L: Let us come into the presence of the God who created and calls us children.
P: Our Father who art in Heaven.
L: Let us set aside all thoughts and attitudes, behaviors and plans that might reflect badly on the God who loves us.
P: Hallowed be thy name.
L: Lord, sometimes we have been despairing about the future of our society. We have been cynical about efforts to improve the world and content to accept that life is just unfair.
P: Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
L: God, sometimes we allow fear to cause us to live life in response to scarcity rather than to rejoice in the prospect of earth’s abundance. It is difficult to trust that you will provide for us according to our need when we see around us so much greed.
P: Give us this day our daily bread.
L: We find Jesus instruction to forgive seventy times seven an almost impossible commandment to obey in light of other people’s offensive behavior. Yet we earnestly beg you to forgive us for the repeated times that we have offended you.
P: Forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors.
L: God, we want to live our lives as if Christ were living in us and in our neighbors, but the temptation to serve ourselves at the expense of our neighbors, and to tolerate the evils visited on those who are different from us sometimes overwhelms our intentions.
P: Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
L: Lord, we are a people of faith who yearn to be more faithful. We want to believe that you and your purpose will be accomplished in time. Help us to believe, trust, and live more fully the truth that . . .
P: Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever and ever,
Amen
