Ever-present God,
where can we escape Your love?
Where can we go that You are not?
We cannot.
So we turn our faces to You
and we pray:

O God, let Your righteousness
loom in our lives
like a strong mountain.
Let Your justice
roll through our souls
like a rushing river.

We trust in Your abundance;
we rest in Your lovingkindness.
Look upon us with favor
and gather us
under the shadow of Your wings.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Unchanging Father,
You give limitless variety
while remaining singularly You.
Yet You call us to unity, not uniformity.
As we seek to honor our individuality,
let us find togetherness in You.

You look upon us all
with parental affection;
we ask for provision
for all those affected economically
by the government shutdown
and by powers outside their control.

For those who are suffering
or who have died,
we pray You would receive
the water of their tears
and turn it into
the curative wine of Your joy.

Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Almighty God,
Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ
is the light of the world.
Illuminate Your church
through your Word and Sacraments.

Let us be Your window to the world,
the one that shows Your shining dawn,
the promise of Your continual new day.
Let us become crystal-clear glass
that reveals You and only You.

Let us shine with the radiance of Your glory,
so that You may be known,
worshipped, and obeyed
to the ends of the earth.
All this we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.