[This is one of a series of Prayers for the Christian Year. To see the other posts, click here.]

Living, loving Father,

Your name is majestic in all the earth. When we look around us, we are amazed that You, who have such magnificent power that You can create by speaking, still care for us so much.

From before the beginning of time until now, You have been alive and loving. By Your Word and Your Spirit, You created us and our world. You said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness," which culminated Your work of creation, which You saw as very good.

Later, the Word by which You created came and lived a marvelous life among us, He died a horrible death because of our sin, He rose again to life, conquering death and sin, and then ascended to reign with You.

It was He who assured us that it would be better for us if He went away, because then Your Spirit could come and give all of us the chance to live in fellowship with You.

You have given Him authority over everything, so enable us to go to every group of people in our world, and help them to become His apprentices as we are, being immersed in the reality of a world pervaded by You, Your Spirit, and Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

May His abundant grace, Your unfailing love, and Your Spirit's enlivening communion be with each of us and all of Your children, as we continue to pray the prayer that Jesus, our Savior and Master, taught us, saying,

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are Yours now and for ever. Amen

Notes:

This Sunday, the first Sunday after Pentecost, is Trinity Sunday. Having now remembered Jesus' suffering, death, resurrection and ascension, and the coming of the Holy Spirit in power at Pentecost, during this week each year, we consider God's nature as three-in-one before moving into Ordinary Time until Advent begins. The readings for this week, on which this prayer is based, are:

Genesis 1:1-2:4a: The Genesis account of God's creation of the heavens, earth, plant and animal life, and humanity. This reading is included on Trinity Sunday because of hints of each member of the Trinity's activity in creation. God the Father sees things, speaks things, says "let us create humankind in our image, and when creation was finished, called it very good. God the Son's activity is intimated by the Father's speaking, since Christ is described later as the Word who was with God, was God, without whom nothing was made, and who became flesh and dwelt among us. God the Spirit was active in creation even before light and darkness came about, as "the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters."
Psalm 8: David echoes the Genesis creation story and celebrates God's presence and power in the world, marveling at the things created in the world and the place among all of them that has been given to humanity. (This is also the psalm for Trinity Sunday in Year C).
2 Corinthians 13:11-13: Paul's concluding greetings in this letter to the Corinthians, which includes his prayer of blessing for them in the Trinity, which has come to be known as the Apostolic blessing.
Matthew 28:16-20: Jesus' "great commission" to his disciples after his resurrection, when he charged his followers to make disciples of all nations, baptize them in the name of the Trinity, teach them to obey everything he commanded, and promised that he would always be with them.