Thank you, God, for the good news you proclaim every day:
the good news of beauty and life, proclaimed by every creature.
We hear this good news in the song of the red winged blackbird balancing on a reed,
we see it in the green life galloping up in every plant and tree,
we smell it in the damp earth, we taste it in the tang of rhubarb.
Your world, new and fresh each day…
thank you for giving us life and breath to enjoy it.
Thank you for the good news we have been hearing this week;
for those among us who have experienced healing,
for conflicts that have been resolved,
for the hungry that have been fed,
for your work through millions of people,
proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favour.
Forgive us for the times we have
lost hope, lost sight, lost vision of your kingdom come.
We repent of how we have believed
your power to be limited, that there is no good news possible.
We pray for those who are waiting for good news,
waiting for results of tests, or waiting for an operation, or waiting to get better.
There are those waiting for news of a job, waiting for a turn in the economy.
There are those waiting for refuge, waiting for a visa, waiting for residency.
Help us walk with each other in good times and hard times.
Finally, we pray for Israel and Palestine.
We long for good news there;
good news for those who live in fear of terrorist acts,
good news for those who are trapped by a high wall and oppressive laws,
good news for children who need a better future,
good news for a country that has been too long bound by hatred and division.
God of peace, send your peace down on your holy land.
All these things we pray to you,
confident in your mercy to hear,
and your power to act upon them. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
I am a Mennonite pastor currently teaching theology at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario. I’ve served congregations in Ontario and most recently, Alberta.