Prayer for March 27-April 2, 2016

Sermon Text: John 20:1-18

That we may declare the good news that You are alive among us

Jesus, what a confusing time it was when Mary came to your tomb and found it empty. How her grief over your death deepened when she thought someone had stolen your body.

Then . . . you spoke her name and grief was transformed into joy and adoration. Hallelujah! Then . . . you sent her to tell the good news and she went with gladness, declaring, “I have seen the Lord.”  Hallelujah!

We have been no less confused about the events surrounding your death and resurrection. Your death seemed so unnecessary; your resurrection so impossible!

Yet, in the midst of our confusion, grief, and doubt, You have met us, have spoken our names, and have filled us with joy. Hallelujah!

Some You met as we sought You and yearned for You. Hallelujah!

Others You found who had given up hope, or who had never consciously sought You, appearing before us in nearly dreamlike ways. Hallelujah!  

Each one to whom You revealed yourself has heard your command to tell others the good news that You are alive among us. Hallelujah! Give us courage and energy to tell as many as we can: “We have seen the Lord!” Amen.

Note: This was the text I intended to use for Easter, but did not. So this prayer will be used in our Tuesday prayer time, but not during today's worship.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 40: SATURDAY  Deliver us from evil

O God! In our deepest moments of agony, when it seems that we may be overwhelmed and defeated by evil all around, we cry to You, in desperation, wondering why You have forsaken us and left us alone and unprotected. Why have we been brought so low? How long must we endure our desolation? 

Surround us with your love Gracious One! Be our Protector and Deliverer! We know that we are unable to stand against evil on our own, but we have seen your deliverance in the history of your people and in our own lives.  We call on You because we trust in You even when it appears, for at least a time, that You have abandoned us.

In your goodness, go ahead of us, follow us, and walk beside us as we face every kind of threat that would undermine our faith and cause us to turn from You. Give us the fortitude to keep our eyes on Jesus who endured everything that evil powers could muster against him. Remind us that through Jesus’ deep vulnerability and apparent defeat, You have defeated every false power, every authority that would attempt to usurp your own Sovereignty. 

We cling to your promise of deliverance with great hope! Amen. 

This is the final post for Praying for God's Reign. Thank you for following. Keep praying that God's reign will come in fullness, that God's desire will be enacted as fully on earth as in heaven. Tomorrow celebrate the resurrection of Christ with great joy and hope.

GOOD FRIDAY PRAYERS

Biblical Texts: Psalm 22:1-21, Isaiah 52:13-53:12  

You who were despised and rejected and suffered deeply because of us, forgive us!

We are shamed by memories of our own rejection of You. We are shamed to know that we were like ravenous beasts who longed to tear your flesh and destroy You.

     We mocked and insulted You.    

     We pierced You.

     We gloated over You.

     We despised You.

But You endured it all for our sake and for the sake of people everywhere.

Our sins brought You affliction. Our sins crushed You. 

But through your suffering, You brought us healing and peace. Such willing, suffering love is too deep for us to comprehend, but we humble ourselves before You in gratitude. Amen.

Leader:            Christ Jesus, how did You endure the hour when darkness reigned?

People:            How did you endure the sellout and crass betrayal by

                        one of your closest friends?

Leader:            How did you endure the petty squabbling of your

                        followers for supremacy among them?

People:            How did you endure it when another of your closest

                        friends denied, repeatedly, that he knew you?

Leader:            How did you endure the mockery and beating?

People:            How did you endure the demands that you prophesy?

Leader:            How did you endure the false accusations?

People:            How did you endure the acquiescence to pressure by

                        one who declared you innocent?

Leader:            How did you endure the bitter trade—your life for that

                        of a known criminal?

People:            How did you endure the agony of the cross?

Leader:            Some days we can understand neither the how nor the

                        why of everything that You endured.

People:            Some days it all seems so desperate and pointless.

Leader:            Yet, somehow, through all of this, You remained true to your own vision.

People:            Somehow, through all of this, You defeated sin and

                        death.

Leader:            This is a deep, deep mystery.

All:                  We ponder it in hope. Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 39: FRIDAY  Lead us not into temptation

Like your disciples, O Christ, we did not understand the full implications of what we were doing when we began to follow You. Many of us began by hoping, more than anything else, for our own forgiveness and for eternal life. Some of us began hoping for lives of ease and even wealth. Some of us imagined a life that was free of problems.

But as You broke the bondage of the sins that had captured us and led us into a new life of freedom and joy, You led us where we never expected to go: toward your cross. You told us to take up our own cross to follow You, inviting us to suffer and even die with You. How difficult this is for us!  

Let our old selves die that we may follow You in newness. Let your Holy Spirit work within us so that we may face deprivation and suffering with patience and courage. Strengthen our resolve so that

nothing will deter us from following You, in absolute trust, to wherever You may lead us. Amen.

MAUNDY THURSDAY PRAYERS

Sermon Texts: Luke 22:1-30; John 13:1-17, 31b-35

     Christ Jesus, our Teacher and Friend, we are astonished that You took the role of servant to your disciples. You humbly stooped to wash their feet and instructed them to follow your example in their relationships with one another.  

     Enable us to act with such humility. Enable us to serve one another without thought for our status or reputation. Enable us to love each other so completely that we are willing to lay down our lives for each other as You did for all of your disciples. Let our love for one another convince the world that we are truly your followers. May many be drawn to You by our mutual love. Amen.

     O Christ, we rejoice that your entire life was given in service for your people. You held nothing back, whether You were teaching, healing, or liberating those who came to You. You were compassionate and merciful, generous and just.

     We rejoice that You have called us “Friends.” And we rejoice that You risked everything to draw us into the enfolding embrace of God’s love. We are yours forever, and all our praise is yours. Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 38: THURSDAY  Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors

God of mercy, You have taken our sins upon yourself. You have acted to forgive before we had the first thought of turning to You for forgiveness. You have offered forgiveness when our hearts were still apathetic toward You, steeled against You, or even full of hatred toward You.

We rejoice in You and your overwhelming mercy. As we do so, we remember the cross of Christ as the place where your abundant mercy and love were revealed most fully to us.

Because of your great act of intervention on our behalf, our hearts are full of gratitude and joy. Holy, holy, holy God! We worship and adore You!

Turn our gratitude and worship into generosity and mercy toward our neighbors. Enable us to forgive as we have been forgiven.  Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 37: WEDNESDAY  Give us this day our daily bread

Gracious God, we ask because You have invited us to ask. We ask in humility. We ask knowing that it is an illusion to think that we can provide for ourselves in truly life-giving ways.

Give us what we truly need, Generous One, whether we are able to perceive our true needs or not. Give us food that sustains our energy and health and enables us to follow Jesus with tenacious endurance. Give us clothing that protects our bodies from weather and wear. Give us shelter where we may find adequate rest and be renewed for our journey. Provide us with the tools that we need in order to do the work that You have called us to do. Grant us a community of sisters and brothers who accompany and sustain us as we journey together, share the abundance of resources that You have provided, and lift our hands in worship.

Help us to sort through the long lists of things that we have turned into needs through our lack of daily mindfulness and our love of the ways of the world. Help us to jettison the flotsam we have gathered that weighs us down and keeps us from experiencing the freedom into which Christ leads. 

As we seek your reign before everything else, help us to recognize and celebrate your abundant care. Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 36: TUESDAY  Your will be done

O Anointed of God, we rejoice that You have called us to follow You in the way of the cross. We rejoice that You have called us to serve one another as we serve our diverse neighbors. Help us set aside our own agendas—die to ourselves—in order to respond with compassionate care to the many people You bring into our lives.

We rejoice that You have given us your Spirit in order to enable us to follow with wisdom and courage. Help us to follow your way of humility and vulnerability. Give us patient endurance when we face rejection and threats. Help us not to utilize the means of violence in order to pursue your agenda for peace, and help us not to harbor violence in our hearts toward those who offend or reject us. 

