A Concord Pastor Comments: NIGHT PRAYER: Friday 3/21

Every time we celebrate the Eucharist, we pray the Our Father - and then these words:

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil,
   grant us peace in our own day,
        in your mercy, keep us free from sin
            and safe from all distress...

Every time we come to your table, Lord,

we make some very big requests.

We pray for

- deliverance from every evil

- peace - right now

- freedom from sin

- and a life safe from all distress...

As this day ends, I'm thinking:

maybe we should pray these words every night!

Those four petitions sum up so well

so much of what we need from you,

so much of what we long for:

the deliverance, peace, freedom and safety

that only you can offer, only you can give...

So, tonight, Lord,

I pray that you deliver us from every evil:

- the evils of racism, poverty and war

- the evil of consumerism, greed and selfishness

- the evil of twisting and distorting the truth

for personal gain, pleasure and advantage

- the evil that masquerades as virtue
- the evil of assaults on human life

in all its shapes and forms
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil...

And I pray, Lord, for peace in our own day,

the peace that only you can give:

- peace in our world and in our nation,

in our communities, streets and neighborhoods

- peace among peoples of different faiths

and peace in our own Church

- peace in our families and in our homes

- peace in our minds, hearts and souls,

- peace with you, Lord

and peace with ourselves

And I pray for this peace to come sooner than later:

even now, Lord - even now...

In our own day, Lord,

graciously grant us peace...

And tonight I pray that you keep us free from sin, Lord:
   - free from temptation and its wily ways
   - free from sin that becomes a habit
   - free from sins of omission and silence
   - free from the sins we find hard to acknowledge

- free from sin that divides your people
- free from sin that keeps us from you

and your word, your love and your peace
Keep us free from sin, Lord...

And tonight, Lord, I pray

that you keep us safe from all distress:
   - the distress of worry, doubt and fear
   - the distress of disease, illness and pain
   - the distress of terrorism, tyranny and war
   - the distress of grief, anxiety and depression
   - the distress of hunger, homelessness and want
   - the distress of discouragement, loneliness and despair
Keep us safe from all distress, Lord...

I know, Lord - I'm praying for, I'm asking a lot!

But this is what we need

and you are all we have;

you're the source of every blessing,

our best and only hope!

We pray with humble hearts, Lord,

for the grace that's yours to give:

- the grace to help us turn from all evil

whenever, wherever, however we meet it;

- the grace to work for that mercy and justice

whose harvest is unity, fairness and peace

- the grace to turn from the path of sin

and follow the path your wisdom and truth

- the grace to turn to you in distress

and to offer refuge to all those in need...

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil,
   grant us peace in our own day,
        in your mercy, keep us free from sin
            and safe from all distress...

And all of this, Lord, while we wait for you

to come again, at the end of time,

and even now, in our own day:

our Savior, our hope and our God...

Protect us, Lord, while we're awake
and watch over us as we sleep
that awake, we might keep watch with you
and asleep, rest in your peace...

Amen.

Good Lord, Deliver Us by Paul Zach