Prayer for December 29, 2019 - January 4, 2020
Sermon Text: Psalm 148

That nothing will diminish our praise

Creator of all; Exalted One; You whose splendor radiates around and through your creation, we worship You. We praise your name!

We rejoice to add our voices to the voices of all of your creatures. We rejoice to let your praise resound everywhere throughout your complex and beautiful creation. We are grateful to be part of a cosmic choir that gives You the praise that You are due.

You alone are Creator.

You alone are exalted above all.

You alone are worthy of endless praise. 

Fill our hearts with boundless love. Let our voices ring with gladness. Let our worship generate countless acts of goodness and justice.  Let nothing diminish our praise. Amen.

Prayer for December 8-14, 2019
Sermon Text: Isaiah 11:1-10

That we may be agents of justice and peace who help bring healing to creation 

God of compassion and mercy, in Christ Jesus You have given a leader who is energized and guided by your Spirit. You have given a leader who embodies wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, reverence and delight in You. You have given a leader who provides bread in surprising ways and who brings order to the chaos of many lives through works of healing and liberation.  We rejoice in your great gift of love.  

But like many before us, including many of his own people, we often turn away from Jesus and his priorities. We fail to seek justice for the poor. We fail to build peace between neighbors and people groups so that there is no longer predation and harm among us.  

Compassionate One, forgive us for placing our own comfort above everything else. Give us a deeper knowledge of You and your priorities. Give us a deeper desire to see your reign come on earth as in heaven. Enable us to be agents of your justice and peace that brings your healing to your creation. Amen.

Prayer for December 1-7, 2019
Sermon Text: Matthew 24:36-44

May we be continually alert participants in Christ's mission in the world 

Son of Man and Son of God, we await your return. We await the day when we will be gathered with all your people to celebrate your great victory.  

Some days we are anxious. We do not have the energy to remain alert for your presence, your return, so we search the scriptures in order to try to predict “that day.” We imagine we may then narrow the scope of our attentiveness and make sure we are ready at the right moment. Often our interpretations and the actions they generate are little more than foolish nonsense that diverts us from following the way of Jesus.  

Clear our confused and anxious minds. Fortify our resolve. Enable us to be continually alert, and constantly cooperating with your Spirit in the fulfillment of Christ’s mission in the world. When Christ returns, may we be found doing the work to which we were called. Amen.

Prayer for November 24-30, 2019
Sermon Text: Colossians 1:9-20

That we may more completely comprehend and live out your desire to unify everything in Christ 

Glorious God, we rejoice in your presence! We rejoice that in Christ Jesus you are reconciling everything in all of creation to yourself. 

We rejoice that You have forgiven us and rescued us from the dominion of deceitfulness and death so that we may live with all your people, and share their inheritance, in the realm of truth and light. 

We rejoice that through Christ’s suffering and death, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and the prayers of your saints, we are being equipped to understand your will, live in faithful and fruitful ways, endure with patience when our faith is challenged, and offer eternal thanksgiving for your generous blessing.  

Deepen our understanding of the supreme role that You have given to Jesus Christ. Enable us to follow his example and bear the cross to which he calls us. To You, through Jesus, is all our praise. Amen.

Prayer for November 17-23, 2019
Sermon Text: Isaiah 65: 17-25

That predation and exploitation may be abolished among us 

Creator God, You promise new heavens and new earth, but most of the time we do not hope for such newness because we are sated with overabundance and satisfied with the advantages that we enjoy. 

Enable us to see the desperation of many around us. Let the urgent longing of others for liberation, wholeness, and peace move us to long for your new creation with them. 

Make your people, including us, a source of delight for others. May we be bearers of your comfort and healing. May we assist those who have been exiled or evicted as they build and find new homes to settle in. May we help those who have endured hunger, often on the verge of starvation, as they plant and harvest food that nourishes and strengthens them. May we nurture vulnerable children so that they may live long lives that are full of delight in your presence. May we nurture and strengthen the aged who are often shut away and abandoned, so that they delight in You even as they add decades to their lives.  

