Civic Leaders
Almighty God,
You are over all nations and all leaders,
We pray for the civic leaders of our communities,
our city, and our country.
We pray for those who serve and lead in public
positions of trust,
We pray for our President, our Governor, and our Mayor.
May they lead with integrity and promote
the dignity of all people.
We pray for those who serve and lead in
our State and National Congress.
May they legislate with both courage and compassion,
Not looking to their own interest,
but to the interest of others.
We pray for those who serve and lead
in the courts at every level.
Grant them wisdom in the difficult decisions they must make.
May they do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly.
We pray for those who serve and lead in our city and county.
May the weight and responsibility of their work,
Be upheld by the beauty and levity of Your grace.
We pray for those who serve and lead in our community and neighborhood.
May their work be seen as valuable and integral,
May they be courageous and selfless as they serve others.
We pray for the civic leaders of our communities,
our city, and our country.
May their own sense of being the beloved,
Come not from the position, title, or authority they may hold,
But because they are created in Your image
And, as Your daughters and sons,
They are the delight of Your eye.
Amen.
Other prayers to engage in place...
Father in Heaven,
Bless these backpacks and those who carry them.
May they hold all that is helpful,
Nothing that is harmful,
And most of all hold hope for this school year.
May they carry lightly the load of learning:
The books to be read and homework to be completed,
The computers, clipboards, and calculators,
And the gift of an education.
Father in Heaven,
With August’s arrival,
The morning sunlight beams
Come later through the windows.
May we rest in your great faithfulness,
Remember that your steadfast love never ceases;
And Your mercies never come to an end.
Father in Heaven,
Hear our prayer for Your children
During this summer season.
May summer not be a prolonged season of isolation,
But one of generous invitation to
Play dates and sleepovers,
Camping trips and day camps,
Pool parties and birthday parties.
God of Welcome,
I dedicate my table to You.
You are kind.
You are good.
You are beautiful.
I ask that I would receive You
In the generosity of kinship gathered around my table.
Before you pulled us from the dust,
Before there was dust,
You spoke into the primordial stew,
And drew the waters back
To craft dry land.
Father in Heaven,
Sleeping under the stars,
beneath this wide and holy canopy,
may we be filled with wonder.
Dear Holy Flame,
If ‘Hope is the thing with feathers’, (thank you, Emily Dickinson)
Then Joy is the thing that flickers!
Thank you for the caregivers in our lives.
For those who make us feel noticed, seen, and loved.
For the spouse who made our breakfast.
For the friend who follows up with a text.
For the neighbor who brings in a package.
For the barista who remembers our name.
For the stranger who extends an act of care.
You are invited to close your eyes, take a deep breath, and listen.
When we wake into God’s vast creation,
May we listen and pay attention to what we hear:
birds chirping, water running, wind rushing—
but also what we don’t want to hear:
traffic, construction, alerts, and alarms.
Father in Heaven,
Our genesis is with Your instruction
To notice and name
And join You in the holy work of nomenclature.
Father,
You have shown us from the beginning
Your Story is the story of God, People, and Place.
May we see our neighbors and neighborhood
As hallowed gifts and holy ground.
Thank you for inviting us into the sacred story
Of Your extravagant love and endless grace.
Father in Heaven,
We come before You today with gratitude
For the life of Your servant, Julia Greeley.
We thank You for the protection of her body—
Even through the pain
Of enslavement, scarring, sickness, and struggle,
She endured and carried out the call You assigned her.
Father in Heaven,
Thank you for our city.
We love our city.
You love our city.
You are the one who raises up leaders.
All authority comes from You. (Romans 13:1)
Today, we pray for our mayor.
Glory be to God for Dirt—
For backyard soil
as dark and dense
as the midnight sky.
And for all the creatures
who make this ground
their earthy home—
the wiggly ones
and leggy ones
and the tiny ones
our eyes can’t see.
Lord of the garden and the city,
You placed humanity over the work of Your hands
To tend the earth and cultivate life,
To bring order, fruitfulness, and care.
The call to cultivate now echoes in our neighborhoods,
In offices, shops, kitchens, fields, and factories.
Father, Son, and Spirit,
You are a God of mercy and justice,
Full of grace and truth.
We pray today for our first responders,
Women and men who answer the call for help.
When sirens ring, they are the ones who come,
Stepping into uncertainty, chaos, and danger.
Their daily work is too often the most tragic day of someone else’s life.
Beyond the shame and pain for the world,
In You there is hope and joy.
We celebrate today the many gifts You have given to us:
Our life, Your breath, the hope of the world.
We celebrate all You have done today
And hold on to hope for all You will do tomorrow.
Father in Heaven,
Thank You for places near and far
For us to explore and experience;
For creating a world overflowing with
History and humanity, cuisine and color
Unique to the landscapes and locations
We visit on vacation.
Thank You for the rhythm
Of rest, recreation, and re-entry.
God who walks beside us
Guide me as I lead myself, my work, and my neighbors.
Teach me wisdom—
Wisdom rooted in reverence,
Wisdom beyond my experience,
Wisdom to discern what matters most.
Spirit of God,
Tune our hearts to hear You.
Help us hear with intention and attention,
Listening longer to those who labor beside us.
Help us hear the weight in the weary words
Of the waiter, grocer, or warehouse worker.
Father in Heaven,
Thank You for fathers
Who are Your beloved sons.
May they be loving and wise
As they seek to provide and protect
The children You have entrusted to them
Each with distinct purpose and unique passions.
We pray to you Our Lord, Jesus Christ,
but we do not pray in abstraction.
For you are the God who demands specificity.
You are Jesus of Nazareth.
the Word made flesh,
born of Mary,
the eternal Son of God,
raised in the home of Joseph the carpenter.
God,
Thank You for creating mothers
In Your bold and tender image.
Thank You for how mothers have reflected You—
Compassionate as a cleft in the rock,
Protective as an eagle brooding over her young,
Loving as the breath that gives us life.
“The earth is Yours, and everything in it.”
Psalm 24:1
Father in Heaven,
Creator of all that is.
May we reflect
Your love for Creation,
And care for the home we share
With all You have made.
Creator God,
May those whose work is making theatre
Be seen as valuable and meaningful.
May we hold the art and skill of telling stories
An essential aspect of our society.
May the stories that unfold on stage
Cultivate empathy for others:
For suffering and solidarity in community,
For the brokenness and brilliance of humanity.
Father in Heaven,
Everything we have
Comes from You.
We pray for financial security
For our household,
And the households of our neighbors.
Eternal God,
We thank You for Jesus,
Who calls us to love our neighbors.
And commands us to “Love our enemies.”
His ethic of love is a radiant light
Everywhere and at all times.
Father in Heaven,
May the threshold of our home be wide enough
For every neighbor to be welcomed,
For every friend to enter at ease,
And for all those looking for a place of belonging.
Father and Creator of the Cosmos,
Who was before all that is,
And holds all that is to come.
Father in Heaven,
All that we have
We have received from You.
We bring nothing into this world
And we take nothing out of it.