Lord God,
Help us. How did we get to this place? When was it we made our personal security an idol and differences our scapegoat? How is it we have used your name to bar children of God from our borders and forgotten that in so doing we keep ourselves from entering your kingdom? At what point on our journey did we decide to leave Jesus’ Way and go our own direction?
Help us. The false prophets have taken over palace and temple, households and town halls. They speak what we most want to hear no matter that their utterances counter your Word made flesh.
Help us. You rescue us from Egypt but we quickly imagine we got to the Promised Land by our own abilities, forgetting your declaration that the alien who resides with us shall be as a citizen among us for we were once aliens, too.
Help us. Your good creation groans under the weight of the domination we’ve substituted for dominion and stewardship. We’ve traded whole peoples for cheap fuel, profits for a few in exchange for living water for all.
Help us. You tell us we are salt and light, but what you give us for good we use for evil, trampling the vulnerable under the feet of our useless witness, blinding those desperately seeking a lamp unto their path.
Help us. You call us to love our neighbors as ourselves and show us that the one who extends mercy fulfills your greatest commandment, and yet we walk to the other side, erect a wall and solidify our safe distance.
Help us. You send a servant Savior who proclaims that the last will be first and those who lose their lives will save them, but we shout about greatness and push our way to the front of the line.
Help us. Only you can help us. Our only hope is in your power to transform. Give us the words to speak, the prophets to heed, the Spirit-courage to stand up and shout out your true gospel.
Help us to be merciful as you are merciful.
Help us to repent, turn to you and be forgiven.
Help us follow Jesus Christ, our Savior, the one who welcomes little children, feeds the 5,000, heals the hurting and loves THE WORLD.
Help us.
Amen.
You are welcome to use this prayer in worship. If you reprint it in your bulletin, please credit Jill Duffield of the Presbyterian Outlook.