In your compassion, hear the prayers of many before they are voiced. Transform our personal, communal and political lives so that predation and exploitation are abolished. May all experience great blessing through your generosity and the generosity of your children. Amen.

Prayer for November 3-9, 2019
Sermon Text: Luke 19:1-10

That we may reach out to others as agents of renewing, transforming love 

Jesus, we rejoice that You reached out to people who lived their lives outside of the prescribed norms of acceptability. You touched the sick and diseased. You conversed with people of bad reputation. You liberated those who were spiritually and economically oppressed. You accepted hospitality from some who were known as collaborators with exploitative and deadly powers. 

We rejoice in your generous and transforming love. We rejoice that You acted in freedom that made it possible for others to experience freedom, healing, forgiveness and inclusion.  

Enable us, as your followers, to be agents of such renewing, transforming love. Amen.

Prayer for October 27 - November 2, 2019
Sermon Texts: Genesis 3:1-7, 4:1-16, 6:1-8

Creative One, enable us not to be confused and led astray from You by things that enchant us by their beauty or by their appeal to endow us with wisdom, strength, or some other desirable quality. Prevent us from listening to voices that would lure us to make a muddle of the beautiful life of abundance and fruitfulness that You desire for us. Help us receive your many gifts with gladness.

Enable us not to be drawn into competition and comparison with others. Do not let us assess our spiritual well-being by comparing what we have with what others near us have. Let us look to You with unwavering trust in your faithfulness. 

Whatever we do, enable us to live attentive to your word and conscious of your guiding presence. Help us to make wise choices that honor You and bless many around us. Amen.

Rev. Samuel Dasi from Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India, preached. I wrote the prayer based on a brief description of his preaching theme.

Prayer for October 20-26, 2019

Sermon Text: Luke 18:1-8

Just God, sometimes we are blind to everything but our own desires. When we find our comfort zone, we simply settle there. We act without concern that your will be done on earth as in heaven. We turn a cold shoulder to our many neighbors who cry out for justice.

Forgive us for our self-centeredness. Forgive us for overlooking our neighbors who long for the healing and restoration that justice brings. Forgive us for letting things other than your will take the central place in our lives.

Clear our vision. Fill us with compassion. Move us to just action. Then accept our glad worship. Amen.

Prayer for October 13-19, 2019
Sermon Text: Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7

That we may act for the well-being of our neighbors and enemies

God of peace, enable us to be agents of your peace.

Help us to be agents of your peace even after we have suffered great loss. Help us to be agents of your peace even when we find ourselves far from the place where we are most comfortable and at home – where politics, economics and worship are all practiced in unfamiliar and even offensive ways.

Enable us to act for the well-being of everyone around us, even those we disagree with, those who have caused us harm, and those we identify as enemies.

May we be guided, in every situation, by the values and actions of Christ Jesus, the Prince of Peace, who has brought great blessing to us at great cost to himself. Amen.

Prayer for October 6-12, 2019
Sermon Texts: Psalm 137, Lamentations 2:1-6, 3:19-26

That we may continue to call on you when we are overwhelmed with grief

God of Covenant, because You have entered into partnership with us, we are free to cry to you not only in times of jubilation and ecstasy, but also in the most bitter times of complaint and grief.

You see us in our need. You see us when our lives have been shattered and most of the things that we hold dear have been lost to us. You are present with us in our failure and defeat. You go with us in our times of exile. You understand the despair that makes us unable to sing our songs of joy.

Even in the midst of our most bitter days, You often remind us of your faithfulness. You show us new mercies. You give us hope that we could not generate on our own. You enable us to envision new possibilities in your presence. You bring surprising glimmers of joy.

God, even when we are overwhelmed with grief, we will call to You in hope because we trust in You. Amen.

