A Concord Pastor Comments: Pause for Prayer: SATURDAY 11/21

Just a little more than a week left in November,
the month of All Souls,
a special time to remember and pray
for those who have gone before us...

So, let's not forget to pray
for those who were often forgotten...

I pray today, Lord,
for those who've died
whose story seemed a mystery
to family, to friends, to colleagues at work
and others whose paths crossed theirs...

I pray for the misunderstood,
the under-appreciated, the marginalized:
for those left out of games and groups,
estranged from circles of family and friends,
forgotten when it counted the most,
left behind without a thought,
standing alone,
alone,
so very much alone...

I pray for those who suffered the pain
of having no one to lean on,
no one to sit with and talk to,
no one there to share a joy,
a sorrow, a hope, a loss, a dream
or just a quiet moment...

I pray for those
whose loneliness shut them out,
whose isolation blinded them
to those who reached to touch,
to speak, to be with them-
but all to no avail,
so much had solitude
shaped their way of life...

I pray for those who knew
like you, Lord,
what it means to be forgotten,
deserted, abandoned,
left behind and
left to surrender to love unseen
(yet trusted to be there)
when all else fails;
that love whose arms reach out
to save, to catch,
to hold in peace the lonely one,
with just the love that every soul
desires without end...

I pray for these forgotten ones
that now, at last, they rest in joy,
embraced and held forever
in your loving arms, O Lord:
made one with you
and all you've gathered in
to share your never-ending peace...

Amen.