Pastoral Prayer on John 6:51-58

Holy God:

You have taken flesh in order to be with us, to dwell with us, to be God with us.  You walked with Adam in the cool of the day.  You walked with Abraham through a lifetime of wanderings.  You have shown us in so many ways that your desire is to be with us and to share life with you.

We are tempted to make our relationship with you about so many other things--Sometimes we think that what you want most is our good behavior.  Sometimes we think that you want us to be busy and to do good works for you.  Sometimes we just get so distracted by the many things we must do that we drift from you.  Sometimes we have areas of our lives that embarrass us or things we think we can handle better than you, so we push you out.  Sometimes we have gotten the idea that our relationship with you is just one compartment of our lives, the religious part, and we set you aside after we leave church.

And yet, you who made the earth and heavens, you who redeemed the whole earth, you who are everlasting and always--You want to share life with us.  You want to abide with us and be in every part of our lives.  So help us to open ourselves to you in this hour.  Help us to allow every part of us to be completely infused with your love and presence.  Help us to also be completely in you--let our whole lives be enveloped in your grace and love.  Help us to enter into your heart.

We remember those for whom you asked us to pray--Bless those in authority over us.  Bless the work of your church in the world.  Bless our enemies.  Redeem the lost, heal the sick, comfort those who mourn.  As we abide in you and you abide in us, allow your work in the world to be done through our hands.

Amen.