Prayer for September 29 - October 5, 2019
Sermon Text: Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15

That we may trust You for a future we cannot foresee or shape on our own

God of all creation, we typically exalt the conditions we seem powerless to change to the status of ultimate reality.

     We assume too much!

     We trust too little!

     We guess that You are caught up in and bound by conditions that we find intractable.

     Vision blurs.

     Hope falters.

     We act passively.

But You are able to act in ways that exceed our expectations. You are not bound by our lack of vision, our inability, our hopelessness, our sin, or our little faith. You are able to shape reality so that it displays your glory. You are able to bring salvation in whatever form You design.

Enable us to trust You for a future that we cannot foresee or shape on our own. Amen.

   

Prayer for September 22-28, 2019
Sermon Text: 1 Timothy 2:1-7

That love may flow through our prayers for all people

God of all, stir our hearts to prayer. Guide us in prayer for neighbors and enemies, for leaders and common citizens. Let love flow through our prayers for all of your children, even for those who may never acknowledge you.

May our prayers enable us to live Christlike, wise and holy lives. May our prayers be a catalyst for the reconciling work that You have done through Christ. May our prayers enable us to live boldly into the peace and justice that You desire for us and for our diverse neighbors.

Do not let our prayers be an expression of passivity or a way to escape from daily, often strenuous and tenacious acts of faithfulness.

May our daily prayers, individual and communal, align our daily lives with You. Amen.

Prayer for September 15-21, 2019
Sermon Text: 1 Timothy 1:12-17

That our lives may convince others of your immense patience

Merciful One, we rejoice that You have given us strength for daily faithfulness and that You have called us to serve You through various ministries, in spite of our history of rejecting and resisting You and making life difficult for those who would follow You with zeal and delight.

We rejoice that You have forgiven us for the abuse and scorn that we heaped upon You in our ignorance and sinfulness. We rejoice that You have saved us from sin and death, and that You have liberated us from the tangled mess we had made of our lives.

May others see the immense patience that You have shown toward us and be drawn to your merciful presence.

We extol your name, for You alone are worthy of all the glory that we can give. Amen.

Prayer for September 8-14, 2019
Sermon Text: Philemon 1-21

That we may trust You enough to build lives of gratitude, welcome, generosity and love

God of grace, your generosity to us has cleared the way for us to act with generosity and hospitality to all whom we encounter.

You have prepared us for forgiveness. You have prepared us to step over, around or through every barrier to communion. You have prepared us not to cling to rights that put or keep others in our service. You have prepared us to say “Yes” to the freedom that others desperately seek. You have prepared us to act as advocates on behalf of those who are trying to create a new life.

You have given us the names “sister” and “brother” to describe those whom we have looked upon as less than fully human, as enemies, or as otherwise undesirable neighbors. 

Enable us to trust You enough to build lives of gratitude, welcome, generosity and love. May your Spirit energize us today and each day. Amen.

Prayer for September 1-7, 2019
Sermon Text: Luke 14:1, 7-14

That we may turn from competition and status seeking to genuine hospitality for others

Jesus, You see us in both our subtle and crass moments of competition with one another. You observe when we try to obtain the most favorable positions for ourselves and try to get others to think that we are one of the important ones to whom they should defer. You also see how fragile our egos are and how easily we are humiliated when our efforts to put ourselves before our neighbors are thwarted.

Forgive us for acting in unneighborly ways in situations that call for thoughtful, neighborly love. Forgive us for being overly conscious of our status and reputation.

Forgive us, also, for turning hospitality into an occasion for putting others in our debt and seeking payback.

Transform our hearts. Turn us away from competition to support, value and honor others. Turn us away from making transactions that cause others to feel indebted to us, toward generous sharing and communion, including with those who might never pay us back.  

May the generous, welcoming compassion of Jesus characterize our relationships with others. Amen.

