A Prayer for Ingathering

By Emily Bruce
UUAC First Parish at Sherborn
September 13, 2020

Spirit of Life and that which holds us all, 

We gratefully return to this space of belonging today. We give thanks for the joy and grace present in this community to which we all belong, and where we all are loved. 

As this pandemic continues across our country and the world, as wildfires rage in our West, and the South recovers from hurricane storms, bless our hearts that we may find the resilience to keep loving each other, helping our communities and taking care of our loved ones in this time of struggle and survival for so many of us. 

In this season of righteous protest for the sanctity and justice due Black lives as well as a divisive and critical election, bless our minds that we may remain grounded in the values and beliefs that make our lives whole and that teach us how and why to work for a world of justice and peace. 

As we contemplate the people that we are called to be in this strange and serious time, bless our hands and feet, that we may do the work of building community, belonging and peace in a world that desperately needs it. Help us to be the hope that we long to see, and bring that promise of hope to others in all our words and deeds. 

For all of the prayers lifted this morning spoken and unspoken, for our community gathered here and for the world of peace and love that we all seek to build, we pray today.  

In the name of the Great Love that surpasses all understanding, Amen.