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.