Richard Einerson Prayer

Our gracious, eternal God, we bow this day aware of how much we need your compassion.

• We come before you sometimes with little expectation because of the “dry and weary land” nature of our lives at those moments.
• We come before you sometimes as did the crowds, harassed, under stress, wondering how we will meet the demands about us.
• We come before you sometimes with little confidence in our own adequacy to meet the expectations placed upon us.
• We come before you sometimes feeling like helpless children.
• We come before you sometimes as did that crowd feeling like sheep without a shepherd.
• We come before you sometime in such personal confusion that we find the call to be your labourers to the world daunting and impossible.

We ask for your compassion anew. Brace up our faltering wills. Help us less to rely upon ourselves and more to rely upon and to place our trust in you and your strength. Give us courage in the face of a vision which seems impossible. Give us the fortitude to rise to the serious challenge of being your servant people. Give us authority to confront the demons of our age and to present the message of the holy one Jesus to the world. In the process we pray that you would help us rid from our souls all haughtiness, false pride, and all of our tendencies to draw circles which are too small and shut others out. Expand our ability to love others by your great love demonstrated in the cross of Jesus where you have met and embraced all the earth. Amen

"This is a wonderful collection of pastoral prayers linked to the revised common lectionary (used by most Protestant and Episcopal churches) that really works. Whether you are a seeker, a layperson wanting to read an insightful prayer that links to what you've heard on Sunday or a clergyperson who needs a boost, this is a great anthology of prayers. Einerson's clear thinking and open spirituality are a boon to any reader." The Rev. Hal Chorpenning Sr. Minister Plymouth Congregational UCC Ft. Collins, CO