Memorial Weekend Prayer

Dear Lord,

This Memorial Day Weekend, we pause to give you thanks for this remarkable nation and for the men and women who have given themselves for her protection.
Most especially, we give thanks for all who have served in our military and accepted the ultimate risk to preserve our nation, her values and character.
We give you thanks for family members who have been required to say “good bye”, and then to live through months and years of anxious waiting before hoping to say “hello” again.
We remember those who never had a chance to say “hello” but instead received a message of condolences and a folded flag.
We remember the wounded and their families who returned to live normal lives but were never quite the same again.
For all who have given themselves to the terrible realities of war, we say “thank you” and we ask your blessings.
This day we pray for others who have given themselves in other ways for the welfare of our nations:
For ordinary citizens who participate in community activities for the welfare of neighbors,
For those who study election issues and cast informed ballots,
For elected officials and all who serve in government,
For those who speak and write and remind us of our essential character as Americans and consistently call us to the high virtues of “liberty and justice for all”,
For the prophets among us who dare to name our sin and identify those places where we fail to live out the highest calling of our nation’s creed; “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men and women are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights…”,
For all among us who practice charity and hospitality, mercy and kindness, truthfulness and integrity,
We say thank you, O God.
God as your people, as disciples of Jesus Christ, we ask that you will empower us to be faithful witness to you, to your Christ, to your justice and righteousness, in this land of indescribable beauty so that some day, according to your own mysterious way, one by one, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Make your personal prayers to God.

In the name of Christ we pray,
Amen.

Lords Prayer.