) is cited.
L: In this season of vineyard labor, let us call to mind the prophet's vision: If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
C: Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. [Isaiah 58:9]
L: Let us pray. O God, you are the true bread that comes down from heaven and gives life; hear, now, the prayers of your people for the hungers of this world.
C: God, have mercy upon us.
L: We remember all who labor but go hungry to their rest; We remember those who cannot find work for their hands; We remember the children who go unfed, and we ask:
C: Lord, have mercy.
L: We remember all who hunger and thirst for justice; we remember the victims of oppression; we remember those who have placed their trust in you, and we ask:
C: Christ, have mercy.
L: We remember all who live upon the bread of affliction; we remember those whose tears are their food; we remember the homeless and the poor, and we ask:
C: Lord, have mercy.
L: As we remember the suffering and want of others, we acknowledge our own hunger and need.
C: When we are empty of hope, fill us; when we are worn from care, renew us; when we fail to love, forgive us.
L: Bring us to your table and feed us with bread for the journey. Strengthen us and gladden our hearts; that we might taste and see your goodness, that our lives might be as bread that is broken and wine that is poured, and that we might work in hope for the day when all are fed. This we ask in the name of Christ;
C: Amen.
Christ Jesus, you look with favor on any gift given from the heart. You praised the generosity of the despised Samaritan. You rejoiced when Zaccheus turned from grasping wealth. You marveled at the widow who shared out of her poverty. You blessed the apostles who had neither silver nor gold, but the desire to share your healing power. Teach us gratitude for the gifts of others and for our own; that, respecting the variety of gifts, we might ever grow in our ability to give as well as to receive. In the name of God, giver of every good gift; Amen.
O God, our strength, our might, and our song: with joy we shall draw water from the wells of salvation, for so you have promised. With the woman of Samaria and all who seek the waters of life, we thirst. Give us the power to draw from the deep well of your grace, that we might pour and serve refreshment not only for ourselves, but for all people. This we ask through Jesus Christ, who honors every cup of cold water given in his name. Amen.
The Day of Pentecost (A, C)
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, who gathers the whole world into the Spirit of your Son. You have given us food for another day: blessed be God forever! We beg you to pour out food for the needy, that all peoples and languages may praise your name, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pentecost III (C)
O God of life, through Elijah and Jesus you gave life back to the dead sons of the widows. We praise you for the life you give us at the table this day. Keep us from death, and use us, we pray, to give life to all who are dying, for your Name's sake. Amen.
Pentecost IV (A)
O God, you have borne us on eagle's wings from death to life. You have set this food on our table; we eat and are satisfied. Blessed are you, our wings toward life. Gather up all those who are hungry or helpless or harassed, that none may fall by the way, but all may be saved by your grace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pentecost IV (B)
O God the Creator, out of the seed you grow a tree; out of nothing you bring this meal. We honor your power, we praise your might. Create in us a new spirit, that we may bear fruit for other and so share our life with the world, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pentecost V (A)
O Lord of hosts, you save even the sparrow who falls from the tree, and you save us with this food. Sing to the Lord! We praise the name of the Lord! Now, O merciful God, save also all the needy from the hands of the world's evildoers that all may praise your name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pentecost V (B)
O God, out of the whirlwind you have spoken grace. You have laid the world's foundations, and you have set this table with food. Blessed be God for ever! By that same power create human society anew, with justice as its measurement and compassion for a cornerstone, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pentecost VIII (C)
O God, who orders the cycles of nature and sends the rain and sun to earth that our food may grow and we may thrive, we praise you for this meal. We beg you, O God: be midwife to the whole creation as it groans in childbirth, and draw all the needy out of their suffering into new life; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pentecost X (C)
O Father, with your Son we pray: give us each day our daily bread. We have asked for bread, and you have provided. Hear us now, as we beseech you with Abraham and with Jesus for the life of all the world, that none may die, and that all who ask may be given daily bread, to the glory of your Name. Amen.
Pentecost XIII (B)
O God our Wisdom, you have called us to your table, and you feed us with your food. We praise your gracious hospitality to us. Fill us with your Spirit that, seeing in our food your life, we may freely share it with others, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pentecost XIII (C)
The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord, and you give them their food in due season. You open wide your hand, and satisfy the needs of every living creature. And now, O Lord, we pray: Save the weak and the orphan; defend the humble and needy; rescue the weak and the poor; deliver them from the power of the wicked. Alleluia, O Lord. Amen.
Pentecost XVI (A)
O God, the Author of life, you have written grace into the universe, and you have blessed us with your benefits. We praise you for life, for freedom, and for food. We remember before you those who suffer in spite of your power: May the world's authorities honor all the world's people, and so honor you, the Beginning and the End of all. Amen.
Pentecost XIX (C)
O God, the God of both the rich man and poor Lazarus, come with the Spirit of your Son to our table today. Bless our meal with your presence, and bless us too, that seeing the poor at our doorstep we may share our food with them, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pentecost XXI (B)
O Lord God, you have been gracious to us; you have given us plentiful food. We praise you, faithful God. We pray now for the poor who are trampled, for the needy who are turned aside: bless also them with food, we pray, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pentecost XXII (C)
O God of all ages, like Jacob of old we beg for your blessing. Touch us with your gracious hand that through this food we may have life. We praise you for all your gifts to us. Now hear us, as with the bothersome widow we beg and plead with you: hear the cries of the poor, we pray, and vindicate them speedily, to the glory of your Name. Amen.
Pentecost XXV (B)
O Lord God, you miraculously fed the widow of Zarephath, and daily you feed us at this table. We praise your mercy and love. From our abundance may we be willing to give everything we have to those who are poor in our midst. Amen.
We praise you, God, for daily food, for love and health and all that's good. We beg your gifts for all the poor, that pain and want will be no more. Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest, and let these gifts to us be blessed. Blessed by God, who is our Bread; may all the world be clothed and fed. Amen.
Source: These litanies and prayers are taken from "Pour Yourself Out for the Hungry: A Resource for Worship," ©1993 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (currently out of print but reproduced here in its entirety).
Table prayers have been selected and reprinted from "Blessing and Beseeching: Prayers on Food and Hunger" (LCA, 1985-1987) by Gail Ramshaw.