My Prayer for our churches, cities, and communities for the 5th Sunday of Eastertide 2019; based on Leviticus: 19:1–18, Acts 11:1-18, 13:44-52, 14:21-27, Psalm 145, 148, Revelation 19:1-9, 21:1-6, and John 13:31-35

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I thank you for your work in the world. You have been at work since the beginning, you are at work in your People, and you will be at work until the day that all nations, tongues, and peoples worship you. You are at work right now in our churches and our cities and communities. Praise the LORD! Glory be to your name. Lord, Glorify your name through our lives. Holy Spirit, help us, help me, help our churches , help us to be a witness to the world by how we would love one another, and how we would live lives of blessing our cities and communities and their people, and may we see many join us in praising your name, being washed by the blood of the Lamb who was slain. Help us to honor you in all we do, worshipping you in ways that you are pleased with, serving our cities and communities and welcoming others in ways you are glad to use to make the name of Jesus known. Bring many to salvation, this salvation you opened up to all who repent and believe. We ask that you would be with us and help us to bring honor to you, help us to love our neighbor as ourselves, let us see your Holy Spirit raining down on our churches and on our cities and communities, that others would join us in saying, “Praise the LORD!” We thank you for the blessings you have given and will give our churches and our cities and communities. We look to you, for we know this is all your work. Let us be a part of it, because we love you. I especially pray that you would use the worship of our churches this Sunday to prepare us to live lives like this for you and for blessing our cities and communities in the week to come. (My Prayer for our churches ND our cities and communities for the 5th Sunday of Eastertide 2019; based on Leviticus: 19:1–18, Acts 11:1-18, 13:44-52, 14:21-27, Psalm 145, 148, Revelation 19:1-9, 21:1-6, and John 13:31-35) But chiefly we are bound to praise You for the glorious resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; for he is the very Paschal Lamb, who was sacrificed for us, and has taken away the sin of the world; who by his death has destroyed death, and by his rising to life again has won for us everlasting life. (Preface from BCP for Eastertide) Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.(Collect from BCP for 5th Sunday in Easter)