Praying together for our election
PREPARATION
During this election season, we encourage you to find a time to pray with friends and family, people from your church or small group, and maybe even your neighbors. We have prepared this short liturgy to guide you. Set aside 15 minutes for this time of prayer. Sit in a circle (if praying with others) and light a candle.
“A vote is a kind of prayer for the world we desire for ourselves and our children, and our prayers are stronger when we pray together.”
– Rev. Raphael Warnock
ELECTION LITURGY
Light A Candle
Song
Heaven Help Us
written by Kirk Bolen (TC15)
Heaven help us, God come near us
Do what only you can do
Heaven help us, Father hear us
We’re crying out to you
Falling on our knees, we lift our eyes
to where our help comes from
Calling on your name, Lord, hear our cries
pour out your perfect love
Scripture Reading Philippians 4:5-7 (NRSV)
5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Silence (3 to 5 minutes)
Surrendering Our Fears
Take turns saying out loud the fears and concerns you are holding at this moment. After you name these, hold them quietly in God’s presence reminding yourself that God is bigger than any fear, any burden, any obstacle, any division, any disunity, any hatred, and any lie. If it helps, sit with your hands open on your lap as a symbol of holding these concerns in God’s presence. Whatever you are experiencing, God can handle it. Write your fears/burdens on a piece of paper and then bring them to the altar (or a receptacle that has been created for this purpose) as a symbol of trusting your fears and concerns to God. Or it might be meaningful to throw the paper into the trash as a symbol of choosing not to hold onto or live out of fear.
As you engage in these symbolic actions, have someone in your group read the scriptures below.
2 Timothy 1:7 (NRSV)
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.
1 Peter 5:7 (NRSV)
Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.
Prayer for Civic Engagement1
If praying as a group, consider alternating who reads the “one” lines as a way to have more voices represented, keeping in mind diversity of gender, ethnicity and/or age.
One: O God of justice and peace, in this season of Ordinary time, we pause to reflect on the extraordinary call You place upon our lives to be faithful witnesses in all we do.
All: As we approach the time of decision in our nation, we ask for Your guidance and wisdom. Help us discern what is right and just.
One: Help us engage with a spirit of love and humility.
All: May our participation in the civic process be a reflection of our commitment to Your Kingdom, where righteousness and equity dwell.
One: We remember the sacrifices of those who came before us, who fought for the rights and freedoms we now hold. May their courage inspire us to be vigilant and proactive in ensuring that these rights are protected for all.
All: Let our voting be an act of faithfulness, not only to our beliefs but also to the future generations who will inherit the decisions we make today. Strengthen our resolve to work for a society that mirrors Your compassion, justice and peace.
One: As we prepare our hearts and minds to engage in this civic duty, remind us that our actions are a testament to the faith we profess. May we be instruments of Your peace in our communities, advocating for justice and mercy with every step we take.
All: Guide our nation, O Lord, and help us be Your hands and feet in this world, committed to building a future that honors You and uplifts all of Your children. Amen.
Silence
(Ask God for Wisdom. What action/s do you need to take before voting? Are there any conversations you need to have? Is there any research you need to do? Ponder how your vote will impact your neighbors and our shared future.)
Poem
(A moment of reflection on democracy)
“Democracy”
Langston HughesDemocracy will not come
Today, this year
Nor ever
Through compromise and fear.I have as much right
As the other fellow has
To stand
On my two feet
And own the land.I tire so of hearing people say,
Let things take their course.
Tomorrow is another day.
I do not need my freedom when I’m dead.
I cannot live on tomorrow’s bread.Freedom
Is a strong seed
Planted
In a great need.I live here, too.
I want freedom
Just as you.
Blessing
(To be read together in unison.)
God, You are Mighty and Merciful. We are grateful for
the right to vote, and we will not take it for granted.
Empower us to prepare our hearts to vote in a way that reflects
Your justice, peace and compassion.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Encourage One Another
It is a strength for all of us to know that we are praying together across the country and around the world.
- Leave a comment below with the state or country you will be praying in. Please note your comment may not show up right away. Please refrain from making political statements.
- Use the share buttons below to encourage others to join us in praying about our election.
1 Adapted from Sacred Votes: A Guide to Election Participation, Justice and Social Transformation. https://www.umcjustice.org/documents/336. 30-35.
Join thousands of pastors and spiritual leaders
Receive Beyond Words®, reflections on the soul of leadership. Written by Ruth Haley Barton, each reflection provides spiritual guidance and encouragement for those seeking to be in God for the world.
Praying in Tampa, Florida. May faith, hope and love live on.
Thank you all so much for letting us know you are praying. We just prayed together as a staff and are so grateful to know that around the world hearts and prayers are being lifted to One who loves and cares for us.
Praying in Littleton CO today
Praying in MN
Praying in western Pennsylvania
We are praying with you especially this day, 5th Nov. Our group are with you across the Atlantic, North Yorkshire, UK
My prayer group meets on Tuesdays and we will be praying the liturgy and election prayers you generously sent tomorrow on Election Day. I live in Fort Collins CO.
Praying, from South Africa
Thank you so much for this liturgy, it’s perfect. It’s just what I needed to prepare myself… May our prayers be multiplied 1 million fold to Gods merciful ears.
A Canadian in British Columbia praying for our neighbours
A non-liturgical, non-denominational (trans-denominational?) House Church of “people of a certain age” (grin) joins in the prayers through this liturgy. May our hearts be softened and our “ears” opened as we seek wisdom, guidance, and the strength to speak and DO the justice & mercy needed in our communities…and in the larger world.
Our church, Christ Community Church of the South Hills (Pittsburgh, PA) will be praying this together on Sunday evening
A Canadian Spiritual Director and her American husband praying in Ontario, Canada.
