What would happen if the children wrote all the prayers?  Children age 3 through 5th Grade at Trinity Episcopal wrote The Prayers of the People used in worship the last few weeks. Each prayer was followed by a brief reflective silence.  One of the children led the prayers.

Let us pray for our neighbors and our neighborhood.

Let us pray for our families and friends: our mommies and daddies, our grandparents and great-grandparents.

Let us pray for the world and the universes.

Let us pray for our pets and the animals of the world: Millie, Cokie, puppies and cats.

Let us pray for those who have illnesses, our sick grandparents, heart disease, cancer, and memory loss.

Let us pray for those going through rough times, mentally and physically.

Let us pray for those who have died everywhere and those who have died that are close to us.

Let us pray for everyone.

[The Prayers of the People concluded with a prayer written by the priest who works with these little ones:]

Holy and gracious God, we are too often blinded by trivial matters. May our attention be diverted now from these things, and may we become as little children, trusting and seeking with love to cross bridges we have not crossed in the past.

Amen!

• Gordon C. Stewart, Chaska, MN, October 23, 2015.