Liberate us from everything within us that presently keeps us from doing your will. Empower us to guide others into glad devotion to You and into daily obedience of your command to love one another. Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 35: MONDAY  Your kingdom come

O Christ, Suffering Servant of all, we rejoice that You came among us, not as a conquering hero, but as agent of God’s peaceful reign. You did not topple empires by violent revolution. You did not force people to worship and follow You against their will. You made your way by compassion, healing and spiritual liberation that drew many to you, but also led to your death. 

Though, most times, we cannot remember your cross without deep regret and shame, we rejoice that in the cross You defeated sin and death. We rejoice that You made yourself vulnerable, rejecting hatred and violence in order to defeat them and show their bankruptcy. We rejoice that You negated the demands for absolute allegiance made by every ruling authority throughout the world.  

We acknowledge with hope that You established the trajectory by which the realms of this world will become the realm of God. We await with gladness the day when our knees will bow with every other knee, and our tongue declare with every other tongue that You are Sovereign over all. We rejoice in You, and give glory to God through You. Amen.     

Prayer for March 20-26, 2016 

Sermon Text: Luke 19:28-40

That our praise to You will not be silenced

Jesus, we want to travel closely beside You as your disciples. We long to be of use to You by bringing to You every resource that will help You to continue and complete your mission among us. We gladly join our voices with the voices of all who have boldly and joyfully acclaimed You as God’s representative and our Sovereign. We trust and declare that You are the source of peace and the glory of God.

Enable us to persist in praise when some would silence our voices. Enable us to endure with patience when strong opposition arises against your alternative reign of mercy and peace.  

Do not let us succumb to the tyranny of violence through silence or collusion. We await, with hope, the full fruition of your reign among us. Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

SIXTH 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 34: SATURDAY  Hallowed be your name

God of mystery, You are incomparable! You are matchless in radiance, wisdom, fidelity, compassion and justice. You alone are God!

Though we have learned many things and though You have revealed yourself to us, we cannot begin to fathom the depths of who You are and how You act among us.

Even though your thoughts and ways are beyond us, we set your name above all others by our praise and worship, by our obedience to your instruction, and by following the One whom You sent among us as your Ambassador and Agent for the renewal of all things.  

May our renewed lives be a continuous testimony and song of praise that honors only You.  Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 33: FRIDAY  Our Father

Loving Father and Mother, we long to live in deep intimacy with You. We want to live in continual awareness of your presence. We want to breathe your breath and think your thoughts after You. We want to bask in your radiance and reflect your glory to the world around us. We want to live in such deep unity with You that it seems there is only one will between us—yours!

You have created us for communion with You, but we sometimes forget and expect to find our deepest satisfaction by attaching ourselves to diverse people and interests. We have mistaken gifts for Giver.

Forgive us when we allow anything to separate us from your great love. Turn our faces to look again upon your face. Soften our hearts to unite with yours. Let your Spirit heal and restore our spirit.  

We are so thankful that You have made yourself known to us through Jesus Christ. We rejoice to be yours. We rejoice that You are ours by your own choice. Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 32: THURSDAY  Deliver us from evil

Merciful One, when we tally up the evils that seem so prevalent, the list is long and frightful. Deceit, greed, violence, sensuality and injustice take so many forms that our lives sometimes seem to be under constant threat. Add in our own penchant for self-deception, and the world can seem like one large pitfall into which we may plunge and be mortally pierced.

We cannot defeat evil on our own. We cannot lift ourselves from the mire in which we sometimes find ourselves wading. We cannot make our own way through.

But we trust You, because You are able to rescue us. You are able to lift us to higher ground. You are able to root evil from our lives and from our environment. We believe this is true because we believe that You have already conquered sin and death through the death and resurrection of Jesus. You have already made a way for us. 

We trust You with all that we are. We rejoice that You are constantly bringing good into our lives, even through circumstances that seem loaded with evil. Thank You! Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 31: WEDNESDAY  Lead us not into temptation

Gracious Guide, we are following You with gladness. We are following You with our eyes wide to the marvelous ways that You provide for your many children, including us. We are following You conscious of the many pitfalls that You lead us past and the places of abundance and beauty that reflect your wise creativity. We are following You in full knowledge that we are not traveling alone, but that we are accompanied by multitudes of people who travel your way and desire that your will be done.

