Lenten Prayers of the People

For Grief at the loss of those beloved and those known only in numbers, stats and stories on tv;
for our weary hearts, our fragile connections and our ever present fears,
for our ambient sadness, the wounds we tend and a year of Covid exhaustion
for a thousand fires that beg for our attention
grant us a deep breath of renewal, a sacred pause and the resilience to take the next right step.

(I invite you to share your prayers of grief, struggle, brokenness and longing.)

Refrain “Goodbye Road” JohnnySwim & Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors
Strangers, outcasts, artists and thieves
Misfits, legends and lost refugees
We may not be where we thought we would be
We made our home down Goodbye Road

For Growth in our attentiveness to your presence and courage to live like we actually believe
we are beautifully and wonderfully made,
for freedom from our greed, our careless consumption and our secret shames; we pray.
For we are prone to fear, easily distracted and measured by standards out of reach,
for our communal failings, our systemic inhumanity and the safety nets we refuse to mend
for our mistakes and mis-steps, our astounding indifference
and our struggle to keep the cynics song at bay,
forgive us, Loving God
and grant us the grace to start anew each moment as we embody Your all-loving dream.

(I invite you to share your prayers forgiveness and seeking, your intentions for growth.)

Refrain “Goodbye Road” JohnnySwim & Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors
Strangers, outcasts, artists and thieves
Misfits, legends and lost refugees
We may not be where we thought we would be
We made our home down Goodbye Road

For Gratitude in the face of struggle, for phone calls and zoom connections,
for laughter that sings straight from the soul and moments that give life,
for roots quite beneath the soil and seedlings
that remind us of God’s determination to make all things new,
for caregivers and mask-wearers, for vaccines and science
for words of love that sew hope through our veins, songs that sooth and resilience that points us toward spring, for bold leaders calling us forward and momentum to change
for all of this and more we give thanks;
grant us eyes to glimpse God’s love and hearts that hold a hard earned hope.

(I invite you to share your prayers of gratitude, celebration and thanksgiving.)

Refrain “Goodbye Road” JohnnySwim & Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors
Strangers, outcasts, artists and thieves
Misfits, legends and lost refugees
We may not be where we thought we would be
We made our home down Goodbye Road

Sometimes flowers grow in the soil of ashes
Pick’em as you go down Goodbye Road


The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom
come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen.