Gracious God of all creation, our refuge and rock, we come before you as your humble creation. We hold things on our shoulders and hearts that weigh us down; things we have control over, and things that are completely out of our hands. We also come to you in joy and thanksgiving. Thankful for our relationships, for clean drinking water, for safe homes. We are grateful for family and friends who love us and that we love in return. We give you thanks for the joy we experience in your creation, for the laughter shared, for the conversations had, for the cups of coffee and tea that we fellowship over, for the blossoming of new relationships, for our internships and jobs and the places we are able to volunteer and live out our faith and find our places in your world. For these things and so many more, God of mercy,

Hear our prayers.

We pray for your creation: for wildlife that is threatened and for all the times we have failed to care for your earth. Help us to bring life, and to wipe away the destruction of your creation. Help us to keep our world safe and clean and growing for the generations to come. God of mercy,

Hear our prayers.

We pray for your people: for children that find themselves separated from their parents because of greed and disregard, and for those parents longing for their children to be returned to them; for those experiencing hunger while others take more than enough for themselves; for those who wonder where their next paycheck will come from and how they will pay bills, feed themselves and their families; and for those who have more than enough. May we see where there is need and respond by giving freely and graciously so that all of your people have enough. God of mercy,

Hear our prayers.

We pray for those who have felt justice withheld: for those who see their rights stripped away and for those of us who turn blind eyes because it is harder to look and act than it is to turn away and do nothing. We pray for those who give voice to the voiceless, that they continue to speak up and out, and we pray that we would be those people who give a voice to those whose voices have been silenced by those in power and by systems of oppression. We pray for those who need more and have so little; for those who await fair trials, and for those who wait to reclaim their lives. God of mercy,

Hear our prayers.

We pray for those who have felt violence in the world and those who flee from it. We know that violence is not your nature God, and so help us to rid the world of it and to create spaces where your people are welcome and can find healing from the violence they face, whether it be in their homes, in their communities, or in their countries. We pray for those facing mental illness. May we be compassionate and meet one another in love and grace when there are those who suffer silently. Help us make one another whole. God of mercy,

Hear our prayers.

We know there are so many needs in the world, too many to count. Help us to be aware. We pray for our siblings in other countries: for those in Afghanistan facing violence, for those in Iraq who protest for justice, for those who seek peace in Syria amidst destruction, and for all of your people who long for peace and search for new homes as they flee unjust governments and violence. And we pray for those in our own country: for those who lost loved ones on the Missouri tour boat this past week, as families seek safety and to be reunited with their families along the Mexico/US border, for those facing fires out west, and for all those others held in our hearts. God of mercy,

Hear our prayers.

God this is only a tiny piece of your world, we know that. So, keep us awake and aware to all that is going on, so that we might act and be present in making your creation better.

Amen.