Some of us have barely begun our journey with You. Others have walked with you for many decades. All of us trust that You will lead us away from the gaudy temptations with which we are surrounded, and the subtle temptations that burrow into our consciousness, in order to enter the life of true freedom, joy and peace You desire for us.  

You have led us well even when we have not followed well. Strengthen our resolve to keep to the narrow way in which You lead us now.  Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 30: TUESDAY  Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors

God of all, we do not have a strong urge to forgive our debtors. We are not likely to forget their offenses or their financial obligations. We want what we have coming to us!

But when we recognize the depths of our sins against You, when we realize that we cannot possibly pay what we owe You, we are not much interested in receiving what we have coming to us. We do not want justice! We want mercy!

Turn your face toward us in mercy, Forgiving One! Blot out our sins! Forgive our debts! Give us a new heart and give us a new chance for life that is energized by your Spirit.

Then turn us toward our neighbors with hearts that are full of compassion and mercy. Enable us to forgive as we have been forgiven! Enable us to release our stranglehold on others and erase the ledgers of debt we have inscribed on our minds.  

As your forgiven people, help us to practice forgiveness with grace. Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD’S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS 

DAY 29: MONDAY  Give us this day our daily bread

Generous One, we humble ourselves to ask You to meet our needs for today. We ask in confidence because You have provided for us so consistently that we have no cause to doubt You.

You have fed us in green pastures. You have set a table for us in the wilderness. You have given us bread from heaven. In compassion, You have fed multitudes who were like sheep without a shepherd. Because of your faithfulness, we are not asking for, or worrying about, the needs of tomorrow and the next day, just today.

You provide enough. Enable us to say “Enough!” Enable us to give up our anxious craving. Enable us to be satisfied with what You provide and turn from the temptation to scrape together more and more.

Forgive us when we do not trust You to provide. Forgive us when we do not see the opportunities for sharing that You create so that we may be united with our neighbors in trusting You each day. 

We rejoice and thank You for your unstinting generosity. Amen.

Prayer for March 13-19, 2016 

Sermon Text: Isaiah 43:16-21

That we may receive with joy and hope the future You are creating

God of wonders and God of newness, how can we forget the ways that You have acted in the past? How can we forget exodus? How can we forget cross and resurrection? How can we forget the many ways that You have acted for our deliverance? You have caused so much rejoicing among us. How can we forget?

As we rejoice in You, enable us to see the places of fertility and fruitfulness that You are planting and watering in the wastelands with which we are familiar. Let us drink deeply of your refreshing streams. As we experience the newness that You are creating, let our praise and good works ripple through city streets, through town and country, in fields cultivated by human hands, and in the wild places that sometimes delight and sometimes terrify us.  

Help us to receive, with hope and joy, the future that You are creating as an expression of your inexhaustible love and creativity. We delight in your presence and your gifts. Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

FIFTH 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 28: SATURDAY  Thy will be done

Gracious God, we know that for your will to be done on earth as in heaven, we must submit our will to yours. We must stop resisting the work of your Spirit who shapes our lives for obedience and for good works that reflect the forgiving, healing, liberating work of justice and mercy that Jesus did among us.

Forgive us for our stubborn resistance to your commands. Forgive us for hesitating to receive the lives of fullness and freedom to which You call us. Forgive us for deluding ourselves into believing that we are fully capable of shaping our own destiny to match our own blueprint for our lives.

We would be wholly yours. We would be obedient and faithful in every circumstance. But we have failed often, and we cannot proceed without your powerful assistance and loving discipline.  

We humble ourselves before You so that You may align our lives with your life and your will. Let your will be done by us, today, and by multitudes more as well.  Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 27: FRIDAY  Thy kingdom come

Wise Sovereign, when we pray for your reign to come to fullness among us, we know that we are praying for something that we cannot create. We have neither the wisdom nor the power to bring your reign. 

