We are all holding so much in these unnerving days. Heavy stuff…the stuff of lamentation and heartache. But alongside our laments, there exists the stuff of rejoicing and thanksgiving. So recognizing this tension, I invite you into this brief moment…to breathe…to settle into quiet thought or silent prayer for the people, places, and circumstances held close in your heart…your lamentations AND your thanksgivings!
Holy One, hear our petitions and our pleas as we lament the hurt and brokenness in our lives and in the world.
Prayer of Lamentation
For the pain and suffering caused by Covid-19…(pause for reflection)
For systemic racism and injustice woven into our culture and institutions…(pause for reflection)
For climate change – fires out West, floods in the Southeast, hurricane devastation along the
Gulf Coast, warming oceans and changing ecosystems…(pause for reflection)
For upended norms of our daily lives…(pause for reflection)
For transitions and relationship changes, including friends and colleagues who have left our Augsburg community over the spring and summer months… (pause for reflection)
And now, Blessed One, hear our praises and our prayers of thanksgiving for the good at work among us.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
For all essential workers – health care providers, teachers, first responders, farmers and grocers – working for our wellbeing and flourishing in these days…(pause for reflection)
For the rallying cry and invitation to seek racial justice for black, indigenous, and people of color…(pause for reflection)
For firefighters, disaster relief workers, social service agencies, non-profits, and scientists working to address the effects and causes of climate change…(pause for reflection)
For new patterns and rhythms found, technologies that connect us, and life reformed for the sake of communal health and safety…(pause for reflection)
For this Augsburg community, the students who give us purpose and hope, and the work of faculty, administration, and staff called in joint-service here and now…This we pray. Amen and amen.
Rev. Justin Lind-Ayres
University Pastor