organizations dedicated to stemming the tsunami of destruction and indifference that is sweeping the planet. Let us each find one more thing that we can do to support the safety of this earth.

We are the guardians, the keepers of your sacred covenant.

And here in our United States many still suffer from countless shootings and the ongoing trauma associated with them.  May the loved ones of the victims find comfort and solace. May those in power find fair and effective ways to control the irresponsible purchase and use of weapons meant for war.  May we all find the courage to reach out to troubled ones, to heal and to console.

We are the guardians, the keepers of your sacred covenant.

We pray for all those dedicated to serving others in ways too numerous to count.  We thank them for their steadfast care, their willing service.  We pray for the ill, the lonely, the addicted, the confused—those known only to us (pause to mention silently or aloud) and those on our Parish prayer list:… and those for whom no one prays; may they be comforted by your Holy Spirit.

And for the recently departed in our own community, again we add special prayers, including the family of Jonathan White and Doug Cook.