Gathering Prayer

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There was a small circle of chairs labeled “Worship Here” in the middle of the Gathering check-in. This prayer came to me in that worship space.

We are in a time of sorrow,
a time of anger & frustration,
of violence & death.

Millions live in shadows, in hiding,
in shame & terror & humiliation.

Thousands die each day
of hunger & exhaustion,
unnecessary disease, bullets & bombs.

Many are poor & oppressed,
the outcast, the stranger in our midst.

With each death our hearts are
hardened a little more,
and little-by-little we withdraw

Until only a Paris or Brussels,
a San Bernardino or Orlando
—People like us—
Can stir our grief.

Pray with me, Friends:

Beloved! Sweeten us, tender us,
soften our hearts,
Give us back our tears.

Give us the confidence to be humble,
the courage to be faithful,
the wisdom to be bold.