Gracious and loving God
From whom all things come and to whom all things return
We gather on the edge of another week and,
for some of us, on the edge of our strength
We come buoyed by events of our week or weighed down by them,
or we arrive in some paradoxical mix thereof
We are here in our Sunday assembly of hope and restoration
At times we come weary and worn down,
and for some, that is how we arrive today
At other times we come with questions, with a longing, or with something to offer.
But for those who come today shattered, broken, lonely and lost,
let us offer our prayer of resilience
Again, this week we test the tender places in our hearts and in our lives
to see what healing may occur
Gratitude is often a source of healing
We give thanks for the landscapes of grace in our lives,
for music and for good companions,
for the guidance of great principles,
and the examples of integrity around us
We give thanks for all that lifts us up and for lessons that lead us on
For the times when we are brought low by anxiety or adversity
Show us the hidden wells of love we can tap into
Help us rise up once more, just once more,
and once more again will surely be enough
Remind us we do not strive in vain
that we are part of a chorus, that resilience is in our bones,
that peace will prevail on earth,
and that healing and grace come like soft rain
Be thou an ever-present strength upon on journeys
And teach us that in falling down, we do rise again
This we ask in the name of all that is holy
May it be so