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.