Gracious God, we confess that we sometimes tell others,
we will keep them in our thoughts and prayers.
And maybe we do say a prayer.
But maybe we should also be doing something for them.
Help us, Lord, to see what those around us need and want.
Help us take the opportunity to provide that support,
to fulfill that need.
Help us to display your love to them through our presence.
As your followers, you told us to love our neighbor as our self.
Help us to truly see our neighbors.
In this world of divisiveness,
open our hearts so we can listen and find common ground.
Give us the willingness to talk with our neighbor,
to understand their needs, their fears and their dreams.
Give us the understanding that we are all your children,
equal in your sight, each of us deeply loved and uniquely cherished.
Help us to recognize that needing help is not a sign of weakness.
And help us to realize that when providing help,
it is important to know what help is needed.
As your followers, we have joined into your community of believers.
We come together in this sacred space to share our love for you,
to support one another and to learn from each other.
As we care for each other, we ask that you also be with those
among us who need your healing grace and strength.
We name ___.
And as a community of faith, we celebrate the joys of those among us.
We lift up ___.
We thank you for bringing us together as a community
to share in the good times and the bad.
Gracious God, we know that our situations change,
sometimes suddenly without warning.
We can be the Samaritan or
we can be the victim by the side of the road.
But we know that you are with us always,
no matter where we find ourselves.
And, we know that we are to share your good news
with others and to share your love with all.
As we celebrate your presence among us,
we lift up our voices using the words that your Son taught us,
“Our Father…”
Uniquely Cherished 