PRAYING FOR GOD’S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS 

DAY 17: MONDAY  Our Father

O God, we call You “Our Father,” “Our Mother,” but we know that we do not possess You. We do not control You. We cannot manipulate You.

We call You “Our Father and Mother,” because You created and redeemed us and called us your children. You have nurtured and protected us. You have given us everything that we need for life that is full and free. You have embraced, held, and carried us through our most difficult times of trial and grief.

Because of your great love and generosity, we have learned to trust You. And so we call upon You with hope in our times of trial. We praise You with thanksgiving and joy when we receive your generous gifts and remember other gifts and signs of care in your history with your people throughout the ages.  

We call you “Ours” because You are our Creator, the fulfillment of our deepest dreams, our fullest joy, and our purest love.  Amen.

Prayer for February 28-March 5, 2016

Sermon Text: Isaiah 55:1-9

That our anxiety and acquisitiveness may be transformed into trust

God! Forgive us for investing our energy and our resources in acquiring things that will never provide us with satisfaction or security. Forgive us for our anxious hearts. Forgive us for failing to listen to your generous offer of a rich life that is not based on amassing and grasping more and more commodities, but upon receiving with gratitude the abundant peace and joy that is based in covenant relationship with You.

We are committed to seeking You while You are near. We are committed to listening to You and doing your will. We trust in your mercy and forgiveness as the only source of hope for us.  

We acknowledge, in humility, that we are not gods. We acknowledge that we cannot fully plumb the depths of your thoughts and your ways, but we trust in You because of your promises and faithfulness to us. Our hope is in You, day after day after day. Amen.

PRAYING FOR CHRIST'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

THIRD SUNDAY

Pray or read the Lord’s Prayer from at least 2 versions. 

For many English version of the prayer, check out Matthew 6:9-13 on biblegateway.com.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 16: SATURDAY  Deliver Us From Evil

God of Goodness, do not let us become ensnared in evil. Do not let us be oppressed and overwhelmed. Do not let pain, misery and threat surround and pressure us in such a way that we lose hope and feel forced to do evil. Do not let us despair of your goodness and believe that nothing can be changed.

Deliver us from our own evil thoughts. Deliver us from personal habits and systemic practices that promise goodness for us while dealing death and destruction to others.  

We trust in You for protection, discernment, guidance and courage. We trust You to liberate us to do good to our neighbors and our enemies. We trust You to help us resist evil in its grossest and most subtle forms. We trust You to make a way when it seems that there is no way for your goodness to prevail. We trust You, and rejoice in You, for the victory You have already achieved through Christ Jesus. Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 15: FRIDAY  Lead Us Not into Temptation

Wise and Tender God, we trust in your daily leadership. We thank You for leading us to nourishment and rest. We thank You for accompanying us through the difficulties and dangers of life and enabling us to walk without fear even when death casts its shadow upon us. We thank You for guiding us in the way of your compassion and justice.

Keep leading us wisely! Keep leading us into the truth. Keep leading us to act in love toward our neighbors. Keep leading us to those who need companionship and care so that we may know them and minister to them in your love. Keep leading us so that we may lead others to the healing and freedom that we have found in You. 

Lead us away from the taunting temptations that the world dangles before us. Lead us away from the temptations that we generate in our own imagination.  Lead us away from every form of sin and from our tendency to self-destruct.  

Forgive us when we wander from the path. Forgive us for thinking we can blaze our own trails without your companionship and assistance. Enable us to trust and follow your way fully, each day, as we journey with You.  Amen.    

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 14: THURSDAY  Forgive Us our Debts as We Forgive Our Debtors

O Forgiving One, we rejoice in your many mercies.  We rejoice that You have been patient with us. We rejoice and thank You for forgiving us in spite of our many sins of apathy and rebellion. 

Forgive us, today, for the ways we have failed to seek You and submit to your sovereign reign among us. Transform us! Shape and release us for effective witness and service in your realm of justice and peace.

