Pastoral Prayer July 3

Loving God,

May we as a nation be guided by the Divine to rediscover the sacred flame of our national heritage, which so many have given their lives to safeguard.

Let the wounds of separation and division be healed by opening our hearts to listen to the truth on all sides, allowing us to find a higher truth that includes us all.

May we learn to honor and to enjoy our diversity and differences as a people, even as we more deeply search for a fundamental unity.

May we as a people undergo a transformation that will draw forth individuals to lead our nation who embody courage, compassion, and a higher vision.

May our leaders inspire us, and we so inspire each other with our potential as individuals and as a nation, that a new spirit of forgiveness, caring, and honesty be born in our nation.

May we as a united people move with clear, directed purpose to take our place within the community of nations to help build a better future for all humankind.

May we as a nation rededicate ourselves to truly living as one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

And may God’s will be done for the United States as we, the people, align with that will.

Amen.

(Corinne McLaughlin and Gordon Davidson)