BY: CARRIE MEYER MCGRATH, MDiv, MAS
Leader: God of all times and all places, be with us in this place and time. You sustain us in body and mind that we may care for you as we care for others. You humble us in body and mind that we may experience you in those who care for us as well. Keep us ever mindful that our lives are a gift of your love. Amen.
Reader 1: (Isaiah 43:1, 4)
A reading from the prophet Isaiah:
But now, thus says the Lord,
who created you, O Jacob, and formed
you, O Israel:
Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name: you are mine.
Because you are precious in my eyes
and glorious, and because I love you.
Reflection Question (may be considered silently or read aloud by the leader)
The world may name each of us by our successes or failures, titles, roles or even diagnosis. However, God does not define us by such labels; instead, we are named "precious" and "glorious."
By what name is God calling you?
Reader 2: (Matthew 11:28-30)
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew:
Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."
Reflection Question (may be considered silently or read aloud by the leader)
What burdens are you carrying? What is causing your spirit to be weary? How can you lay these things at the feet of Jesus and find rest for your soul?
Leader: Trusting in God’s unsurpassing love for us, let us lift up in prayer our brothers and sisters struggling with mental illness and the people who seek to support them.
All: Loving God, we pray.
Leader: For an end to the stigma of mental illness.
All: Loving God, we pray.
Leader: For the expansion of counseling and crisis intervention services in our communities.
All: Loving God, we pray.
Leader: For judges, police and all community officials who encounter persons with mental illness and their families; open their eyes to see the dignity in each person.
All: Loving God, we pray.
Leader: For greater integration among the systems involved in caring for persons with mental illness. May the educational, housing, judicial and welfare systems interface with health care institutions and family structures to stabilize those at risk.
All: Loving God, we pray.
Leader: In closing, pray with me for what we need this day, in the words Jesus taught us.
All: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on Earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever.
Amen.
"Prayer Service," a regular department in Health Progress, may be copied without prior permission.