A Prayer for Love

This prayer can help us keep our focus on our neighbor.  

Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

At the very heart of your call to us we hear Jesus say,

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

We hear Paul say

“…the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

We hear James say

If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.

But Lord, with the expert in the law we confess we too often say, 

“Who is my neighbor?” We with the expert want to justify ourselves. With the expert we want to limit who we have to call our neighbor. 

In these moments and in these struggles enlarge our vision Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

Help us to see our neighbor in 

• The hungry
• The thirsty
• The stranger
• The naked
• The sick
• The imprisoned

Help us to see our our neighbor in

• Our fellow members of the body of Christ
• Those brothers and sisters that we want to turn our back on so we can hold on to what we have
• Those who are different, who we count as the other
• Those who are different, who don’t meet our standards
• Those we would prefer not come to this nation
• Those who live in this nation and in other nations
• Those who are close and those who are far away

Help us to see our our neighbor in

• Our enemies
  • That we may do good to them, blessing those curse us and praying for those who mistreat us

Holy Spirit so empower our lives that this is our way of life. That when people look at your Church Jesus they say with amazement, “They must be disciples of Jesus, see how they love the world” (John 3.16).

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

We would love for you to visit us at VibrantCongregations!