In the name of
the Creator with whom we share divinity,
the redeemer with whom we share humanity, and the Holy Spirit
who unsettles and inspires us.
God of Surprises,
you call us
from the narrowness of our traditions
to new ways of being church
from the captivities of our culture
to creative witness for justice
from the smallness of our horizons
to the bigness of your vision.
Clear the way in us, your people,
that we might call others
to freedom and renewed faith
and that all might know the beauty and power and danger of the gospel,
especially through the ministerial witness
of women and men who,
with their many gifts,
bring healing to a suffering church and people.
[Drawn from a prayer written by Gwen Cashmore and Joan Puls in 1992. It is based on ‘Hanta Yo’, a Lakota Sioux invocation meaning ‘Clear the Way’;Used for the Prayer Service for Women’s Ordination on the 17th Annual World Day of Prayer – 25 March 2011 as created by Women’s Ordination Worldwide, Liturgy Committee]
