Gracious God, your ascended Son promised the gift of the Holy Spirit. Send your Spirit of revelation and wisdom that we may witness to your grace and forgiveness, freedom and hope, joy and salvation. Open our minds to understand your will, so that when sin cripples our hope, we may discover the freedom of your forgiveness; when suffering and death overtake our lives, we may know the joy of the Risen Christ; and when we feel abandoned, we may comprehend the power of the promised Spirit.
Holy Father, Father of the Risen and Ascended Christ, you surround us with witnesses who have shown us the way. Inspire us with your Spirit to stop looking into the heavens and start doing the work of the kingdom. Help us to seek justice, becoming a people who nourish and clothe and lament. Help us to love kindness, becoming a people who forgive and accept forgiveness, a people who show mercy and live in charity. Help us to walk humbly with you, becoming a people whose secret identities melt away revealing the Christ living within.
Sovereign Lord, Father of all in the power of the Spirit, we continue to pray for those have suffered the devastation of rising waters and violent winds. Help us to reach out in need to those desperate for help.
Almighty God, whose blessed Son our Savior Jesus Christ ascended far above the heavens that he might fill all things. Mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his promise, he abides with his Church on earth, even to the end of the ages. We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, as we continue to pray saying:
Our Father, who art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us
Lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.