Inspired by Luke 13:10-17, I wrote this prayer almost 5 years ago, but it came to my mind today. O Compassionate One, You made us to be your images in this world, to use our voices, bodies, talents, and work to display your grace to all of your creation. This is no easy task, God. Like those who confronted Jesus for healing the woman, we struggle to discern your will through our narrow vision and the boundaries we build around your love. Forgive us. Reflecting your love and light to the world is no easy task, God. Many forces work against your people’s efforts to be who you created them to be, keeping them from standing up for what you want for the world. Hear our prayers, O God, for those bent over by illness and disease of the body, mind, or spirit. Hear our prayers, O God, for those bent over by oppressive structures that make laws and use violence to keep people in their proper place. Hear our prayers, O God, for those bent over by economic systems that reward greed, dishonesty, and abuse. Hear our prayers, O God, for those bent over by human prejudice and bias that dehumanizes those called “strangers”, whose bodies, beliefs, relationships, and personhood are deemed “different”, “unacceptable”. Hear our prayers, O God, for those bent over by self-doubt, feelings of unworthiness, who believe themselves to be unlovable. Hear our prayers, O God, for those bent over by insecurities and learned hatreds that cause them to feel justified in excluding others from your grace and love. Hear our prayers, O God, for all of your children, for we who are gathered here tonight, who are bent over by unnamed or unknown forces that keep us from living fully in your light. In your love, come quickly, O God, and touch their lives, touch our lives. By your healing, lift us all up so we might see you face-to-face and stand up into the full stature of being your children. Release us from all that binds so that we might know the fullness of your shalom and praise you with our whole selves as your restored community. In the spirit of one who healed many, amen.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 22:41:46 +0000
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