Soften our hearts toward our sisters and brothers.  Soften our hearts so that we may practice mercy and forgiveness in response to the mercy You have shown to us.  Soften our hearts so that we may help release others from the sin that has bound and enslaved them.  Soften our hearts so that we will relinquish the control that we have exercised over others through our stubborn refusal to practice mercy.  

Let our forgiveness, in response to your forgiveness, create a spiral of forgiveness that catches many up in new lives of joyful freedom.  Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 13: WEDNESDAY  Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Generous and Nurturing God, we are caught up in massive overestimates of our needs. We want more and more and we define our needs in the light of our unlimited desires. We do not see our actual need with clarity because we are confused by this anxious insatiability.

Open our eyes so that we may see ourselves more clearly. Shape our understanding by your word and by your generous provision.  Let gratitude calm our anxious craving.

Then let us utter our true needs in humility. Let us remember our dependence upon You and call upon You with hope and gratitude.

Give us the food, drink, clothing and shelter that we need.  Heal our illnesses. Plant us in the midst of faithful people who can guide us in the way of trusting contentment with your provision.  

We thank You for the many ways that You have nourished us, even as we trust in your continued care.  Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 12: TUESDAY  Thy Will Be Done

Tune our hearts by your compassion, Loving Mother. May the words of love that You have whispered in our ears and by which You have nurtured our hearts, spring to mind in every circumstance and bear the fruit of glad obedience in our lives.

Give us a clear understanding of your desire for us and for all of your creation. Let your will shape our desire and action. May we be attuned to your purpose so that we may act as your companions and coworkers in the healing and restoration of all that You have made.

Forgive us when we assert our will in opposition to yours. Forgive us, too, when we have no meaningful desire for our lives, but settle into apathy and ignorance.  

Forgive us and transform us. Energize us for courageous faithfulness within the framework of your creative impulse and your renewing work in your world.  Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD’S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS 2016

DAY 11: MONDAY  Thy Kingdom Come

Bring your reign among us in fullness Beloved Father. Bring your justice to every nation. Topple oppressive structures. Overturn our arrogance. Lift the fallen. Comfort the crestfallen. Liberate every bound spirit. Heal every sickness. Restore earth in its fruitful abundance and magnificent beauty.  

Let heaven and earth rejoice! Let every knee bow in glad and humble worship. Let people everywhere lift their hands in joyful praise.

Enable us to act in concert with your healing, liberating, forgiving, and transforming agenda. Make us fruitful coworkers with Christ as we practice hospitality, compassion and mercy.  May we share generously with our many neighbors as we practice community that is open and fearless.  

Bring your reign in fullness!  May it be evident to all!  Amen. 

Prayer for February 21-27, 2016
Sermon Text: Luke 13:31-35

That we will not be deterred from pursuing your mission

God we are awed by the courage that Jesus showed in the face of deadly threat. We rejoice that he pursued your mission undeterred by questions, deception, the weak faith of his followers, and open antipathy.

We gratefully add our voices to those who proclaimed, "Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord." We acclaim Jesus as our Sovereign and Savior.

But we still lament  the fact that his faithfulness led to his death. We still lament the fact that our open rebellion against You contributed to his death.

Forgive us! Heal us! Energize us for courageous obedience that will not be deterred from pursuing your mission in the world.  Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

SECOND SUNDAY

Pray or read the Lord's Prayer from at least 2 versions.

For many English versions of the prayer, check out Matthew 6:9-13 on http://biblegateway.com.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 10: SATURDAY

Holy Love, radiant in glory, incomparable in truth, wisdom, compassion, justice and faithfulness, we worship You with unmeasured joy. We love You with our whole being in response to your tenacious love for us.

Let every movement of our day honor You. May we be mindful of your presence in each of our thoughts. Remind us, constantly, that You have created, called and claimed us so that we may live for your glory and not merely for our own satisfaction.

