Prayer for September 22-28, 2013 

Sermon Text: 1 Timothy 2:1-7

That our prayers may contribute to justice, healing, and peace

Sovereign One, we rejoice in your invitation to pray, your promise of loving attentiveness, and the confidence your fidelity gives us that You will hear and answer for our well-being and for the healing of your world.

     Guide the leaders of our cities, states, nation, and nations of the world into knowledge of your word and pursuit of your justice.

     Enable our leaders to protect those who are poor, weak, and without voice, by compassionate advocacy and by wise and just allocation of resources.

     Enable us, as your people, to be agents of your truth; and may our leaders be committed to knowing your truth and acting truthfully as they carry out their tasks.

     Through wise leadership and faithful living, create a world of peace where your people and your creation are one in You.  Amen.

Prayer for September 15-21, 2013 

Sermon Text: 1 Timothy 1:12-17

(Note: As it turned out, I preached from the gospel instead)

That we may be full transformed by your love

God, our Creator, we rejoice in your great mercy.  We rejoice that You have overcome our resistance, overcome the violence of our hearts, to flood our lives with your grace and enable us to trust and love You through Christ Jesus.

You have saved us from the sin that enslaved us.  You have acted with great patience toward us.  You have shown us your amazing ability to transform lives so that we, with our many flaws and checkered histories, may be a sign of hope for others.

God of all, we rejoice that You have freed us, forgiven us, healed us, transformed us, called us, and empowered us as your people. 

How we rejoice in You!  Amen.

Prayer for September 8-14, 2013

Sermon Text: Philemon 1-21

That we may love without distinction

Living God, fill us with love for all your people and enable us to love, without distinction, even those with whom we disagree.

Enable us to witness boldly about your presence and action and see, more completely, the goodness that we receive from You through Jesus Christ.

Enable us to be a source of refreshment and joy for our sisters and brothers who face great trials.

Help us to see that we really are brothers and sisters in Christ and that we are all deeply valued by You.  Let this understanding be the catalyst for liberating each other from every form of control that we have used to hold others in bondage to us.

Enable us to abandon the hierarchical ways of thinking and acting that have characterized so much of “normal” human relating – even in the church.

Help us live fully into the life of grace, generosity, freedom, and peace that You intend for us.  Amen.

Prayer for September 1-7, 2013 

Sermon Text: Luke 14:1, 7-14

That your generosity will generate generosity in us

God of all people, we rejoice in your faithful provision for us.  We delight in the good food and drink that You provide.  We thank You for the opportunity to share our table with family and friends.

     Enable us to open our tables more widely to strangers and those who are in need.  Keep us from turning hospitality into a competition for honor, or into a way of making other people feel obligated to us.

     Enable us to be gracious hosts and grateful guests who accept all things as a gift of your generosity.

     May your generosity, which we can never hope to repay, generate generosity of heart and action for which we expect nothing in return.  Amen.