Good and gracious God,

It is easy to get so caught up
in the business and troubles
of our own lives,
that we forget we are called
to be transformers for justice
in this world.

There is so much pain,
so much loneliness,
so much sickness,
so much loss,
so much injustice
in this world
that it can sometimes seem like
“just the way things are.”

Let us never forget
that Creation contains
the possibility of
heaven on earth,
a fellowship of humanity.

Let us never forget
that the teachings of Jesus
as well as the teachings
of so many other
great spiritual leaders
can lead us to a world
where suffering
it greatly reduced.

Until that time,
teach us not only to
confront injustices
but to comfort those who suffer
and to be open
to receiving comfort
when we are the ones
suffering.

Amen.

Rev. Mark Sandlin is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) from the South. He currently serves at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant. He is a co-founder of The Christian Left. His blog, has been named as one of the “Top Ten Christian Blogs.” Mark received The Associated Church Press’ Award of Excellence in 2012. His work has been published on “The Huffington Post,” “Sojourners,” “Time,” “Church World Services,” and even the “Richard Dawkins Foundation.” He’s been featured on PBS’s “Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly” and NPR’s “The Story with Dick Gordon.” Follow Mark on Facebook and Twitter @marksandlin.