Preaching Text (Luke 11:1-13)
That prayer will shape our lives
Christ, your Spirit has taught us to pray and has been present with us as we prayed, but we are slow to learn to match our lives to the words we pray. Let the words we pray breathe through every moment of our lives.
We pray that God’s name will be honored even as we use God’s name as though it were a magical formula for our success or a stamp of approval for our choices. Let prayer shape us for complete devotion that honors you.
We pray for daily provision even as we fret about the adequacy of our large supplies of food and material goods. Let prayer free us from anxiety to trust in You.
We pray for forgiveness even as we cling to many memories about wrongs that have been done to us. Though we have excluded some who offended us, from our lives, we assume that You will embrace us and hold us close. Let prayer soften our hearts to forgive others as You forgive.
We pray that You will not lead us into temptation, even while we glance this way and that at the instant pleasures the world offers, and as we linger in reveries of desire. Let prayer unify every aspect of our lives as a grateful response to your freely given gifts. Amen.
Thoughts, and prayers from Pastor David Antieau at St. Nicolai United Church of Christ
Thanks for the prayer. I played the Mass this week and so I found it hard to concentrate on anything but the music. I usually use the Gospel and the sermon to shape the prayers that I say with Kathy as we drive to work each day. I will use your prayer this week.
ReplyDeleteThanks Pastor, liked the blog. Sorry it took me so long to check it out. We have a hummingbird now in our back yard that comes every morning to visit our Rose of Sharon and our hummingbird feeder. Jeannie F.
ReplyDelete