Prayer for Family and Friends

By revjudegeiger

Spirit of Hope, God of Many Names, and One Transforming and Abundant Love,

At the close of one week and the beginning of a new,

Remind us to pause, to remember all the faces around us,

the faces that we cherish,

and who cherish us in return;

for the family we may be far from – in distance or in connection,

may we find moments that bring freshness into withered connections,

or closure where there is no way forward.

Teach us to love, wherever we can,

especially when it’s hard,

even ourselves.

In this holiday season of cheer and expectation,

some of us are celebrating the birth of light in the world,

or hope in our hearts,

or grateful for a long-sought rest at the end of a year.

Others are mourning those who are gone,

or mourning the dream of a family they never knew.

May we hold each of these in care,

Holding them in our hearts,

holding them in our coffee conversations,

holding them in our phone calls and Facebook posts.

For we are the ones who create the world around us.

Whether it be for love or despair,

we have some part in its creation.

Remind us to pause – before we act.

Then act.

With kindness.

With generosity of spirit.

With patience.

And a day will surely come,

where we know a world,

so full of these blessings.

 

We remember this hour the people of Newtown, Connecticut. May their families know peace. And may our nation find a spirit of determination to act in the face of apathy and political interference.

 

We so to hold in our hearts the families of Littleton, Colorado this morning who are grieving losses of their own. May we support our leaders in building a world of peace.