Written by Rev. Catherine Nance
We begin our prayers with O God … but you have heard us exclaim “Oh, God!” or OMG earlier today!
“Oh, my Lord, it is so hot,” we have exclaimed as we get into our cars and roll the windows down and turn on the AC. Forgive us for cursing about the heat, O God who created sun and moon in perfect balance. Forgive us for doing things as individuals, industries, and countries, that have made our earth, your earth, hotter. Make us mindful of our responsibilities to care for your earth and the air and atmosphere all around it.
As most of pray this prayer in air conditioning, we think of others. It is an act of repentance to turn from ourselves for a moment and to pray for others …
We pray for those who make their living outdoors … in this heat. We pray for construction workers, landscapers, farmers, dog walkers, those fighting wildfires, groundskeepers, camp counselors, police officers on motorcycles, soldiers on maneuvers, major league baseball players, and for the lady who sits in the ticket booth at UT Hospital parking garage. We rely on some of these folks for our food and for our entertainment, some for tending to our children, and some for making our lawns look nice. Others provide safety. Gracious God, for those who work outside, we pray for their safety; we pray they have access to clean and cool water, and that they have relief at the end of their shift or day or inning.
You have heard us pray (or exclaim), “Dear Lord! Where did the summer go?” Tomorrow is the first day of school for Knox County students. Other school systems have already started and some will be starting next week.
“Where did the summer go, O God?”
Why do we have such a distortion of time when you have set our planet in predictable motion? Each day is twenty -four hours. You have timed it perfectly, O God, that we have eight hours to sleep, eight hours to work and learn, eight hours to …. All the other things.
We ask for forgiveness for taking the passing of the hours so personally and offer prayers on behalf of others. We pray for those who are anxious about school starting tomorrow. We pray for those who have had a hard summer because of lack of routine and lack of resources and food that school provides. We pray for those who have been reunited with families and friends on trips this summer and have vowed to keep in touch more intentionally. We pray for those whose days seem to go on forever with no interruption of friend or purpose. We pray for those who feel rushed through the day with no time for themselves. We pray for parents who will be filled with grief as school buses drive by. Give these – and all of us – a sense of your perfect time.
Today is Wednesday, the middle of the week. Some are asking, where did the week go? Or even, where did the day go? We measure the speed of time by how productive we are. Or how much fun we’re having. Time flies … or time drags…
It is so subjective. So, we pause in the early evening in the middle of the week, and offer a prayer to you. To offer ourselves humbly, we will attempt to think of others and how they have measured time today. For grandparents who know this is the ‘last day’ they will see grandchildren for a while, for teachers who are praying for students who will be entering their room tomorrow morning, for those who began the day in surgery waiting and for those who will end the day in the Emergency Department, for those who stand in front of an open refrigerator full of fruits, vegetables, and good leftovers and for those who have unplugged the refrigerator because it is empty and it is too expensive to run.
When we turn to you and utter, Dear God, may we be humbled and also comforted that there are others all around in countless other situations who are also saying Oh my God, Dear God, Good Lord … and you graciously hear us all.
Thank you for hearing our prayers – even when they are simply honest utterances. In vocalizing our feelings, may your holy spirit transform it into sacred conversation with you.
We pray for those in our church family who have asked for prayers for ….