TheoSpora

Passionate God,
You ignite the hearts of those who love;
You fan the flames of those who serve;
When your light shines into our lives we cannot help but be afraid.

When you call us to faithful action we are stunned.
We intellectualize and rationalize instead of heed your words.
We make faith another burden rather than an act of love and devotion.
Service becomes slavery
Relating becomes arduous
And then love becomes impossible.

Soften these hearts of ours
so that your love might be seen through the darkest and thickest of clouds.
As a people we have dwelt in valley of death too long,
The suffering of the world is in our hands,
But so is the promise of new life.

O Dweller Within,
Strengthen us with a passion
For justice
For peace
For hope

And as we struggle through this world
Remind us of
the simplicity of your love for everyone,
the ease of your yoke,
the lightness of the burdens of a life of faith.

For those who suffer greatly,
Whether illness or loneliness, hopelessness or powerlessness,
Grant us the strength to gather them in our arms and hold them through the pain.
For those who find themselves far from their families and in harms way,
Be the light that guides them through the darkness so that they might find peace and rest in you

Give us the will to dream and find a creative passion that fills our hearts.
Open us to your call so that we might enter into life and life abundantly.

For it is in the one who fulfilled the dreams of the world that we ask these prayers…