January 2012 Prayer

We are grateful for this prayer offered by Sunitha Mortha, Director for Mission Formation and Relationships of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Sunitha is a member of the Program Committee on Education for Mission.

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O God,

we dare to speak you name
at threat of having our mouths stopped,
for your name is holy,
and wherever we are
we ought take off our shoes,
for all ground everywhere is sacred.

Still, we pray in your presence here
that our spirits be joyous,
our words be inspired and true,
our works hereafter be just.

Renew our minds and bodies
to be fresh and vital as morning light,
and grant us peace within
deep as the starry night.

Open our eyes to your glory
in the subtle dazzle of everything,
 in the lives of every living thing,
that everywhere and at all times
we assuredly be mindful of you.

Deliver us from captivity
to comfort and security and propriety
that we may be free to risk for you
at every turn and circumstance.

Make us brave and bold and scrupled enough
to know that to love our enemies
does not mean to be afraid to make them
in a daily trust toward justice
and in the bold venture
of saying what we mean,
and meaning what we say,
in a trustworthy strive toward intimacy.

Awaken us to the task of becoming beautiful
in spirit, mind and heart, and so in face,
that our gifts be worthy of your grace.

Arouse us to pay the price of being merciful
that our lives reflect your mercy to us.

Empower us to dare
to be compassionate
that your dreams of our humanity come true,
to be imaginative
that your kingdom come in and through us,
to be disciplined yet flexible
that we may prepare the way for you
in our hearts and in your world;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

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Concerns/Observances:

● For the family of John Backer who passed away on December 14. May the legacy of John’s 61 year contribution with Church World Service continue to bring hope and new beginnings.  In his tenure, John helped CWS resettle tens of thousand refugees.

● For the ELMC Administrative Board meeting, Jan. 22-23 and the ELMC Commission meeting, Jan. 23-25, Olive Branch, Miss.

● For the Committee on Outdoor Ministries meeting, Jan. 19-23

● For The UN observance of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust with special focus on children and the Holocaust, Jan 27

● For the NCC and its member communions in this time of leadership transition