Prayers of the People using
the Words of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Intercessor: Let us before all else give thanks for the love of God revealed to the world in the life and
death of Jesus Christ:
People: "The Cross is the eternal expression of
the length to which God will go in order to restore broken community."
Intercessor: Let us
give thanks for the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and for the enduring power
of his dream:
People: "I have a dream that one day 'every
valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low... and the glory of the Lord
shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.'... With this faith we
will be able to work
together, to pray together, to struggle together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day."
Intercessor: Let us commit ourselves to
pray and work for peace:
People: "One day we must come to see that peace is
not merely a
distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal… How much longer must we play at deadly war
games before we heed the plaintive pleas of the unnumbered dead and maimed of past wars?"
Intercessor: Let us commit ourselves to walk in the way of
nonviolence:
People: "The non-violent approach... first does
something to the hearts and souls of those committed to it. It gives them new
self-respect; it calls up resources of strength and courage that they did not
know they had. Finally, it reaches the opponent and so stirs his conscience
that reconciliation becomes a reality."
Intercessor: Let us commit ourselves to pray and work for
a just ordering of our world:
People: "Every
step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering and struggle; the
tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals…This is no
time for apathy or complacency. This is the time for vigorous and positive
action."
Intercessor: Let us commit ourselves to the vision of a
world without poverty and disease, as set forth in the eight Millennium
Development Goals:
People: "I have the audacity to believe that peoples
everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture
for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their
spirits."
Intercessor: Let us
commit ourselves to seek the spiritual renewal of our nation:
People: "A nation that continues year after year to
spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is
approaching spiritual death."
Intercessor: Let us
commit ourselves to seek the spiritual renewal of the Church:
People: "In spite of being disappointed, in
spite of being left out without any initial response, millions of people are
still knocking on the door of the Church and turning to it for the answers to
the basic problems of life. The great challenge facing the Church today is to
keep the bread fresh."
Intercessor: Let us pray for all those on our hearts this
morning.
Rev. Kurt will add names for those we pray for this morning
and then all join in the final prayer.
All: "And now
unto God who is able to keep us from falling and lift us from the dark valley
of despair to the mountains of hope, from the midnight of desperation to the
daybreak of joy, to God be power and authority, for ever and ever." Amen.
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Quotes
are from the writings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and prayers are organized
by Bishop Jeffery W. Rowthorn. --------
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