Shape our attitudes and our action so that others will see your holiness and grandeur through us.  May You be honored in all of your creation!  Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 9: Friday

O Love Divine, we call upon You in unity with all who seek You in response to your seeking.  We are not alone because You have called us to be your people together.  You have given us as gifts to one another.  You are working within us, by your Spirit, so that our life together will show the depth of your love for all people and all of creation.

We cannot fathom the depths of your wisdom and love, but we raise our voices together to praise You in awe and gladness.  We join our hands together to work for justice, to befriend and serve those who seek sustenance, healing, liberation, and forgiveness, and to heal the earth.  We join our hearts together to pray that your glory will be seen by all, and that You will be worshiped, everywhere, with full and jubilant devotion.

We thank You that You remain near.  We worship You with joy!  Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 8: THURSDAY

Holy and Loving God, deliver us from evil!  Do not allow our minds and hearts to be bent and shaped for evil.  Do not let us plunge headlong to our own destruction.  Do not let us succumb in either apathy or despair. 

Liberate us from the control of both personal and systemic powers that would ensnare and enslave us and diminish our lives as well as the lives of our neighbors.

Enable us to trust in You in every situation.  Enable us to call upon You and cling to You when our lives seem to be engulfed in evil that has been thrust upon us against our will.  

We know that through Christ Jesus You have defeated all the powers of sin and death.  Enable us to hold that truth, in hope, as we resist every form of evil.  Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 7: WEDNESDAY

Guide us gently, Loving One.  Guide us into the places that deepen our trust in You.  Guide us in the ways of truth and compassion, justice and peace.    Guide us toward fruitful lives of generosity and hospitality. 

   

Guide us beyond our fears.  Guide us away from greed.  Guide us past the snares that we often race toward with wide eyes in spite of the ways that they diminish and destroy us. 

Tame our desire to live with no limits.  Shatter our illusions that we are the center of the universe.  

Lead us into strong communities of worship, service and communion.  Teach us to strengthen each other for glad obedience. We trust You just enough to keep following.  Deepen our trust!  Amen.

PRAYING FOR CHRIST'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 6: TUESDAY

Wounded Father, Injured Mother, forgive us for the many ways that we have sinned against You.  Forgive us for our hard and rebellious hearts.  Forgive us for forgetting the many times that You have drawn near to us and the many ways that You have provided for us or intervened on our behalf.  Forgive us for believing that we do not need You.  Forgive us for going our own way in arrogance.  Forgive us for our apathy.  Forgive us for our bitter and unforgiving attitude toward others.

Forgive us!  Forgive us!  Forgive us for the multitude of our sins!

Transform us!  Make us new!  Renew us as often as You must!  We know that You are able to save us from evil, but also from ourselves.  

Unbind these hearts bound by sin so that we may unbind those whom we have refused to forgive.  Let our lives be doubly marked by forgiveness that moves us closer to You and to our neighbors.  Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 5: MONDAY

Loving Mother and Father God, we turn to You in trust because we know that You delight in giving good gifts to your children.  Give us the food we need each day, and enable us to eat it with thankful hearts and share it with glad generosity. 

Help us not to amass more than we need.  Help us not to waste more than many people ever have a chance to see.  Help us to eat what is truly nourishing and to practice methods of food production and consumption that protect the earth and nurture human health and community.

Forgive us when we are hard-hearted toward others who will receive no bread today and perhaps none tomorrow either.  Forgive us when we eat gluttonously while thousands die of hunger and related problems each day.

Give every person in the world their daily bread.  And do not let us be complacent, but energize us to pursue justice until all are fed and nourished for robust life in your presence.  Amen. 

To see a graphic representation of the impact of poverty and hunger at: http://www.poverty.com.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

SUNDAY EXERCISE

Pray or read the Lord’s prayer from at least 2 versions.  

For many English versions of the prayer, check out Matthew 6:9-13 on biblegateway.com.  

