Today is the feast day of the Holy Cross, and one of the scripture readings for the celebration is 1 Corinthians 1:18-25. While this passage relies on potentially problematic stereotypes about culture and ethnicity, it does remind us that all of us carry broken and misplaced expectations about what God’s redemption looks like.  I wrote the prayer below as an invitation to open our awareness to God’s presence before meditating on the Corinthians passage.  And I extend that invitation to you.

God of power and wisdom beyond our understanding,

calm our overwhelming need to know and explain everything,

slow the furious pace of our seeking and striving,

and ease our desperation to prove our own power and wisdom.

Empower us with your living truth,

assure us of your abundant grace,

and teach us to listen for your voice in the lowly and forgotten places of the world.

Open now our ears, minds, and hearts to the transforming work of your Spirit.

In the name of Jesus, the one who confounds the wise and lifts up the powerless, we pray,

Amen.