Pastoral Prayer, We Gather Together

image from primitivehomedecors.com

God of Our Hearts, 

the Breathing of the World, 

Be with us. 

We gather in this community, 

carrying our hurts from last week, 

and may we find a space to lay down our burdens, 

if only for a moment. 

We gather together, 

seeking a moment of reprieve

from the busyness of everyday life. 

May we find space this morning to breathe deeply, 

and be nurtured by the quiet, 

if only for a moment. 

We gather as people of faith, 

longing for a chance 

at deep connection with another human being. 

Let us be brave enough 

to look into someone else’s eyes

and hear their story, 

and let us be courageous enough to tell our own, 

if only for a moment. 

We gather together, 

bearing witness to the joys and sorrows 

of each other’s lives.

We gather together, 

building strength for the week to come, 

girding us to meet a world so 

desperately in need of peace and healing.

Let our moments of compassion 

build on each other, 

bending the arc of the universe

ever more closely to justice.