Pastoral Prayer, November 2012

O God we thank you for this hour of worship,

For this time when we can think on things which are:

Higher
Nobler
Truer
Purer

For this time when we can consider a path which is:

More loving
More forgiving
More generous
More rewarding

Walk close beside us, Lord, for we dwell in a land where:

Lives are not long enough
Bodies are not strong enough
Minds are not clear enough

We live in a land where people:

Demand too much
Forgive too little
and are consumed largely by their own needs

And so in many ways life is not easy for us, Lord

But in some ways it is.

For we do not worry

Where our next meal will come from
Where the next bomb might be placed, although many in our world do.

We do not live on streets where gunfire echoes in the night

Although many in our city do

We do not live in homes where cardboard tries to keep out the bitter Kentucky cold

Although many in our state do

And so, Lord, we ask you to turn your caring eyes of mercy upon us as we face our struggles

And forgive us when we have turned the cold eyes of indifference upon the struggles of others.

Amen