CURRENT EVENT PRAYERS
JANUARY:
A Prayer for the New Year
LEADER: At the start of this new year, we pray for new rhythms and practices that are being formed. We ask that our goals and ambitions would be aligned with you and that we would seek to partner with you in the work you are already doing in our lives, in our city, and in our world.
EVERYONE: Lord, hear our prayers.
FEBRUARY:
A Prayer for Black History Month
Leader: We thank you, God, for Black History Month. We celebrate our Black sisters and brothers and grieve the egregious atrocities committed against them. Open our eyes daily to see the realities of racism and free us to challenge and uproot it from ourselves, our society, and our world. Fill us with courage that we might seek to understand, heal wounds, build bridges, and establish peace, justice, and equality for all in our communities. Thank you for the incredible gift our Black sisters and brothers are to the Church. We are grateful for the invaluable contributions they have made to our society throughout history.
EVERYONE: Blessed are those who seek righteousness and justice.
MARCH:
Women’s History Month
Leader: We thank you, Lord, for Women’s History Month. We are grateful for the women who make up our congregation and our histories: sisters, friends, aunts, mothers, and neighbors. We pray that the women in our church and community would find power in the face of inequality, strength in the face of adversity, and hope in moments of darkness.
Everyone: Bless them, keep them, and grant them peace.
APRIL:
A Prayer for Autism Acceptance and Neurodiversity
Leader: As we celebrate Autism Acceptance Month, we thank you Lord for the beauty of neurodiversity; the ways the neurodiverse are uniquely and wonderfully created allowing for imaginative creativity and powerful innovation. Bless the bridge builders that work with passion and empathy to close the space between neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals and communities. May we see past labels, humanize those that are different, and recognize that we as a church and community are stronger with diversity of thought and perception.
EVERYONE: Give us humility, curiosity, and patience.
MAY:
Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Leader: We celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and all those in our church and communities who claim this heritage. We recognize the richness and diversity of AAPI cultures and the ways AAPI innovators, artists, scholars and workers have contributed to our country.
We lament the wrongs our country has committed against the AAPI community, from the destruction of Chinatown in Denver by a white lynching mob in the late 19th century, to the Japanese internment during WWII, we acknowledge and grieve the atrocities committed against this vital part of our community.
We pray for the flourishing of our Asian American and Pacific Islander sisters and brothers.
Everyone: Bless them, keep them, and grant them peace.