Prayer for August 11-17, 2019
Sermon Text: Luke 12:32-40

That we may constantly be ready for Your presence

Comforting Teacher, help us to trust God daily for generous provision of our needs. Help us trust God for welcoming inclusion in the divine reign of forgiveness, justice, peace and compassion.

Move us beyond our fears. Move us beyond the deception that our possessions will provide meaningful life. Move us to generosity that arises out of gratitude and trust. Enable us to see our neighbors, and their well-being, as more valuable than the treasures we might amass.

Let our focus on God’s realm energize us for courageous and compassionate action in our daily lives. May we be constantly ready for service and for your presence. When You return among us, may we be found doing the ministry that You have trained us for and entrusted to us.  

We rejoice at the prospect of living in your presence and receiving your celebratory gifts. You are the fulfillment of our deepest hopes. Amen.

Prayer for August 4-10, 2019
Sermon Text: Luke 12:13-21

That we may identify and resist those forms of greed that control us

Jesus, we are so steeped in a culture of greed that we probably cannot perceive or label all of the ways that greed has infected and controlled our lives. We want what we want when we want it, and we are easily angered by anyone or anything that interrupts our accumulation of more.

Help us to see ourselves truthfully. Help us to identify our greed, whether for power, control, praise, money, land, sex, drugs, alcohol, food, travel, books, emotional highs, or anything else.

Help us not to assign value only to those things that seem to enhance our lives or give us good feelings. Help us to assess the value of things based on our ability to use them in ways that honor You and in ways that enhance the lives of our many neighbors.

Lead us into deeper relationship with You and with our diverse neighbors, so we may see, more clearly, the creative possibilities for use of the resources that You give us as your stewards. Amen.

Prayer for July 28-August 3, 2019
Sermon Text: Luke 11:1-13

That our entire life together may be an act of prayerful worship

Jesus, we rejoice in your promise that those who ask will receive, those who seek will find, and those who knock will have the door opened to them. Jesus, we are encouraged by your promise that God is ready to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask.

We rejoice that God has filled us with the divine Spirit and that the Spirit guides us as we pray and energizes us for faithfulness, including the work of forgiveness that runs counter to our natural inclination.

May your name be reverenced and set apart among us, so that nothing rivals our devotion to You.

May your reign come in fullness among us, so that all people and all things are aligned with your will.

Provide us with our daily provisions, so that we may respond with thanksgiving and share generously with others.

Forgive us, so we may learn and practice forgiveness.

Lead us in paths of righteousness and away from those things that tempt us to wander from You.  

Let everything we think, say, and do be an act of prayerful worship. Amen.

Prayer for July 21-27, 2019
Sermon Text: Luke 10:28-32

That we may remember the priority of devotion to you for our discipleship

Jesus, we know that You invite us to absorb your word into the very center of our hearts and minds. We know that You also call us to extend the good work of your ministry into the communities in which we live and in other places to which You may send us.

Enable us to learn your word thoroughly and enable us to work as diligent servant ministers in your name. Help us to discern the time to sit at your feet and the time to work strenuously in order to minister to You and to those with whom You identify yourself.  

Help us remember that our devotion to You takes priority as the starting point for our lives of discipleship. Help us not to be anxious, but to learn and practice your ways with gladness. Amen.

Prayer for July 14-20, 2019
Sermon Text: Luke 10:25-37

That we may be open to the disruption necessary to respond to others in their need

God, instruct us thoroughly in your word. Fill us fully with your Spirit. Give us the mind of Christ so that we are always ready to serve.

Do not let us try to justify ourselves by narrowing the definition of “neighbor,” then by letting ourselves off the hook when given an opportunity to respond to real needs that are right in front of us.

Enable us to be open for interruption, to allow our path to be altered and our schedule disrupted. Make us ready to bend to assist the wounded one with compassion and wisdom, even when that one is our enemy. Fill us with courage to face the criticism of others who would narrowly limit the scope of care to those who are most like us.  

