An Anniversary Prayer — September 11, 2008
Lord, we gather in prayer on the seventh anniversary of 9-11;
We thank you for the many blessings you have given us,
among them the gift of life;
Let our hearts be in your heart, our mind in your mind;
Help us to speak life into this anniversary and this day.
We pray for those who lost their lives on 9-11;
We pray for the families who lost loved ones;
We pray for those who lost friends and colleagues;
We pray for those who lost companies, jobs, and resources;
We pray for those who risked their lives and health and whose
courage and sacrifice lifted us through this time;
We give thanks for the grace they have brought to this earth;
We pray for the people and the land of New York, Pennsylvania, and northern Virginia;
We pray for all who have suffered and sacrificed in the wars and
politics these events were used to justify.
We pray for the perpetrators of the events of 9-11;
We pray for those who exploited these events;
We pray for all who have profited;
We pray for all of us whose participation in unhealthy thoughts and
systems has facilitated more killing, more war;
May that which has been stolen be restored;
May we all be restored to your love and your peace.
We give thanks to the millions of people who have contributed
to our understanding of these events;
We give thanks for independent media;
We give thanks for independent journalists and investigators;
authors, engineers, and scientists, concerned citizens;
Lord, protect them, encourage them, lift them up and let them feel today
our appreciation and our admiration;
They have stood between us and the abyss:
They are “the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in.”
Let our resources gather to replenish and refresh them—
their best is yet to come.
Lord, we know you have not given us a spirit of fear, but of power,
of love and of a strong mind;
Allow the light of truth to shine and spread; to restore, to heal; and
to illuminate pathways to heal hearts and rebuild the wasted places.
Today, on this special day, we celebrate that all things are possible.
In the name of Jesus
Amen