Ethiopian Icon of the Lord's Baptism
Stepping down into the Jordan,/ Jesus sanctifies the waters,/ beginning the reclamation of creation./ May we recognize and protect the holiness of every ocean,/ sea,/ lake and pond,/ every river,/ stream,/ rivulet and well./ We pray to the Lord.
Grant that the nation would be freed of the spiritual stumbling-blocks of consumerism,/ racism,/ entitlement,/ stubborn ignorance,/ fear,/ and hatred of the other./ May we experience an increase of solidarity/ and the healing of our ugly conflicts./ We pray to the Lord.
In a time of new government/ many people are saying,/ "My family is hungry,"/ "We are worried about eviction,"/ "We are unemployed and have lost our insurance."/ We ask for leaders to be people of character,/ who care about the lives of others./ We pray to the Lord.
Coronavirus is raging across the nation./ Some areas are in disaster mode with record breaking numbers of new cases,/ hospitalizations and deaths./ Give strength and hope to health care workers,/ conversion of heart and mind for those people who don't care./ We pray to the Lord.
As Baptized persons may we desire to follow Jesus more closely,/ learning from him,/ allowing his teachings to invade our minds and the practicalities of our lives./ We pray to the Lord.
The world watched this Wednesday/ as the unthinkable happened —/ the nation's Capitol/ invaded by an insurrectionist mob./ Police were injured and a woman was shot dead./ We pray for her/ and for the person who killed her./ For those who incite violence,/ and for their conversion./ We pray to the Lord.
