God of all mercy and compassion, we offer a Prayer for a Thousand Years by Jay McDaniel:
In this century and in any century,
our deepest hope, our most tender prayer,
is that we learn to listen.
May we listen to one another in openness and mercy.
May we listen to plants and animals in wonder and respect.
May we listen to our own hearts in love and forgiveness.
May we listen to [You, our] God in quietness and awe.
And in this listening,
which is boundless in its beauty,
may we find the wisdom to cooperate with [Your] healing spirit,
[Your] divine spirit,
who beckons us into peace and community and creativity.
We do not ask for a perfect world, but we do ask for a better world.
We ask for deep listening, [and for the ability to respond to what we hear.]—AMEN.
(Prayers for a Thousand Years by Jay McDaniel)
