Pastoral Prayer for December 4, 2022

(Today’s Pastoral Prayer comes from the book “Harvest for the World.”)

Look at the flowers in the gardens.

            We did and we saw your beauty.

Look at the birds of the air.

            We did and we saw your freedom.

Look at the grass of the prairies.

            We did and we saw your endurance.

Look at the fish of the oceans.

            We did and we saw you in diversity.

Look at the trees in the woods.

            We did and we saw your steadfastness.

Look at the sand on the seashore.

            We did and we saw your abundance.

Look at the snow on the mountainside.

            We did and we saw your grandeur.

Look at the harvest in the fields.

            We did and we saw your provision.

Loving God, you heap your love upon us

            like a mother providing for her family’s need,

            embracing her child with tenderness.

Forgive us

            when, like spoilt children,

            we treat your generosity as our right,

            or hug it possessively to ourselves.

Give us enough trust to live securely in your love

            and to share it freely with others

            in open-handed confidence

            that your grace will never run out.

Amen.