The Transforming Center staff is praying this liturgy today on October 31st, and then we’ll be praying together again the morning of Election Day, November 5th!
I will be in prayer each morning, Thursday — next Wednesday, for this election and the final outcome.
Praying during worship on Sunday Nov. 3 in Worcester MA
Praying from Tennessee.
Our ministry, Pilgrim Center for Reconciliation, will be praying through this liturgy in a global prayer call on Tuesday (Nov 5) morning. Thank you for this call to shalom!
Wonderful!
Praying in Naperville. So valued your conversation with Michael Wear Connecting the State of Our Politics with the State of Our Souls. Because we don’t talk about politics in our communities of faith, we so easily can see our politics as about choosing what is best for us. What would happen if we voted for what was best for others? Even the “others” that don’t believe what we believe.
Thanks, Jeff. I, too, was s truck by Michael’s perspectives on voting with greater attention to what is best for others (our neighbors) rather than just voting with only our own interests in mind. Too often I/we vote in a purely self-referenced way which strikes me as being so unChristian!
Your leadership continues to be used by God.
A hospital chaplain praying in Iowa.
We used this liturgy to be together as a group of friends over the weekend in Elmhurst, IL. The set apart time to share our fears and concerns and our attempt to hold them prayerfully before God together is a practice we haven’t had enough space for. I am grateful for the practical invitation to pray and act as a faith community.
Love hearing this!
Thank you so very much, Ruth, for this encouraging, hope filled, on-target prayer guide. We will be using it with a group of women this Tuesday evening here in Evansville, Indiana. Blessings and Peace, my friend.
Rev Ruth Conard
You’re welcome, dear Ruth! Hope its a blessed time tonight.
Mennonite Pastor in PA – we plan to join in using this liturgy and a time of communion next Sunday. Peace.
We prayed during our spiritual formation group gathering.
Thanks for sharing.
Prayed in Michigan
Georgia prayed
Praying in Tasmania ( Australia). Thankyou for this wonderful resource.
Hi everyone: We are Canadians and will be in the US during the election. I’m very torn between “prayer” and “action”, although prayer is action. I think as God’s people what we really need is “discernment” in these traumatic times and to remember to “not let our hearts be troubled.” There really is nothing new under the sun. There’s just too many leaders in all the layers of society with big egos vying for power and office everywhere including the US and Canada. Enough already with war, hate, divisiveness, and fear mongering. We need healing in all of lands of spirit, soul and body. We know that this will come eventually although we need it now. Sincerely, Rev. Adelina Pecchia, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Thank you so much for standing with us in prayer as Canadian citizens. In response to your comment about prayer and action–part of what we wanted to embed in this prayer service is the idea that voting is (or at least can be) prayer–especially when entered into with preparation and a sense of care and responsibility for our neighbors rather than just voting for ourselves. The second silence is especially powerful, I think, carrying us into the realm of God-guided action in the world:
“Ask God for Wisdom. What action/s do you need to take before voting? Are there any conversations you need to have? Is there any research you need to do? Ponder how your vote will impact your neighbors and our shared future.”
My prayer is that we will really take time for this silence in which we listen to God for his response to those questions and then get out there and do what he tells us to do. For those leading this liturgy in groups, I think you could take as much as 5 minutes for this silence to really give people a chance to listen an then hopefully, act.
Thank you so much for putting this together! The music is just beautiful and the springs a unity to the situation that we need so desperately. God bless you all & our beautiful nation.
I was at a fair yesterday and one of the vendors was from Bulgaria, a former communist country. Even though it hasn’t been for decades, there was still so much corruption her family couldn’t live there anymore; no matter how hard she worked she could never see the fruit of her efforts. She’s been in US for 8 years and she said no matter how bad people think it is here, it is nothing compared to what she has seen. She told us Americans don’t realize this, and she reminded us that we have to be so much more grateful for what we have.
This is a good word. Thank you.
Confidently praying w/brothers & sisters in Pasadena , CA & around the world for His Kingdom to truly be our welcoming homes & His Kingdom to rule in our world.,
So grateful for this helpful aid in a time when prayer and fasting for unity, love, forgiveness, LISTENING, lament, hope, harmony and reverence (of God, people and all creation) is critical.
100% of our dependency must be on God, grace, mercy (not any of our own chariots, horses, warriors’ legs, parties, candidates scripture is very clear to warn against). Psalms 147:10–11. God’s pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of the warrior; the ADONAI delights in those who revere him, who put their hope in his unfailing love. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. Ps. 20:7
Praying in Ohio. Thank you for this beautiful prayer.
PRAYING IN CALIFORNIA FOR GOD TO BE MADE KNOWN THROUGHOUT THIS COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD
Our Saturday morning Bible study will pray through this on Saturday, November 2.
May God have mercy on America and give us better than we deserve.
I will be using this to lead a prayer service on Tuesday at our episcopal church to calm people who have anxiety and fear. Thank you so much
Praying and voting in Lincoln Nebraska.
What a gift! Beautiful, helpful, and hopeful liturgy. Thank you. I know many who are quite anxious these days–how timely. Thank you for resourcing us.
Praying and will be voting from Oklahoma.
Thank you 🙏🏽 for your compassionate heart! As always, you are right on time with your sharing and capturing the pulse of the times. From my humble perspective of 76 years, this is one of the most crucial elections of my lifetime. So much is at stake, seen and unseen! These unsettling times require great wisdom, discernment, and Trust! It is not easy, even for an “old warrior” like myself.
You are welcome. Can I just say that it is such a gift to have an “old warrior like yourself” accompanying us so lovingly here in the TC? We need that so much. Thank you for such deep encouragement!