O Holy Spirit of wind and flame, here we are to worship on this intersection of Pentecost and Memorial Day weekend. As always our prayer is for your Holy Spirit to breathe life into all we do. As we set aside time this weekend to honor the memories of fallen heroines and heroes we give thanks for our inalienable freedoms, even as we also engage in the continuous work of preserving and extending basic human rights to all of your children. On this holiday when we ponder the awful cost of wars past and present, we pray for your vision of peace and justice to become at last a reality in this broken world.
For many of us this weekend is also a time to remember loved ones who are in the great cloud of witnesses that surround us. Memories are like the wind that blows where it will, sometimes when least expected a word or song triggers a recollection that tugs at our hearts or brings a warm glow to our souls or a tear to our eye. Other times we get smacked by regrets of things undone or questions we failed to ask of those who can no longer share their experience and wisdom.
We give thanks for time this weekend with family and friends, for cookouts and re-creation, for new memories made and traditions passed from one generation to the next. We are grateful for technology that can bridge miles of separation and for those moments of quiet reflection that span the divide between this life and the next.
For many this is a time of transition as a school year ends and the more relaxed season of summer begins. We give you heartfelt thanks for those who educate our children. May this summer season be for all of us a time of renewal and refreshment, a time for the inner child in all of us to play, to star gaze and enjoy the beauty of nature, a time for more being and less doing; a time of Sabbath rest and meditation upon those people and values too precious for any price.
And God, some of us are anxious about the possibility of economic trouble looming in our nation’s capital. Please guide the leaders of both parties that they may reach an agreement that is fair and just for all, especially for those who can least afford a financial crisis.
Bless our time of worship, O Gracious One. May it be a time of sharing in your Kingdom where we recognize that we dwell in you and you in us; that the circle of life is unbroken when we surrender all we have and all we are in service to our Lord and Savior, your beloved Son who taught us the prayer we share with one voice…..
Northwest UMC, Columbus, OH, May 28, 2023
Peacefully Harsh 
What a lovely prayer, Steve. I think that you thought of/covered everything on this “intersection of Pentecost and Memorial Day.” Thank you for the reminders of the many life events happening right now, and for our differing possible responses.