Monday, October 31, 2011

All Saints Day Prayer

 
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
             Who lived by your covenant,
             Imperfectly but without giving up,
Make us faithful as well.

God of Adam, Moses, and David,
             Who failed spectacularly,
             Yet repented faithfully,
Make us faithful as well.

God of Rahab, Esther, and Ruth,
             Who dared much and loved much,
Make us faithful as well.

God of the Psalmists,
             Who shouted their doubts
             And sang your praises,
Make us faithful as well.

God of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Amos,
             Who spoke your truth
Despite great opposition,
Make us faithful as well.


God of Mary, Elizabeth, Joseph, and Zechariah,
             Who believed the impossible
             Only because you spoke it,
Make us faithful as well.

God of Peter, James, and John,
             Whom you rebuked and loved,
             Who left you yet returned,
Make us faithful as well.

God of Nicodemus, Thomas, and the Samaritan woman,
             Who voiced their doubts
             And were moved to faith,
Make us faithful as well.

God of Paul, Silas, Priscilla, and Aquilla,
             Who boarded boats and traveled roads,
             To proclaim your gospel to others,
Make us faithful as well.

God of Francis of Assisi, Theresa of Avila, and Julian of Norwich,
             Who stumbled forward in the way of faith,
             Trusting your grace and provision,   
Make us faithful as well.

God of Luther and Calvin,
             Who protested corruption,
             And enabled reformation,
Make us faithful as well.

God of Wesley and Bresee,
             Who preached holiness,
             Served the poor,
             And renewed the church.
Make us faithful as well.

God of Father Gregorious and Yi KwangJeong,
             Who first proclaimed the gospel in Korea,
Make us faithful as well.

God of Thomas, Allen, Underwood, Apenzeller, and Scranton,
             Who gave out Bibles,
             Who built hospitals and schools,
             And opened Korea to Christianity,
Make us faithful as well.

God of our fathers and mothers, grandparents, teachers, and aunts,
             Whether in our physical family or the family of God,
Who carried some of us to church before we could walk,
             Who taught us the stories of faith,
             Who rebuked us when we strayed from the truth,
             Who loved us and taught us your love,
Make us faithful as well.

God of all the saints through all the world in all the ages,
             Who have fallen and risen,
             Who have doubted and believed,
             Who have sinned and repented,
             And have nonetheless passed this faith on to us,
Make us faithful as well.

[Three stanzas of this prayer are crafted to honor those who have made a contribution to Korean Christianity and to the Church of the Nazarene.  I recommend that you rewrite these to match those who have made contributions within your own context.]

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