Prayers of the People

Loving God,

Ours is a war-torn world. May your grace abide right in the place of our pain. Where hatred and violence exist - right in a supermarket in Arizona - may our response be comfort and peace. We pray for the families and friends of the victims who were shot in Tucson yesterday. One is a US representative, one was a federal judge, one was a nine-year old child. All were somebody's child. . . somebody's joy. . . somebody's friend. All were lovingly created in your image. Help us to be people of prayer and peaceful action. Help us to place our grace right in the midst of people's pain.

We pray for the shooter - a 22 year old man, someone so young. While we pray that justice may be served, we also pray for him in his confusion, his violence, his anger, and pain.

And we pray for Tucson's houses of worship that they may be places of comfort and peace. We lift the names of our sister PC(USA) churches before You. Give them strength to do your work of comfort at this time:

Trinity Presbyterian Church
Southside Presbyterian Church

Korean Presbyterian Church

St. Mark's Presbyterian Church

Northminster Presbyterian Church

May your grace abide right in the place of our pain.

Ours is a war-torn world, O God. May peace abide in referendums like the important vote in Sudan today. Ours is a war-torn world.

Where cancer cells seem like a neverending offensive, may your grace and peace abide.

Where depression feels like a battle, may You be found.

Where the economy turns some against others, may your Name reconcile us.

Where grief seems to have the last word, we pray that You would speak Your Word Made Flesh - that life reigns and that death is never the last word.

We pray for Your peace.

And Lord, help us be a part of the very prayers we make.

Joining our voices, let us pray the prayer Jesus taught us, saying. . .

Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed by Thy Name,

Thy Kingdom come,

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil

for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.

Amen.