Pastoral Prayer for Summer

God of sunshine and rain,
God of foggy and clear skies,
we are amazed by the bounty you create.
In you we experience life and health.

You are the consummate gardener
sowing seeds of justice, peace, and wholeness
in hearts that are open to new growth.

Plant within us, we pray, the seeds of discernment,
that we might listen to your voice,
and comprehend your call upon our lives.

Grant that we not become discouraged
when growth is slow in ourselves or others.

In your global garden you desire us
to plant seeds of mercy, justice, and compassion.

You want us to participate in the growth of your life
among everyone we meet and serve.

You want us to remember the needs of your people
for healing and wholeness, and so we pray today for ….

You want us to respond to the needs of a hurting world
wherever hunger, pain, loss, or suffering endure.

You want us to refrain from responding in kind
to the violence and oppression we witness in the world.

You call us to a better way,
a way that sows the seeds of justice, peace, and wholeness,
spreading them widely and freely,
so that all within your global garden
might share in the abundance of your life in our midst.

May we have ears to hear and the will to act,
through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Words (c) 2002 Mark Lloyd Richardson