Lord, You wept over Jerusalem.
Your heart was moved by wordless compassion
for their hardened hearts
and their disregard for words You spoke.
Likening Yourself to a mother hen,
You longed to gather those
who called the city home
beneath Your wings
as a way of reminding them of their identity
all the while protecting them from harm.

I weep over my city, too.
My heart breaks for the spiritual apathy
and secular pride that defines its leadership
and characterizes much of its citizenry.
Lord, as You know
mine is a city blighted by homelessness,
litter, graffiti and darkness.
It’s a city with a glorious past
that has succumbed to a spirit of lawlessness
where street crime, illegal drug use and theft
is not prosecuted.

God of all cities, I call on You
to revive the churches of my city
by reawakening their passion to love like Jesus.
Renew their commitment to befriend the marginalized,
to feed the hungry,
to clothe the refugee,
to challenge the purveyors of lies
and to work together across denominational lines.

O God, use the Body of Christ in Greater Seattle
to be the hands and feet of Jesus
in spite of being held at arm’s length at times.
Empower them by Your Spirit
to bind up wounds,
heal divisions,
model courageous conversations
and listen with nonjudgmental ears
all the while keeping its eye on You. Amen.

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