Fill our hearts with thanksgiving for all that You have done for us. Then, let us respond with gratitude and generosity to those You place before us. Enable us to show your likeness through our attitude and action. Amen.

Prayer for July 7-13, 2019
Sermon Text: 2 Kings 5:1-14

That we may serve without show or expectation of reward

God of Glory, we prefer our wonders with public drama. We want the big spectacle, the mighty feat, senses overwhelmed and reason stymied. We want no doubt that the action has been all of You and that no shyster has had a hand in the outcome that thrills us.

We want drama and spectacle, but You give us subtle action by unlikely characters. Your humble servants point to new possibilities. Your inspired servants describe the way foreward to healing. Your gentle servants provide impetus and reassurance when the way ahead seems unappealing.

God, enable us to receive the healing and comforting gifts of your most humble servants. Enable us to hear your word when it comes to us from uncredentialed spokespersons. 

Enable us to receive. Then enable us to give with the same subtle approach. Enable us to serve without show or expectation of reward. We do so as followers of the One who came to serve. Amen.

Prayer for June 30-July 6, 2019
Sermon Text: 2 Kings 2:1-15

That we may keep moving toward the ministry to which You call us

Eternal One, enable us to be tenacious in following the tough paths that often lie ahead of us as we follow Jesus and attempt to fulfill the ministry to which we have been called. Do not let us be deterred by distance, discouraging words, or lack of knowledge.

Give us eyes to see the wonders that You are already doing right in front of us. Give us voices to declare our awe and our praise. Enable us to draw from the energy and potency of your Spirit as we step forward with courage and grasp the opportunities for mission that You prepare for us.

We do not know what we may lose and what we may receive on our journey, but keep us going forward even in the face of resistance, confusion, and our own tilt toward foolishness. 

May You be glorified in and through us. Amen.  

Prayer for June 23-29, 2019
Sermon Text: 1 Kings 19:1-16

That you will move us to new resolve when we have given up hope

Knowing One, even when our faith has been strong and we have seen wondrous things happen among us, it is easy for us to become depressed and frightened when we face resistance and our lives seem to be under threat.

You know us! You see us in our weakness and need. You Know about our desire to flee, to lay down and give up on the life of faith – to give up on You. Still, You meet us at the low points of our trust and energy. You provide for our needs. And You send us where we need to go in order see reality from your perspective.

There You meet us. You show us that your whispered voice is more real, more powerful, more terrifying than the unleashed powers of your creation.  

Even though nothing may change in our external circumstances, your word gives us the ability to get up and return the way we came. You enable us to resume the tasks of ministry to which You have called us. You enable us to walk in trust, step by step. Amen.

Prayer for June 16-22, 2019
Sermon Text: Provers 8:1-4, 22-31

That we may be drawn into the wisdom that begins with awe

God of all, wisdom calls through the whispering of your Spirit in and around us. Wisdom calls, and though we claim to want wisdom, we shut out her voice. We turn away.

We listen, instead, to the voices of our most selfish desires. We listen, instead, to our most impetuous emotions. We listen, instead, to the many lies that are told in order to mollify us, mislead us, and keep us rooted in that which undermines our full humanity and urges us to settle for things that quickly turn to dust in our hands and ashes in our mouths.

Forgive us for settling for foolish ways. Forgive us for idolizing ourselves, the works of our hands, and the desires of our hearts. Forgive us and draw us into the wisdom that begins with awe in your Presence. Amen.

Prayer for June 9-15, 2019

Sermon Text: Acts 2:1-21, Psalm 104, Romans 8:14-17, John 14:8-27

That your Spirit may break down every barrier that separates us

God of glory, we rejoice that You have fulfilled your promise to pour out your Spirit on all people. We rejoice that your Spirit instructs, comforts, and energizes your people . We rejoice that your Spirit unites your people with You and with Christ Jesus whom You sent among us.

