For What Shall We Pray? 8/29/2023
For all in the pathway of Hurricane Idalia…
For victims of gun violence, especially in Chapel Hill, NC; Jacksonville, FL…
For areas threatened by wildfires in Louisiana, and for wildfires that continue to burn in Greece…
For renewed civility and collaboration among political leaders…
For all facing persecution and violence due to sexual orientation and gender identity, especially in Nigeria and Uganda…
For families of those injured or killed in automobile, helicopter, and other transportation accidents…
For peace in areas of war or conflict, especially in Ukraine, Mali, Libya, Syria, and Palestine…
For fair wages, safe working conditions, and equal access to opportunity for all who are employed…
For financial stability for those who are unemployed, underemployed, or on fixed incomes…
In gratitude for the many and various vocations by which all people can serve God in daily life…
Events and observances:
Monthly Observances in September: National Suicide Prevention Month, Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15-Oct 15),
National Food Bank Day (September 1)
Nikolai Frederik Severin Grundtvig, bishop, renewer of the church, died 1872 (September 2)
Labor Day (September 4)
Prayers from ELCA resources:
A prayer for vocation in daily life (ELW p. 82)
O God, give us grace to set a good example to all among whom we live, to be just and true in all our dealings, to be strict and conscientious in the discharge of every duty; pure and temperate in all enjoyment, gracious and generous and courteous toward all; so that the mind of Jesus Christ may be formed in us and all may know that we are his disciples; in whose name we pray. Amen.
A prayer after gun violence (ACS p. 49)
God, our healer and our refuge, we pray for all who suffer from gun violence. With your mercy, bind up their wounds, restore their bodies, and heal their hearts. Comfort the mourners and embrace the lonely. With your might, empower us to change this broken world. Make us advocates for a stable society, alive with hope in you. We ask this through the one once wounded for our transgressions and now standing with us in our sorrows, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
“For What Shall We Pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You are encouraged to use these resources as a starting point, and to adapt and add other concerns from your local context. More information about this resource can be found here.
Additional topical prayers are found in Evangelical Lutheran Worship (pp. 72–87) and All Creation Sings (pp. 46–55), as well as in other resources provided in print and online at sundaysandseasons.com.
Crafted intercessions for every Sunday and festival are provided in the Sundays and Seasons worship planning guide published in-print and online by Augsburg Fortress.
Prayer Ventures, a daily prayer resource, is a guide to prayer for the global, social and outreach ministries of the ELCA, as well as for the needs and circumstances of our neighbors, communities and world.