Welcome to the Pilgrimage of Prayer  ~
Day 40 of a 40-day journey of prayer leading us to General Council 42.

As the commissioners to GC42 prepare to make a physical pilgrimage to Corner Brook, Newfoundland, we invite the entire United Church of Canada into a prayer pilgrimage.

This is the fourtieth day of 40 days of prayer together. The following prayers have been prayed, written, and shared with us as a daily prayer practice.As you pray each day, please hold in your heart our whole United Church.  Think of the power of all of us praying together. So “May it be so.” Amen.
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You are invited to say the following prayer out loud today, the last day in the 40 days of the Prayer Pilgrimage leading up to General Council 42, along with the specific prayer for the day. We also invite you to pray this prayer during each day of General Council.

Pilgrim Prayer

May I love this day and all that it brings
The dust, stones or mud beneath my feet
The air I breathe, food I eat, water I drink

May I open my heart to mysteries along the way
Greet fellow pilgrims with welcome and grace
Move lightly and simply through the day

May I give thanks for the Earth, our fragile home
For all my relations who have gone before me
And for all who will follow… I am not alone

May the spirit and blessing of the One who is love
– Holy One among us, all around us, and within us –
Be with me today, and surround me with love

Allison Rennie and Diane Ransom, Naramata, B.C. Created in 2010 by Allison Rennie and Diane Ransom and said aloud each day while walking the Camino de Santiago.

Prayer for Day 40 – Friday, August 7

Do we have a particular gift, Creator, amongst your creations?
Do we have a particular gift as church amongst the rest of your perfectly created people?
Are there riches in our Scripture, in our hymns,
in our traditions, in our rituals, in our decision-making structure?
Do we have something to offer to the world?
Is there something in us with which you mean to bless the world?
If so, O Beautiful One, call it out in us and make us aware of it!

Kelly Colwell, Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church in Toronto, Ontario
Photo by Alice Popkorn (CC BY 2.0).