1-9 Close in Prayer (10 min)

Set a timer for 2 minutes. Pray or reflect on the session in silence.

(to begin, the leader will pick one of the below scriptures to read out loud)

• Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Phillipians 1:2
• So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. Ephesians 2:19
• For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.” Isaiah 57:15

(say out loud together)

Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.

(leader)
How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity. Psalm 133:1

(together)
Lord, we are grieved.
Our families, churches, communities, and nation
are bitterly divided.
Suspicion, fear, and discomfort over our differences
have driven us far from our neighbors,
our brothers and sisters in Christ,
our loved ones.

[In silence or out loud, name the divisions placed on your heart, whether individual relationships, churches or organizations within your community, groups of people portrayed at the national level, or global conflicts.]

(leader)
With Christ,
we mourn the wounds of our disunity.
We pray now for healing
for the pain caused by our words and past regrets,
the restoration of broken relationships,
and courage to take steps towards those who are different from us.

(together)
Help us to joyfully remember
we are invited guests to an eternal feast.
We are partakers here, and not yet,
commissioned to send out invitations to the wedding banquet
to those who are similar and dissimilar,
near and far,
friends and enemies.

(leader)
We thank you, heavenly Father, that you sent your Son Jesus Christ to
teach us the way of grace, mercy, forgiveness, reconciliation,
and above all else, love.
Strengthen our hope and humility and
send to us opportunities this week
to be lights of unity in a divided and broken world.

Close by sharing prayer requests and praying for the upcoming week.