10/25/2026
Holy One, Source of the love that holds us all,
Jesus told his friends to love one another as he had loved them.
Two thousand years later, we are still learning what that asks of us.
We have made friendship a matter of comfort,
of who looks, believes, and votes like us.
Forgive us.
Love that costs us nothing is not the love Jesus taught,
and friendship that vanishes when justice grows uncomfortable
is no friendship at all.
Hear the names we have carried in the silence,
and hold those whose suffering remains hidden:
the sick and the grieving,
the exhausted caregiver,
the one waiting for a diagnosis,
the one who has lost someone they cannot imagine living without,
and the lonely, even in crowded rooms.
Let them know they are beloved.
We pray for Oklahoma,
a land whose history still calls us to truth and repair.
For Tulsa, where seventeen public schools are marked for closure,
and for the children, teachers, and families who will carry that loss.
Remind those entrusted with our children's futures
that a school is more than a line in a budget.
For our immigrant neighbors,
as Warr Acres enlists its police in federal immigration enforcement.
For the parent afraid a traffic stop could separate a family,
and the child wondering whether everyone will come home tonight.
When fear becomes public policy, give us courage to name it.
No border can erase a person's humanity;
no government can revoke their belovedness.
For the women of Oklahoma,
where a new report reveals hundreds of pregnancy-related prosecutions.
For mothers who need healthcare, not handcuffs,
and families who need compassion, not suspicion.
Teach us that protecting life must mean caring for the living.
As Oklahoma County weighs hundreds of millions for a new jail,
remind us that public safety is not measured in beds behind bars,
and that every human being has worth:
those we imprison, those they have harmed, and those who love them.
We pray for the United States,
with an election nine days away.
Where lies are dressed as truth, give us discernment.
Where power demands loyalty instead of accountability, give us courage.
Where neighbors are taught to fear one another, give us the wisdom to refuse.
Protect every voice someone would rather silence,
for democracy cannot survive where our neighbors' dignity does not matter.
We remember Renee Good and Alex Pretti,
killed by federal officers in Minnesota,
and their families still seeking answers.
Let truth come into the light.
Let no badge, office, or institution stand beyond accountability.
Justice is not the enemy of peace;
it is the ground on which peace must stand.
We pray for the world,
where those with the least power pay the highest price:
for Sudan, where war and drought leave millions hungry
and children die while the world forgets their names;
for Gaza, where food aid has been cut
and families search for enough to survive another day;
for Palestinians in the West Bank, whose homes and harvests remain under threat;
for the people of Israel, who long for safety without endless war;
for Iran, where a war waged by our own nation endangers innocent lives;
for Lebanon and all who live beneath the threat of the next attack;
and for Ukraine, where people in occupied Oleshky wait for food, medicine, and safe passage.
Holy One, we are weary
of leaders who speak of victory while mothers bury their children,
of nations that find billions for weapons but not enough to feed the hungry,
of being told peace must wait until someone has suffered enough to surrender.
Break the machinery of war.
Break the grip of greed.
Break the habit of calling other people's suffering the cost of our security.
And remind us that our enemies, too, are human.
Loving them does not excuse injustice;
it refuses to surrender our humanity to hatred.
And now, for us, Disciples First:
Do not let us call ourselves welcoming while anyone remains outside the circle,
or sing of love while our neighbors are harmed,
or mistake being friendly for being faithful.
Make us the friends Jesus called us to be:
friends who show up,
who speak out,
who share what they have,
who stay when doing right becomes costly.
And as we come to your table,
remind us that no one's hunger is beyond our concern.
Let the bread we share become bread for the hungry,
the cup we share become courage for the weary,
and the love we receive become justice in the world,
so that when people ask what it means to follow Jesus,
they need only look at how we love.
We pray in the name of Jesus of Nazareth,
who called his followers friends,
who refused to abandon the outcast,
and who loved so completely
that even the violence of empire could not make him stop.
And who taught us to pray, saying:
Our Father, who art in heaven…