Fill us with your Spirit. Guide us into the life that Jesus demonstrated among us. Energize us for service and witness. Enable us to utilize every gift that You have given us in order to nurture each other and exalt your name. Comfort and encourage us in times of struggle and opposition.

Break down every barrier to communication, both those outside of us and those we have erected in our hearts and minds. Unite us completely with each other and with You. 

We trust You to work among us in surprising and new ways. Amen.

Prayer for June 2-8, 2019
Sermon Text: Acts 16:16-34

That You will liberate your people from every power that enthralls, binds and oppresses

Liberating God, we rejoice that You are able to free your people from every form of bondage and captivity.

You are able to liberate from spiritual powers that enthrall, bind and oppress us. You are able to break every form of addiction and dependence that diminishes us and prevents us from living fully human lives.

You forgive with startling graciousness. And by your forgiveness, You break the power that sin holds over us. You interrupt our headlong rush toward death and destruction in order to set our feet firmly on the path to life that is abundant and free.

You are able to free even those who are incarcerated, particularly poor persons who are victimized by many policies and practices. You are able to raise up bold prophets, just judges and wise legislators who will declare and enact the freedom that You desire for your diverse children. 

Please make it so. Do your work of liberation among us. And make us bold, wise and glad agents of your liberation. Amen.

Prayer for May 26 - June 1, 2019

Sermon Text: Acts 16:6-15

That we may be open to receive your guidance and eager to answer your call

God, we rejoice that You are at work among us, guiding us to the places where people are awaiting a healing, saving, and renewing word from You. We rejoice that You are able to speak to us through scripture and in the subtle language of dreams.

Enable us to receive your guidance in whatever form You chose to give it. Give us hearts that are eager to answer your call and respond with compassion toward those whose need for your transforming presence is urgent.

Help us to be alert for opportunities to witness about your astonishing work in Jesus Christ. Enable us to push past internal barriers that might keep us from befriending people whose background and experience are different from our own.

May your Spirit make us ready donors and ready recipients of the many gifts that You make available as You extend your reign among us and throughout the vastness of your creation. Amen.

Prayer for May 19-25, 2019

Sermon Text: Revelation 21:1-6

That we may hold You in our first and final thought today

Creator God, we rejoice that You have begun your new creation through Christ Jesus. We rejoice that multitudes, through the centuries, have gotten a taste for the newness that will exceed our most vivid imagination.

We imagine a world that is ordered and beautiful. We imagine a world in which chaos no longer hampers and harries us. We imagine, most of all, You, settling among us as Sovereign, but also as Best Friend and Nearest Neighbor and Most Compassionate Comforter.

We anticipate, with joy. the removal of grief – of death, morning, crying and pain. We anticipate, with hope, deep draughts of refreshing water from springs that will never fail.

We believe that your promise is “trustworthy and true,” and we live for You and for the day when all will acknowledge that You are Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End. 

 You are our first and final thought this day. We praise You with unquenchable joy. Amen.

Prayer for Maundy Thursday, April 18, 2019

Sermon Text: John 13:1-17

Christ Jesus, our Teacher, Friend and Servant, you teach and lead us in surprising ways. You challenge our expectations. You undermine our arrogant and presumptuous desire to have others

bend to our will and serve us.

What you call us to would be impossible for us if You did not enable us to serve each other by your example and by the gift of your energizing Spirit who guides and keeps us in the way that You

command and lead. Amen.

Prayer for March 31-April 6, 2019

Sermon Text: Luke 15:1-32

That we may come to our senses and find our place in your household

God, we have found so many ways to reject You and act dishonorably toward You. Though You have provided everything for our well-being within your household, we have acted as though we were foreigners and strangers to You.

Some of us have greedily sought what we could wrest from You and unwisely squandered your resources on self-destructive excess. We have wandered far. We have lost ourselves as we have lost our connection to You and to the household that nurtured us. We have found ourselves in a morass of meaninglessness and discontent.

