TheoSpora

God of faith,
     We celebrate the coming of the fall,
     As the leaves change and the weather cools,
          We look to a new year of study and fellowship,
               To new moments of worship, mission and evangelism
     As we pull the coats from our closets,
          We ask that you surround us with your loving presence,
     So that we might see the world afresh and live more deeply in faith.

God of grace,
     We lament with those whose lives have been irrevocably changed by the
     destructive presence of fire;
          We pray with those who lost loved ones as we mark the anniversary of
          September 11th;
               We pray with those who have lost homes, belongings and livelihoods
               with the fires in Boulder;
                    And we pray for those who find it necessary to meet violence with
                    violence,
                         For those who would lift up one Holy book by violently
                         destroying what is holy to others;
As we awaken to this changing world, O Lord, broaden our narrow minds so that we might find meaningful ways of living with our neighbors in ways which reveal your kingdom of heaven on earth.

God of hope,
     We often speak of imagining a world that honors your presence,
          Yet we prefer to believe that our limited ideas about you and your love
           reflect the only reality around us.
               Remind us that you are bigger than our concepts, descriptions and
               beliefs.
                    Enable us to live imaginatively, seeing the world anew through the
                    eyes of a childlike faith;
               So that our lives might be an ever-living thank offering to the grace
               you have shown us.

We ask these things, humbly seeking the guidance you offer in the prayer taught to us by your son…