Sixth Sunday after Epiphany
2 Kings 5:1-14
Psalm 30
I Cor. 9:24-27
Mark 1: 40-45

Eternal God, coming to us in so many ways, and coming to us as a gracious and caring healer, we thank you for beautiful days, for beautiful mountains,  and for  beautiful trees for us to behold.  You have made our world with such lavish beauty there are many times we cannot take it all in because it is so overwhelming.

We thank you also for the healer, Jesus.  We thank you that you care about our infirmities and illnesses.  We thank you that he was often moved to compassion by the needs of those he encountered.  We thank you that he reached out to the most  needy of his society and provided them healing and wholeness.

We pray this day for all those who face illness and because of it internal stress and anxiety.
We pray that you would provide your healing touch for them.
We pray that you would be with them when they are anxious and fearful and provide them a sense of your quieting and steadying peace.
We pray that you would give them courage to face difficult decisions and difficult days.
We pray that you would give them stamina and strength when they seem overwhelmed by weakness.
We pray that you would give them hope during the dark days.
We pray that you would be with those cancer survivors who live always grateful but also always on the edge and whose lives are punctuated by periodic checkups which could bring them bad news.

Be with them all and grant them peace.
Be also with our world.  Especially be with all of those unstable places marked by violence and hatred.  We pray that the world might one day know peace. Amen