A Prayer for General Conference

General Conference is the every four-year gathering of United Methodists from around the world.  Persons are elected as voting delegates from their respective annual or central conferences.  It is my privilege to be an elected clergy delegate from the Minnesota Conference, and the head of the Minnesota delegation.

In preparation for General Conference annual and central conferences from around the globe have covenanted for twenty-four hour prayer for General Conference.  This Wednesday, March 23, the Minnesota Conference will be praying for General Conference.  I was asked to compose a prayer that could be used as part of that prayer vigil.  Here it is:

Creative Spirit who broods over chaos to bring order and who initiates constructive chaos when order becomes stilted, Incarnate Love who continues to draw near in the Spirit of Jesus the Christ, Empowering Spirit ever-present, come.  Our prayer for General Conference is simple and direct – Come, Spirit, come. Be again for us a creative presence.  Draw near to us again in love, opening wide your arms that we might open wide our arms and hearts to others.  Empower us again to be your people, sharing good news, creating community, building bridges of reconciliation, doing justice.  Grow our hearts.  Enliven our minds.  Expand our dreams.  As General Conference gathers in Portland, may we gather not simply in the name of Wesley, but in a Wesleyan spirit – committed to having our conversations seasoned with salt, committed to loving alike, even when we don’t think alike.  Come, Spirit, come.  In Christ.  Amen.