This is a collection of Joan Kavanaugh's post-9/11 public pastoral prayers delivered at The Riverside Church in New York City. Written with a --newspaper in one hand and Bible in the other, -- they address the issues of human struggle and world crisis that have touched all of our lives in this era of terrorism, anxiety, and global conflict. Prophetic and pastoral, the prayers focus on contemporary themes of conflict, violence, poverty, racism, injustice, hope, and human longing from spiritual, psychological, and biblical perspectives. They are a resource for all who want to deepen their faith as they face a world deep in turmoil. --The remarkable thing about these prayers is the way they chronicle signal events impacting the life of the church, the nation, and the global community.-- --James A. Forbes Jr., from the Foreword --Joan Kavanaugh is a spirit-filled poet whose masterful use of language conveys a deep wisdom that lights up the worship service in prophetic Riverside Church. Her public prayers inspire us all -- --Cornel West, Professor of Philosophy and Christian Practice, Union Theological Seminary --Joan Kavanaugh is that rare clergyperson who touches the personal and global, weaving together poetry, activism, and a profound degree of openness to the human experience. Not only did I love this book for my personal reading, I will turn to it again and again as I lead my congregation in public prayer for God's broken world. Simply stated: every minister should have a copy in his or her library -- --R. Scott Colglazier, Senior Minister, First Congregational Church of Los Angeles --Joan Kavanaugh's eloquent prayers provide a prophetic and sweeping vision of human possibility in an impossibly conflicted world. They call us to live in the presence of a God whose love is radically inclusive, giving voice to our perennial longing for justice and deep connection.-- --Sam Keen, author of In the Absence of God and Fire in the Belly --Combining poetic wit, prophetic passion, and pastoral wisdom, Joan Kavanaugh prays us into spaces of imagination that are rare and wonderful. She shows us what it means to be human; she gives us an anatomy of our souls. And she shows us what it means to live together; she gives us a map of the world. With our souls and world map in hand, she prays us into the arms of God, and lets us see life eternal in the here and now.-- --Serene Jones, President, Union Theological Seminary Joan L. Kavanaugh is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ who served as clergy and the founding director of the Pastoral Counseling Center at The Riverside Church in New York City for thirty-three years. Currently she is a psychotherapist in private practice in New York City.
