Prayers for Queer Folks: An LGBTQ Pride Prayer & Communion Liturgy

These prayers were written for LGBTQ Pride worship at St. John’s Presbyterian Church in San Francisco, CA.

An Opening Prayer for Pride

God of wild love and extravagant acceptance…
Spirit of boldness and beauty…

You are faithfully present in both the grit and glitter of life,
and you are present here with us now.
Awaken us to your dream for creation:
A world in which every member of the human family is free
to flourish however you have made them.

Forgive us for the moments we have held back
your ever-flowing current of love, dignity, and justice.
Remake us into a people eager to see you
in the faces, bodies, and expressions of all people.
Remind each of us to step out of the shadows of our lives
and shine fearlessly and courageously.

Ignite the Divine Light within us to sparkle through the prism
of our bodies and brighten every corner of this Earth.

Holy One, You call each of us beloved.
Each of us cherished.
Each of us desired.
Each of us sacred.
And so, we give you thanks now and forever.

Amen.

A Communion Liturgy for Pride

Beloved children of God, as we gather here this morning, we are the church! In this moment, we respond to the words of Jesus, who tells us: “…where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”

And it is with the power of Christ that we proclaim that this table is open to all people — no matter who you are or what you believe or what you’ve been told.

Here at the Lord’s table we remember the simple gathering of a chosen family that came together for a meal that proclaimed a new way of being in this world.

We remember God’s radically inclusive love made real in the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
We remember the One who befriended the forgotten, embraced the outcast, and saw the Image of God in all people.
We remember the One who confronted every power that disconnected, marginalized, oppressed, and “other-ed.”

It is here at this table that we find hope and imagination to see God’s dream and promise of a world of wholeness, and it is here that we receive the nourishment and strength to continue on the paths of justice.

We recall that on the night he was betrayed, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

In the same way he took the cup, saying, “This is my blood, my very life, poured out for you. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

God, we thank you for breathing this world into existence and proclaiming from its birth: “It is good.”
We come to you with gratitude for the endless blessings that we see, feel, and know on our journeys of life.
We celebrate the rich diversity of your creation — every beautiful body, every shade of skin, every expression of love.

Through your Spirit, open our hearts to the joy we can find in the midst of life’s challenges.
Remind us that we are loved — fiercely and forever.
And however the world may try to hold us down or tell us who to be, remind us that nothing can separate us from your presence.

And so as we stand before this feast, we pray with the words you taught us to pray:

Our Beloved Parent in heaven, holy is 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 forever.
Amen.

Beloved children of God, the table is set.

Come and feast with the One who loves you more than you can possibly imagine.