Some of us have stayed close, but we have participated bitterly in the life-giving work of the household. And we have seethed with anger when You have celebrated the return of those who wandered far and squandered your resources.  

Help those of us who are still wandering, and those of us who labor in bitterness and seethe with anger, to come to our senses and return to your household where every lost one is celebrated when they return home. Amen.

Prayer for April 7-13, 2019

Sermon Text: John 12:1-8

That we may see the new thing You have begun among us

God, our Redeemer, we rejoice in all that You have done for us. We rejoice in your many deliverances, your steady leading through places of difficulty and desolation, your constant provision for every need.

As we have journeyed with You, we have discovered that there is no God like You. You are incomparable in majesty, holiness, faithfulness and love. 

We desire no one beside You. We commit ourselves wholly to You as covenant partners for the long term.

As we walk with You, prevent us from thinking only about the past and what You did for us once, perhaps long ago. Help us to see what is going on around us. Help us to see the new thing that You have already begun among us. Enable us to hear your call to a future that is not yet fully formed. Strengthen us to walk in places where we would not venture without You. 

We trust You and we are yours. Amen.

Prayer for May 12-18, 2019

Sermon Text: Acts 9:36-43

God of wonders, we rejoice that You are able to act in ways that exceed our expectations or imagination. Whether we ask in calm confidence or with a sense of desperate urgency, You hear the cries of our hearts, and You are able to respond.

We praise You with hearts full of joy. We praise You with hopeful expectation that You will act among us with power that issues from your great love for us, and for all of your creatures.

Help us to trust You more fully. Let your work among us become a sign of your great love to the community where You have placed us. 

We dedicate ourselves to serve all people, but especially those who are poor and vulnerable, in your glorious name. Amen. 

Prayer for May 5-11, 2019

Sermon Text: Acts 9:1-20

Living Light, how blind we are when we decide that we are the ones who see You clearly. How vulnerable we become when we decide that we must protect You and act as your defenders. How quickly our hearts turn in violence toward those with whom we disagree.

We are so arrogant, believing that we know You, know your will and your ways better than most other people.

Forgive us. Soften our hearts. Blind us with the light of your truth. Humble us. Help us receive the ministrations of others who are able to restore true vision and create space within us for your Spirit to fill. 

Then, when You have begun your transformation within us, open our eyes to the opportunities for witness and service that lie all around us. Energize us for the work for which You have chosen and called us. Amen.

Prayer for April 28-May 4, 2019
Sermon Text: Acts 5:27-32

Prayer for the Week

God of new life, enable us to be obedient witnesses to Jesus and his resurrection. Let us speak good news in compelling ways that elicit belief and encourage people to repent and receive forgiveness of sins, while opening their hearts to the presence of your Spirit.

Give us courage to face resistance without bowing to pressure from those who would like to silence us. Prepare us to speak at any moment and enable us to speak truth without malice, but with deep compassion.  

God, we are witnesses of your wondrous work through Jesus Christ. We testify about what we have read, heard, and experienced. Give us a deeper experience of your incomparable love and a richer testimony to our diverse neighbors. Amen.

Prayer for April 21-27, 2019

Sermon Text: John 20:1-18; Acts 10:34-43; 1 Corinthians 15:19-26

Hallelujah!

     God of new life, we rejoice in You! Hallelujah!

     We rejoice that You raised Jesus from death. Hallelujah!

     We rejoice that You made him who was rejected by so many the cornerstone of your plan to reconcile all creation to yourself. Hallelujah!

     We rejoice that You have defeated sin and death through Jesus. Hallelujah!

     We rejoice that You have given us new life in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah!

     We rejoice that in making Jesus the “firstfruits” You have given us hope of being part of a great resurrection harvest when he comes again. Hallelujah!

