Pastoral Prayer for February 25, 2024

Our pastoral prayer this morning comes to us from Walter Brueggemann:

We scarcely take time to be holy;

we pray on the run,

come in late and leave early.

We scarcely take time to be human;

we rush past the neighbor,

and even miss ourselves.

We scarcely take time to notice

the goodness and beauty of your world.

We are so anxious, so overextended,

so preoccupied, so propelled.

And you, amid our excessive engagement,

you utter the day “Seven!”

Six days to work . . .

seventh to rest.

You, in your unanxious presence, take the day off.

Your angels spend the day reading Torah.

Your saints pause in gratitude and wonder.

Well, we are not angels, and scarcely saints.

But “seven” us anyway.

Invite us into your rest.

We are indeed burdened, heavy laden,

stretched thin.

And you, in the fleshed Nazareth guy,

offer an easy yoke.

Be our rest . . .

turn our violent restlessness,

and make us new.

Amen