Loving God,
In becoming human in and through Jesus, you became our Companion and Guide. Jesus gave us the words of this prayer we say every time we gather with community at Your sacred table, words we utter when we are in need and have no other words, words many of us can say without consciously thinking them because it is one of the earliest prayers we learn. These words are comforting. These words are challenging. These words remind us how to be in relationship with you.

Loving Companion,
May we remember that when we say Your name, whatever we may call You – Father, Mother, Sister, Friend, Creator, Light – we are calling your holiness among us. May Your name always be sacred utterances from our tongues.

Loving Creator,
While You live in heaven, and one day we will reunite with You there, Your presence and Kingdom can be experienced here on earth through us. You call us to make manifest Your Kingdom here – this is Your hope, this is our responsibility.

Loving Nourisher,
The bread we receive at Your sacred table transforms us into agents of Your will in our communities. As we receive the nourishment we need from Your holy word and sacred table, we also recognize that sharing food at our dining room tables provides the sustenance we need to do your will. In our own nourishment, may we do what we are able to ensure our neighbors, too, have enough food at their dining room tables.

Loving Mercy,
You love us, even when we do wrong. You give us the gift of forgiveness, which allows us to continue the work of reconciling with those whom we’ve wronged. Then, You call us to do one of the most challenging tasks – to forgive those who have wronged us with the same mercy and forgiveness You have given to us. May we remember Your forgiveness as we strive to act with the same loving mercy You show us so easily.

Loving Guide,
You show us the way, the truth, and the light. May we follow the example You gave us through Jesus so as to avoid the smart, conniving evil around us that tempts us away from You.

Loving God,
These are the words You have given us to remember gratitude, guidance, and how to live a life that draws us into an ever-deepening relationship with You. May we pray these words with more conscious awareness as we live into the responsibility of believing them.

Amen.