Prayer for February 14-20, 2016 

Sermon Text: Luke 4:1-13

That we may draw strength for resistance from God’s word

Jesus, we rejoice in You!  We rejoice in your resistance to evil in your wilderness time, throughout your ministry, and in the hours of your trial and death.  We rejoice that in your hunger, You did not take shortcuts to finding food.  Nor did you take shortcuts by grasping the sovereignty that God desired for You to have over all of creation.  You did not act foolishly in order to prove that God was with You and would protect You.  You acted in the security of God’s declaration of love, with deep knowledge of God’s word, and with the energizing help of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus, when we face our wilderness trials, enable us to follow your example.  Enable us to remember God’s word and draw strength for resistance from it.  Enable us to trust in the guidance and energy of the Holy Spirit.  Enable us not to be controlled by our physical needs or desires, resort to magical thinking and false worship, or presume that we can make foolish choices and still receive your full protection.  

Jesus, we believe that by grace we can resist and overcome evil because You have already defeated it.  We will trust in You through whatever we may face.  Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 4: SATURDAY

Wise God, shape both our individual will and our corporate will so that they are fully attuned to your desire to create and maintain a world of peace and justice.  Enable us to live fully into the unity that You desire for us and that we experience as we enjoy unity with You through Christ Jesus.  Enable us to pursue justice that enables all people, everywhere, to share in the bounty of your provision and live as full participants in human community.  Enable us to be wise and careful stewards of the earth, your good creation and possession, so that its beauty and fruitfulness are sustained and enhanced.

Forgive us when we lose sight of your desire for us and for all of creation.  Forgive us when we retreat into ourselves and think only of our own well-being.  Expand our vision for the new thing that You are able to do among us, and liberate us from our narrow vision that is based in fear and pride.  

We long to be as fully attuned to your will as Jesus was.  Transform us now!  Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 3: FRIDAY

Sovereign One, we rejoice to know that your reign among your people began long before You breathed your Spirit into our first parents.  We rejoice that Christ Jesus acted as exemplary agent of your reign in confrontation with power politics and controlling religion, showing forth your desire through his preaching, healing, forgiveness and liberation.  We rejoice in Jesus’ words that your reign is within us.  And we await the day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess Jesus’ reign.

We rejoice that in your wisdom, You are uniting all things in Christ.  We do not know how the final consummation of your plan will look, but we await it with hope and joy.  

Help us live as faithful citizens of your realm now.  Help us remember that Christ has already defeated competing powers.  Help us live among our neighbors, and confront powers and authorities, in such a way that they will know that we are your servants and that You are ruling wisely.  Amen.

PRAYER FOR ASH WEDNESDAY - FEBRUARY 10, 2016

Sermon Text: Matthew 6:1-21

Leader:   Holy God, Father and Mother of all, we pray with the

               language of intimacy, as Jesus taught us.

People:   We pray that You will be honored and glorified in all

               things, but particularly in our thoughts and action.

Leader:   May your reign come in fullness among us, and in all of

               creation,

People:   as we join millions and billions who will practice

               obedience in every circumstance.

Leader:   We trust You

People:   for each of today’s true needs.

Leader:   We turn to You in repentance, seeking your forgiveness,

People:   as we gladly forgive others and set them free from our

               control.

Leader:   Guide us away from the pitfalls that most easily ensnare us

               in sin,

People:   and liberate us from the power of evil that damages and

               diminishes us.

All:         We will rejoice in You, and glorify You forever.  Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

Matthew 6:9-13

DAY 2: THURSDAY

You who are near, attentive to, and involved in the myriad movements of our lives, we rejoice in You.  We rejoice that in your nearness You are not completely accessible and comprehensible to us.  We rejoice that You are holy and transcendent, that your ways are not our ways and your thoughts are not our thoughts.

Enable us to see You revealed in Christ Jesus and in the world around us.  Free our hearts to adore You fully.  Shape our speech for praise that sings your sovereignty, radiance and mystery.  Shape our character and action so that each day they are characterized more completely by wisdom that reflects your character.   

