Prayer for Interfaith Week
The Revd Dr. Raj Bharat Patta, minister at the United Stockport Circuit with pastoral charge of Dialstone Lane Methodist Church and Davenport Methodist Church.
Divine Spirit, the source, the spring and the sustainer of faith,
We thank you for choosing us in your own way,
Finding us on our own paths,
Gifting faith as your fruit in our lives,
Revealing us that you are love and love alone,
Reminding us that though we are different, we are all equal,
Calling us to affirm diversity in unity and to celebrate unity in diversity.
God of love, we are deeply concerned of the climate around us today,
Where friction between faiths is increasing,
Where far-right extremism is on the rise,
Where fear of the ‘other’ is growing,
Where hatred against the strangers is deepening,
Where gap between the haves and have-nots is widening,
Where discrimination on those on the margins is intensifying,
Where exclusion, rejection and oppression unfortunately continue in the name of religion,
So, God of peace,
may this Inter Faith Week challenge us as people of faith
to respect each other with mutual dignity, care and compassion,
to open ourselves unto one another in humility and grace,
to strive for community cohesion by building bridges of love,
to defeat hostility by offering hospitality,
to overcome divisiveness by standing in solidarity with each other,
to live out our faith as a tool of transformation in the public sphere,
so that we become nations of sanctuary by demonstrating faith in actions,
working for justice, peace, love, truth and friendships to flourish in our contexts today.
In the name of the name above all names we pray.
Amen