Loving Our Neighbor

Right, Wrong and Holy (Luke 10:25-37)

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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…”

Loving One Another (Genesis 1:1-2:4a)

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Creator God, we have heard the story of Creation many times.
Help us to truly hear this story.
You used chaos to create order.
You provided darkness to highlight the light of day,
a moon to glow in the night and a sun to blaze in the day.
You saw the beauty and knew how to enhance your Creation.

Help us to truly hear this story of Creation.
Help us to realize that you personally created us.
You created us in your image
and therefore each of us is loved and cherished.
We were not an accident, or a by-product.
You saw your Creation and purposely created us in your image.
Open our hearts to truly know and accept that act of love.
Help us to feel the awe of your Creation,
to feel part of your Creation, and
to feel the responsibility of acting as stewards for your Creation.

Help us to truly hear this story of our Creation.
Remind us that you did not create us separate from your Creation.
Remind us that you created us to live in community with each other
and with the rest of Creation.
As we support one another, we ask that you also be with those among us
in need of your grace and healing touch. We name ___.
We ask that you be with our elected leaders, guide them and give them
the wisdom they need to act in ways that protect your Creation.
Encourage us to also act as stewards of your Creation,
the world that you entrusted to us, your children, created in your image.

We are reminded of the story of Creation
and we are reminded that you have been with us always since those first days.
And we are reminded that you sent us your son who taught us the words that we use today,
“Our Father…”

Forgetting We Were Made in Your Image (1 Corinthians 12:1-13)

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We often compare ourselves to each other,
sometimes favorably and sometimes unfavorably.
We compete with each other and with ourselves.
None of us believe we are as good as we should be.

We forget that you have made us in your image,
and that each of us has the gifts and challenges that you have given us.
You have shaped us to your purpose.
We forget that we are brothers and sisters in the body of Christ.

Teach us that when we are looking at others,
we should be looking to see how we can help them
or how they can help us grow.
You have shaped us to your purpose.

We have the gifts, talents and challenges that you have given us.
Teach us to use our gifts to help those around us.
Show us how our talents can be used to fulfill your plans.
Remind us how our challenges strengthen us and
help us grow.

We are your children, Lord.
Made in your image, each of us uniquely loved and cherished.
Remind us that we are good enough
Remind us to love ourselves as you love us.
Remind us to love each other and to celebrate each other.

We know that you are with us.
We ask that you be with ___.
As your children, we lift our hearts up to you
and offer ourselves to you.
We use the words your son taught us,
“Our Father…”

What Good Can Come Out of Nazareth? (John 1:43-51)

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We look at something or at someone,
and we make assumptions about what we see.

We watch the woman in front of us at the grocery store using food stamps,
and we evaluate her purchases.
We critique her clothing, the fact that she has a cell phone and how many children she has.
What good can come out of Nazareth?

We see protestors in the streets.
Some of us relate to them and celebrate their presence.
Some of us think to ourselves that those people have too much time on their hands,
and don’t want to take personal responsibility for themselves.
What good can come out of Nazareth?

We are a divided people, Lord.
We view the world through our biases, our assumptions, and often, through our judgments.
The big picture escapes us, it is easier to believe the soundbite, rather than ask why.
We live in a world of us versus them.
What good can come out of Nazareth?

We are supposed to be a people of love.
Remind us that we are all interconnected,
that our energy interacts with the energy of those around us.
Remind us, Jesus, that you made no judgments about those around you.
You accepted those you encountered,
regardless of the reaction of those who considered themselves to be socially correct.
You reached out to those who were powerless and marginalized,
and empowered them with your love and acceptance.
What good can come out of Nazareth?

We are the people who come from Nazareth.
We heard your teachings,
we follow you with our lives and our deeds.
We are the good that comes from Nazareth.
We are a strong community, gathering strength from each other,
united in our faith even while we debate with each other the best way to create your world here on Earth.
It is us to us, Jesus, to make this world as it is in heaven.
Help us to do that. Give us the strength and the wisdom to make it so.
Open our eyes to your plan and open our hearts to do your bidding.

We are the people who come from Nazareth.
And, we know that you are with us always.
We ask that you be with ___, our members in the body of Christ who need your added strength and healing grace.
As your people in love, we know that we need to spend time in prayer and contemplation.
You modeled the need for prayer and you gave us the words to start with,
“Our Father….”

No Prophet Welcome in His Hometown (Luke 4:21-30)

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There is no one who knows us better than our families.
And, yet, do our families really know us or do they know who we used to be?
Do they know how we have changed over time?
Or do they only know us how they want us to be?
You know us, Father, you knew us before we were born
and you know how we have grown since then
and you know how we still need to grow.

As we grow in this life, help us to see what is important in life.
Give us the strength to speak up as Jesus did when he spoke up for inclusion.
Today, many say that being inclusive is a sign of political correctness,
something we should not tolerate, something that makes us weak.
Remind us, Father God, that your Son taught us to include everyone,
to value everyone, without judgment.
Remind us, Mother God, that we are all your children,
each of us loved and each of us uniquely cherished.
When we respect each other, when we celebrate and accept our differences,
we are respecting you and acting as you taught us.