We pray that You will act among us by your empowering Spirit. And we pray that You will act behind the scenes in ways that we cannot predict or control in order to show that You are indeed Sovereign.

Help us not to abandon hope that You will, ultimately, accomplish what You have started: creating a people who reflect your glory and act as your agents in the world, bringing widespread justice and peace, and healing all of creation.  

We hope in You even as we pray that the kingdoms of the world will belong fully to You and your Anointed One, Jesus Christ. We sing our hallelujahs now, but we await the day when we will sing them with all of creation. Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 26: THURSDAY  Hallowed be thy name

Desire of our hearts, we revere your name. We stand in awe of your matchless wonders. We praise You. We glory in You. We love You with all that we are—all that You have created and redeemed us to be. We know that there is none like You.

Though You are set apart from all that You have made, You have drawn near. You have entered our lives. You have shared our breath. You have endured our suffering. You have defeated the power of sin and death that so often toy with us.  

So, we call You by many names—Father, Mother, Shepherd, Lord, Savior, Rock, Fortress, Shield, Strength, Christ, Counselor, Teacher and Friend—for You have been all of this and more to us. You deserve all praise, devotion and obedience, and we give them gladly. Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 25: WEDNESDAY  Our Father

O God, our Father and Mother, let your image, in which You shaped us at our creation, and which You are restoring as You renovate our lives, day by day, reflect your glory to the world around us—the world You have loved at great cost.

Build the family character into our lives so that we show forth your radiance, your truthfulness, your fidelity, compassion, justice and mercy. Let the forgiveness we have received from You become our daily practice. Let the generous gifts You have given us free us to practice bold generosity.

Forgive us when we are inclined to disown You and leave our heritage in You behind. Forgive us when we look to the far country for our hope instead of drawing close to You.  

Let your Spirit blow freshly through us and generate abundant fruitfulness that honors You.  We sometimes forget, but we are always and only yours. We worship and serve You with gladness. Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 24: TUESDAY  Deliver us from evil

Righteous One, some days, when we listen to the testimony of our media outlets, it sounds as though evil has us completely surrounded and is about to overwhelm us and doom us to a horrible existence without hope.

In some places many people do live their lives under the threat of evil and terror. Defeat that evil by toppling systems that thrive by destruction and death. Defeat that terror by raising up people who pursue justice and practice mercy.

In other situations, people generate terror and threat in their own fearful imaginations and do not know how to respond. Immerse those people in healing love. Bring clarity of perception and thought into their lives. Surround them with people who can encourage them and enable them to release their anxieties and trust in You.  

Enable us to trust You so thoroughly that we are able to live without fear in your presence. Enable us to support and encourage one another as your courageous people. Enable us to practice good works that extend your goodness throughout your creation by generating a cascade of goodness that flows through many lives. Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD’S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS 

DAY 23: MONDAY  Lead us not into temptation

Trustworthy God, we are often tempted to stop following your direction and wander our own way, even though we learned, long ago, that when we do so we find ourselves lost, confused, and often ensnared in situations from which we cannot extricate ourselves.

Calm our restless spirits which are tempted to think there are better options than those You offer us. Shatter our idolatrous attraction to any of the good things You have created or to anything our imagination has fabricated for devotion. Keep our eyes focused on Jesus as he leads us into the fruitfulness and freedom of your reign. Enable us to trust and stay close to You as You are working for our good in every situation.  

We journey with You because You have chosen us as beloved companions. We stay close because You have nurtured such love within us that we know You as the deepest desire of our hearts. May every competing desire fade from our thoughts. Amen.

Prayer for March 6-12, 2016

Sermon Text: Luke 15:1-32

That we may share your celebration of those who are returned to You

Compassionate and long-suffering Father, we rejoice that You sought us long before we ever thought to seek You. You have loved and longed for us. You have searched for us when we were lost and wandering. You have waited and watched for us when we rebelled against You and abandoned You. You have embraced us and rejoiced and celebrated our return.

Some of us rebelled and wandered far, yet when we repented and returned to You, You forgave us and welcomed us with rejoicing even though others wrote us off as useless and unworthy of your affection.

