Prayer for Unity in Diversity
Our Lord and God,
the only Uncreated One,
above and outside the cosmos you made:
there is no one like you.
We praise you for sending your Son, our Beautiful Savior,
to rule and reign over us as our Eternal King,
to draw us near to
you
as our Great High Priest,
and to draw us near to
each other
through the reconciliation of his blood.
Through Christ, who is our peace:
make us one
.
Divine and sovereign Creator,
in your wisdom you have made us diverse.
But in our folly, we have feared our variety:
we have built up walls and barriers to isolate;
we have interrupted the harmony you designed
for clan and culture,
for sex and language,
for old and young.
Forgive us, Lord,
and help us rightly celebrate your creative diversity
as it is expressed in us:
your creations—beautifully and wonderfully made!
By your Holy Spirit,
bring shalom into our hearts and minds,
that we might extend our arms toward those who are different than us.
Through Christ, who is our peace:
make us one
.
Wise and loving Maker,
in your wisdom you have made us one.
But in our folly, we have grown suspicious of our unity.
We have found too many ways to bicker and argue
about theological differences,
about worship preferences,
about how your church ought to look in your world.
Forgive us, Lord,
and help us learn how to value one another’s perspectives,
discoursing in a posture of openness toward the other,
offering our disagreements in a spirit of love,
that your people’s many viewpoints might be unified in heart and mind.
By your Holy Spirit,
bring unity amidst our diversity,
and grant us the wisdom to distinguish this diversity from heresy,
so that in our celebration of difference your church would be kept free
from error.
Through Christ, who is our peace:
make us one
.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
One-in-Three and Three-in-One;
True Unity in Diversity:
May your church, beautiful in its variety,
reflect your own Trinitarian community.
Through Christ, who is our peace:
make us one
.
Amen.
Harmony Hub Contributor:
Corey Janz, Regent College