     We sing and pray and offer all our worship with deep delight in You.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! HALLELUJAH!

PRAISE AND GLORY: PRAYERS OF PRAISE ENGAGING THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST STATEMENT OF FAITH

DAY 40 - SATURDAY

Blessing and honor, glory and power be unto God.  Amen.

There is no glory like yours –

God of Israel and God of Jesus Christ –

whom we serve with gladness and worship with joy.

You are incomparable in your creative ability

to shape form from nothingness and establish order out of chaos.

You are incomparable in power, shaping Creation and human history

in order to achieve your purposes.

You are incomparable in justice and righteousness,

rescuing the poor, weak, disabled, exiled and imprisoned

from brutal structures and harsh exploitation.

You are incomparable in love,

giving of your very identify in order to seek us

and invite us into lasting fellowship with You.

You are incomparable in forgiveness,

covering our sins and hurling them away,

giving us an advocate and removing our fear of condemnation.

We bless your name, God of our many fathers and mothers in faith,

and our God too.  Amen.

Scripture: Genesis 1:1-2; Exodus 9:13-26; Luke 1:46-55; Psalm 146; John 3:16; Micah 7:18-20; 1 John 2:1-2; Romans 8:1-4

PRAISE AND GLORY: PRAYERS OF PRAISE ENGAGING THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST STATEMENT OF FAITH

DAY 39 - FRIDAY

Blessing and honor, glory and power be unto God.  Amen.

God of Jesus Christ, and God of all Glory,

our hearts overflow with praise and we bless your name

as we consider your sovereign action.

You have created a universe of such vastness and complexity

that we cannot plumb the mystery of all we see

or imagine all that lies beyond the reach of our senses.

You feed us, and all other creatures,

from the abundance of your generosity.

You water the earth with rain and snow.

You preserve life.

By your own choice, you came among us, in Christ Jesus,

serving in humility, enduring death, and defeating all powers.

You invite us to intimacy and adopt us as your children.

You forgive all of our sins.

You instruct us in truth.

You enable us to enter deep communion

with others whom You have raised to new life.

You give us spiritual gifts to strengthen each other.

You comfort and encourage us,

and instill hope for eternal communion with You.

We praise You with exuberance,

You whose action has shaped and given meaning to our lives.

We honor your name by our worship and obedience.  Amen.

Scripture: Psalm 147; Genesis 1-2; John 1:1-14; Colossians 2:13-15; Revelation 3:19-22; 1 Corinthians 12; John 3:16;

PRAISE AND GLORY: PRAYERS OF PRAISE ENGAGING THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST STATEMENT OF FAITH

DAY 38 - THURSDAY

Blessing and honor, glory and power be unto God.  Amen.

O Enduring One, You who are called Ancient of Days,

You who make all things new, You who are the First and Last,

the Initiator and Fulfiller of all things,

we worship and praise You with one voice.

We bless your name for we have been abundantly blessed by You.

We have seen grace multiplied by grace and we rejoice in You.

We give You honor, knowing that only You are worthy,

only You have shown yourself wholly true and wholly faithful.

Your glory endures, outweighing all other glories,

shining forth in your creation and in the merciful acts

by which You have shaped us as your people,

who once had been no people, who were,

instead, enemies with hearts hardened against You.

By your own choice and action, your effective ability,

You have whirled words into worlds,

built and toppled dynasties, shaped history for your purposes,

defeated all opposing powers at the cross,

and brought forth your Chosen One as firstborn from the dead.

We rejoice that by that resurrection power

You raised us to new lives of faithfulness.

We cannot praise You enough,

but we sing and say our praise with endless gratitude.  Amen.

Scripture: Daniel 7:9-10; Revelation 21:1-7; John 1:14-18; 1 Peter 2:9-10; Romans 5:1-11, 8:29; Genesis 1:1-2:3; 1 Corinthians 15:50-58; Colossians 1:15-21