Some of us have stayed close by your side, enjoying the abundance of your household for as long as we can remember, but we are sometimes offended at the way that You welcome our wandering brothers and sisters. Forgive our hard-heartedness! Forgive us for refusing to share in your celebratory love!  

Whether we have stayed close or wandered far, draw us closer to You. Fill us with your compassion and mercy. Loosen whatever bindings keep us from sharing your own glad celebration of those lost ones whom You have found, those dead ones to whom You have given new life.  Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

FOURTH 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 22: SATURDAY  Forgive Us Our Debts As We Forgive Our Debtors

God of compassion, Forgive us!

Forgive us for seeking our security through gods of our own making.  Forgive us for withholding the worship and devotion that You are due. Forgive us for our failure to trust You.

Forgive us for forgetting that You are the one who has brought us through all the trials and terrors we have faced: You are the one who has freed us from every form of bondage; You are the one who has healed us of every infirmity; You are the one who has provided for every need; and You have walked with us in the lengthening shadows of death.

Forgive us when we harden our hearts against our neighbors. Forgive us when we refuse to give, refuse to be merciful, and refuse to forgive our neighbors.  

Dear God! some days we are overwhelmed by our need for your forgiveness.  Forgive us and change us. Enable us, each day, to practice the forgiveness that You have shown to us.  Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 21: FRIDAY  Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Generous Giver, we turn to You for every need. We turn away from our own imagined self-sufficiency. We turn away from cynicism and despair. We turn away from our assumptions that some must go hungry in order for others to be fed. We turn to You because we have learned that You are a faithful provider of all that we truly need.

Help us to be satisfied with what we receive of your generosity without clawing and clutching for more as though we could not count upon your continued care. Help us to stop stockpiling many things that nurture neither our body nor our spirit.

Liberate us from our anxiety. Liberate us from our vivid imagination about the suffering we might experience if we are not adequately supplied. Enable us to share generously with our neighbors in joyful friendship and genuine care.  

Generous Giver, we turn to You. You and your gifts are enough for us. Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 20: THURSDAY  Thy Will Be Done

Set your plumb line among us, Sovereign One. Judge us in whatever ways You must, but judge us gently. Forgive our sins. Correct our faults. Align our will with yours so that our joyful obedience shows that we are radically and completely your people.

May our every desire conform to your desire for us. Let your Spirit blow through our lives to generate the freedom and fruitfulness You intend for us. Grant us courage that enables us to pursue your agenda for peace and justice even when many resist and reject these objectives because their wealth, power, and imagined security are threatened by your justice. Give us endurance so that we will not give up on the future that You are creating.  

We trust You fully and give ourselves wholly to You.  Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 19: WEDNESDAY  Thy Kingdom Come

God of justice and mercy, we rejoice in your presence. We rejoice in your promise of creation renewed and await your day of fulfillment with hope.

When we become discouraged because violence and injustice seem to reign throughout the world, remind us of your promise. We long to see dramatic signs of change, but open our eyes to see the subtle signs that You are at work, wisely bringing your grand scheme for unity and peace to fruition.   

We will trust You no matter what happens around us. We will not give up our efforts to live lives of love, beauty, justice and mercy. We will celebrate renewed lives and signs of healing wherever they occur. We will praise You, continuously, as our Sovereign, Savior and Friend. Amen.

PRAYING FOR GOD'S REIGN: LENTEN PRAYERS

DAY 18: TUESDAY  Hallowed Be Your Name

Holy! Holy! Holy! All of creation is filled with your glory. All of life is touched by your radiance. There is no one like You. You have no competitors but act in sovereign freedom in your engagement with everything that You have made.

We sing praise to honor your name. We revere You by bold and courageous obedience. We allow nothing to usurp the allegiance that You alone deserve.

Forgive us when we falter! Forgive us when our eye strays toward false gods. Forgive us when we link your name to our fears, violence and hatred. Forgive us when we treat You as a talisman for our possession rather than a Covenant Partner who gives and awaits our response in love.  

Holy! Holy! Holy! May our every word and action exalt your name, O God. Amen.