Let each action of each day exalt your name among us even as it reflects your glory to the world around us.  Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD’S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

     It took longer than I hoped for me to figure out the theme for this Lenten prayer guide: The Lord’s Prayer (The “Our Father” for some).  I hope, over the forty days of Lent, to find that this decision was the movement of the Spirit and not a fool’s errand.

     Most of us pray this prayer at least weekly.  Some pray it daily and even many times each day.  This prayer has been such a part of our hearts and minds that many of us can pray it without thinking.  Because we can do that, we may miss some of the broader implications of the prayer. 

     These prayers are an attempt to pray along with the most significant prayer we know.  They are not meant to supplant the prayer Jesus taught his disciples, but to deepen our understanding and practice of that prayer.

     The Lord’s prayer is typically considered an address (“Our Father”) followed by seven petitions.  My plan (since I have only a few prayers written at this point), is to do one prayer each for the address: “Our father,” and for each of the seven petitions.  That means that within the 40 days of Lent (Sunday’s don’t count), there will be five cycles through the prayer.

     However, I hope that You will pray the Lord’s prayer at least once each day, and that You will look for versions other than the one with which you are most familiar.  I particularly encourage you to look for other versions on Sundays.

     I typically write these Lenten prayers in the first person plural (“our,” “we,” “us”) because I believe we are commonly praying with the larger church.  This seems essential, not optional, with the prayer of our Savior.

NOTE: The Bible uses a number of feminine images for God and so I address God, in these prayers, as both Father and Mother.

Introduction to week one

     Jesus taught this prayer in the context of his message about the nearness of God’s reign, and as part of his movement to renew Israel.  When we pray this prayer, we are praying, in a significant sense, as Israel renewed and expanded to welcome people of enormous diversity to share a life of glad obedience that issues in widespread peace and justice.

DAY 1: ASH WEDNESDAY

God our Father and Mother, Creator of the universe and all things in it, we rejoice in You.  As we address You in your unseen realm—in your transcendence—we call upon You, at the same time, as One who is nearer than our own breath or thoughts, as One who has drawn near in Christ Jesus, as One who creates and welcomes intimacy with us.

We do not call on an impersonal force, but upon You who remain near and act with inconceivable compassion and generosity to us.  You have birthed, nursed, cradled, weaned, nurtured, instructed, commanded, disciplined, counseled, embraced, comforted, led, sustained, inspired and energized us.  You have rejoiced over us with such gladness that we have wept tears of joy. 

You have loved us without measure, so we love You with all that we are.  Amen.

Prayer for February 7-13, 2016 

Sermon Text: Luke 9:28-36

That we may see your glory and listen to You

Jesus, as we journey with you, we are often unaware of the significance of what we are doing.  We are often unaware of who You truly are and fail to perceive your glory and your sovereignty.

Then, in the midst of our drowsy days, You lead us into a place or a moment in which your glory overwhelms us like a bolt of lightning.  You are glorious!  We see it now!  We see how the instruction and promises of God point to You and are fulfilled in You!  But we are fearful.  We want to relieve our anxiety by whatever speech or action springs to mind.  

Instead, we are called to listen.  And we are listening!  We are waiting for your word of guidance.  We are ready to follow in obedience.  Speak now!  Your servants wait on You with anticipation and joy.  We are ready to do as You command.  Amen.

Prayer for January 31-February 6, 2016 

Sermon Text: Luke 4:21-30

That we may walk and work beside You

Christ!  How quickly our hearts turn against You!  How quickly we suppose, with just a little bit of familiarity, that we know all about You.  How quickly we become spiteful enemies when we decide that You are presumptuous, or when You do not speak and act as we suppose You must.  How quickly You expose the shallow nature of our devotion and our propensity to violence.

In spite of our efforts, and the efforts of others, You will not be controlled or deterred from the fulfillment of your mission.  We cannot contain You.  We cannot overpower You. 

Forgive us for our fickleness.  Forgive us for our violent hearts and actions.  Forgive us for assuming too much too often.  

Enable us to hear You, welcome your word, and walk and work beside You as You complete your mission.  Amen.