We may not have the strength or the character to live our entire lives as did Nelson Mandela,
but we can stand up in individual moments of oppression and speak up for the powerless.
When we see a bully taunt their victim,
encourage us to stand up in protest.
When we hear a racist joke,
encourage us to stand up and say we will not listen to hate.
When we notice inequality in social programs,
encourage us to ask our politicians why and to demand change.
When we see someone being ignored,
encourage us to reach out to that person and raise them up.
When we see a child without the ability to receive a quality education,
encourage us to ensure that all receive an education regardless of their school district.
When we see cities without safe drinking water,
encourage us to ask ourselves why lower-income populations are treated less fairly than those with wealth.

Give us the voice to speak for those without a voice.
Give us the ability to hear the cries of those around us in pain
and to find ways to provide comfort to them.
Give us the strength to be your children, to be your body of Christ.
Give us the courage to stand up to the majority
when we know that the minority is in the right.
As your children, we support those among us who are in pain and in need of your healing touch.
We ask that you be with ___ in particular.

We are your children, Lord.
We are your family, the body of Christ.
As your family, open our eyes to see each other,
to see each other as we really are.
And as your children, we use the words that your Son taught us,
“Our Father…”

Teacher, You Came to Us (Mark 5:21-43)

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Teacher, you came to us, as one of us.
You came to where we were and experienced our lives.
Your focus was not on rules, but on relationship, on community.
You sought justice and fairness rather than maintaining the status quo.

We gather here today, as your community, as your followers.
Our lives have changed because we know you.
Change us further with your love and your grace.
Fill us with a desire to seek justice for those around us.
Remind us that we have the ability to make a difference in our world,
by small deeds or large deeds:
A smile, a meal, a letter to our congressman, a donation to the food bank,
standing up for someone who is being bullied, or
protesting against an environmental or economic policy.
This is our world but we need to work to make it your world.

Teacher, you came to us, as one of us.
But you were not one of us.
You were able to heal the sick and raise the dead.
Your acts and your teachings, then, show us the way today,
even when we may stumble and lose our direction.
As we look around this sacred place,
remind us of those in our congregation who are hurting or are in need of healing.
As a community, we know that it is up to us to support one another,
but we ask that you also be with them and grant them your peace and grace.

We gather here today, as your community, as your followers.
Our lives have changed because we know you.
Change us further with your love and your grace.
Help us to realize that our community extends beyond this place.
Our actions impact others within and beyond this place.
As Americans, we use more natural resources than others in this world.
Remind us to take care of this world, our home.
Remind us that your community is the entire human race,
and that we are to work for justice for all your people.

We ask that you teach us, that you change us, that you use us.
We are your children, all of us, regardless of our race or our birthplace.
Open our hearts to your plans, to your desires,
unite us in community, a fellowship of your believers, your followers.
You spoke of faith, and demonstrated love and respect to those around you.
Help us to to live as you did; help us to share love and peace with those around us.
As you taught us, as you modeled your faith, you gave us the words to pray to your Father.
We lift our voices today, using the words you taught us,
“Our Father…”

Created in God’s Image (Mark 10:35-45)

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We call ourselves your followers, Lord.
We are your children, we call ourselves Christians.
Remind us what that really means.
We were told to love one another as we love ourselves. 

We are to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
But who do we consider to be our neighbor?
The person who looks like us, talks like us
     and shares our common experience?
Or is our neighbor a different color?
Does our neighbor make less money than we do?
Does our neighbor speak the same language that we speak?
Does our neighbor have more kids than they can afford to feed?
Did our neighbor drop out of high school?
Has our neighbor escaped a country full of violence
     to find safety in the United States?
Take our judgmental views from our thoughts, Lord.
Help us to see each other as you see us, without bias and in love.
It can be easy for us to look down upon others in an attempt to build up
     our own status and self-importance.

Help us, Father, to treat each other as your children, as our brothers and sisters in Christ.
We do not choose our starting point in life,
     and each of us makes both good and bad choices as we travel
     through life's paths.
Our wealth and comfort in this life is not our right,
     nor is someone else's poverty their penalty for a failed life.
Remind us that none of us are better than another,
     and remind us that we may see each other through biased eyes.
Help us to see your image in the face of those around us.
You created us in your image,
     we are each your children, regardless of what we look like,
     regardless of our talents and skills.
You created us in your image.
We are your children, each of us deeply loved and uniquely cherished.

As we look at others, it is natural for us to classify others, to compare
     ourselves to others.
Remind us when we do that, we will give in to either envy or
     disappointment.
These are not feelings that you want us to experience.
God, you are love, light and grace. That is what you want us to experience,
     to be.
We are unique, created in your image, and each of us possess gifts and
     talents given to us for a purpose.
As your children, we know that you are with us always and we ask that you
     be with __
We know that you have reached out to us in love, and given us your son to
     share your teachings.
For those of us in need of healing, we ask that your Holy Spirit flows
     through us, healing us, strengthening us, making us whole.

As your children, we know that we are equal with one another,
     we know that we were each created in your image and that each of us
     fulfills your particular plan here on earth.
As your children, we celebrate that you gave us your Son to teach us,
     to share your love and grace, and to build a community of believers.
As your followers, we use the words given to us by your Son,
     "Our Father..."