For November 3, 2024 -- Proper26B

PRAYER FOR & ASSURANCE OF GRACE
God you challenge us to love our neighbour as ourselves,
and we do our best.
But sometimes we are tempted to ask what neighbour actually means,
does it mean those who are like us, or those who we know well, or those with shared values?
God you call us to love each other as you first loved us,
that is harder, that is more of a challenge.
Our faith stories are filled with migrants and refugees, people seeking a new place to live,
and we find that you love them, that they are to be treated as neighbours.
God of challenge, God of grace, help us to love all our neighbours, and remember what all means.
Even when they are not like us, even when their presence brings new ideas, new challenges, and new hopes.
...time of silence...
God who loves us calls us to love others. God who created us all and calls us good helps us see everyone as our neighbour. God who is gracious helps us learn better how to live as people of love
Thanks be to God. Amen.