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.