Opening Prayer for an Ecumenical and Interfaith Prayer Service

God of Many Names,

We join today across diverse faiths and traditions unified in shared humanity, values, and purpose. May we recognize and respect one another in the spirit of solidarity and compassion. May love and hope be our guide and peace and justice our standard.

We gather as witnesses to government action that demeans and imperils human lives, criminalizes identity, and harms the already oppressed. We gather as a community concerned and committed to equal rights and protections under law and all that is holy. We gather as testimony that another way is possible, accessible, and necessary. Help amplify our voices that welcome the immigrant, shield the asylum seeker, and embrace the stranger among us.

May we be bold and brave so that the light of love will unmask the shadows of hate, isolation, and exclusion. Through the collective power at work in us, may your many names be praised. Amen.

Written by Cheryl A. Lindsay, UCC Minister for Worship and Theology