March 25, 2022
A daily prayer from the New England Conference
Members of the New England Conference Extended Cabinet are sharing a daily prayer based on the Revised Common Lectionary for the week.
You are welcome to use these in worship or in your own devotions.
Today's Prayer
Based on Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32; inspired by Henri J.M. Nouwen, Return of the Prodigal Son,
“The farther I run away from the place where God dwells, the less I am able to hear the voice that calls me the Beloved, and the less I hear that voice, the more entangled I become in the manipulations and power games of the world.”
Gracious and loving God, We come to you with burdened and broken hearts this morning, Grieving for the victims and refugees of this evil war in Ukraine, Crying out for peace, reconciliation, and justice on earth, Repenting for the dark side of humanity, Surrendering our whole selves, we trust in your transforming work of grace and love, In your mercy, O God, hear us and meet us where we are. As we continue to walk on this Lenten journey, Help us to realize the rebellious and arrogant tendencies within us, Reveal our hidden desires for power, authority, control, status, superiority, and privilege. O forgiving God, We confess that we have drifted away, and we have lost … Our sense of being and belonging, our call, and our way to unity with you and with each other, We have focused too much on customs, rituals, policies and procedures, morality, and boundaries. Inadvertently, We have drifted even further away from your presence and our purpose, We have done greater harm to our siblings, We have allowed the beloved community to suffer, O God, how we have sinned against you … Forgive us for our tendency to see ourselves and others through a binary worldview. We vacillate between identifying with the “older brother” and the “younger brother” in the prodigal son story. We would have either a “live free or die” mentality or be content in enslaving obedience, We confess there is no redemption in that binary belief system. Help us to understand there is another way to live: the way of love! Awaken our soul to remember your love will wait for us and embrace us as we are, Strengthen our faith to depend always upon your unending love, May we never forget your redemptive love will welcome and celebrate our return to you, May we find a fullness of joy and satisfaction in you, May we share the message of your reconciling love, Here and everywhere, May it be so. Amen. By Rev. Taesung Kang, Granite District Superintendent
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