Prayer for November 29-December 5, 2020
Sermon Text: Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19

That we may speak and hear truth in our relationship with You

God of creation and covenant, empower us to call upon You in every circumstance. Enable us to cry out of joy and blessing, but also out of sorry and pain. Enable us to be your covenant partners when we are rejoicing and grateful for your acts of salvation, but also when we feel that You have failed us, abandoned us, or judged us unfairly.

Help us to see and speak out of the truth of our experience, but enable us, also, to hear your truth, even when it does not match our perceptions.

We have done injustice and violence. We have suffered illness. We have diminished ourselves by our own actions. But we have also been harmed by circumstances over which we had no control.

Make your face shine on us for our salvation, we pray. . . .

Indeed, we believe You have shone your face upon us, for our salvation, in Jesus, your Anointed One. We thank You that Jesus has revived us. We rejoice that Jesus has enabled us to turn to You and call upon your name. May we be abiding partners in the covenant You have established with us through Jesus. Amen.

Prayer for November 22-28, 2020
Sermon Text: Matthew 25:31-46 

That we may nurture our diverse neighbors for fruitful existence

God of all creation, we rejoice that You have entrusted us with stewardship of your vast and varied resources. But we rejoice, also, in the fact that You do not leave us on our own to depend solely upon our own wisdom for the best care and use of those resources.

Enable us to be bold and creative in utilizing the resources we have been entrusted with to care for our human neighbors, and our other creaturely neighbors, in ways that nourish and nurture all for fruitful existence.

Forgive us when we are afraid to use your resources in creative and risky ways. Forgive us when we overlook the needs of our neighbors while significant resources are hoarded or hidden away. Forgive us when we fail to use your resources to pursue your justice.

Let participation in your joy be a powerful motivator for thankful and generous faithfulness. Amen.

Prayer for November 15, 2020
Sermon Text: Matthew 25:14-30

That we may act in creative ways that glorify You, nourish the church, and preserve the world

Generous One, we rejoice that You have entrusted us with many resources, of many kinds, in order to participate in and extend your reign of peace and justice in the world.

Most of the time, we rejoice in your trust and gladly use your resources to pursue your glory. Sometimes we are greedy, lazy, or fearful, using your resources solely for our own benefit, or shelving or hiding them because we are too lazy to do the strenuous and creative work of faith.

Forgive us when we act in fearful or greedy ways. Forgive us when we let the gifts and resources You have provided go to waste. Forgive us when we do not allow our best perceptions of You to guide our actions.

Enable us to act in creative ways that bring glory to You, nourish the life of the church, and preserve the world that You have created for the sustenance and joy of a myriad creatures. Amen.

Prayer for November 8-14, 2020
Sermon Text: Matthew 25:1-13 

That we may have full hearts and a clear vision for your presence among us

You who will make all things new, enable us to live in constant readiness for You. Enable us to live as diligent servants, even when there seems to be no urgency because we do not know the day or hour when the consummation of your promises will occur. Enable us to practice compassion and generosity toward those who lack resources that we have received in good measure.

Forgive us when we are lackadaisical and want to do as little as possible in service of our sisters and brothers in faith. Forgive us when we act without compassion and look past the many needs that burden our neighbors. Forgive us when we push the presence of your reign out of our minds and focus only on the things that are most attractive to us at the moment.

Give us full hearts and clear vision for the presence of your reign among us. Enable us to stand firm, in faith, each new day. Amen.

Prayer for November 1-7, 2020
Sermon Text: Matthew 23:1-12 

That we may discern, welcome, and respond faithfully to wise instruction

God of wisdom, enable us to discern wise instruction when we receive it. Enable us to perceive when the teachings and actions of our instructors are not congruent. Enable us to follow the guidance of Jesus with glad and hopeful obedience.

Remove any inclination within us to practice our faith in ways that will draw the attention and acclamation of others. Forgive us when we seek honor from others instead of acting for your honor and glory.

Prevent us from making faith unnecessarily burdensome for others. Forgive us for smoothing the way for ourselves in ways that makes faith more costly for our neighbors.

Let us be willing servants to one another, but prevent us from coercing others to serve us.

May we follow, with whole hearts, wherever and to whomever Jesus leads us. Amen.

Prayer for October 25-31, 2020
Sermon Text: Matthew 22:34-46

That our love for You and for our neighbors will be a unified expression of commitment

Jesus, help us to follow your example by loving God with our entire being. Do not let any idol of our making or imagining disrupt or damage our relationship with God, our Creator.

Let our love for God energize us for consistent love for our neighbors. May we bring your blessing to them, and, in solidarity with them, help structure our world for peace and justice.

Let love for our diverse neighbors enrich our love for You, so that our love for them and our love for You grow stronger and deeper as a unified expression of our commitment and trust.

Forgive us when we falter in our love for You. Forgive us when we allow other agendas to diminish our love for our neighbors. May we be wholly yours as we give ourselves in thankful love to our neighbors. Amen.

Prayer for October 18-24, 2020
Sermon Text: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

That love for our diverse neighbors will enrich our love for You

Jesus, help us to follow your example by loving God with our entire being. Do not let any idol of our making or imagining disrupt or damage our relationship with God our Creator.

Let our love for God energize us for consistent love for our neighbors. May we bring your blessing to them, and, in solidarity with them, help structure our world for peace and justice.

Let love for our diverse neighbors enrich our love for You, so that our love for them and our love for You grow stronger and deeper as a unified expression of our commitment and trust. 

Forgive us when we falter in our love for You. Forgive us when we allow other agendas to diminish our love for our neighbors. May we be wholly yours as we give ourselves in thankful love to our neighbors. Amen.

Prayer for October 11-17, 2020
Sermon Text: Philippians 4:1-9

That we will contemplate all that is praiseworthy without blinding ourselves to painful realities

Faithful One, enable us to stand firm in faith, to trust You with tenacity and courage in the midst of troubling and even terrifying circumstances. Enable us to trust You and rely on your grace so consistently that we are able to live lives that are largely free of anxiety.

Let praise and rejoicing well up in our hearts, fill our minds, and flow from our lips daily. Enable us to pray with thanksgiving in every circumstance. Fill us with your peace that passes understanding, and let peace and rejoicing reinforce each other in a deepening cycle.

Enable us to contemplate all that is “excellent or praiseworthy,” but not by blinding ourselves to the painful realities of sin and injustice. Help us help each other to reconcile fractured relationships between individuals and among larger human groups. Enable us to be peacemakers, recognizing that we cannot experience the deepest depths of your peace while relationships are unreconciled and injustice is rife. 

We seek your peace, but not only for ourselves. Help us! Amen. 

Prayer for October 4-10, 2020
Sermon Text: Exodus 20:1-20

That we will not be diverted from complete faithfulness to You by any created thing

     God our Creator and Liberator, You have made us for yourself. You have released us from many forms of bondage. You have sustained us through our most difficult journeys and most harrowing trials.

     Enable us to remember all that You have done for us. Enable us to live in covenant fidelity with You. Help us to follow your guidance with tenacity and joy. Do not let us make any created thing, even those we tend to value most, into substitute gods that keep us from acting with complete faithfulness to You. 

    You alone are our Savior. You along are our God. You alone are our eternal, loving Partner. You alone fill our memories with wonders. You alone sustain us. You alone fill us with peace and joy. We give You all of our worship and all of our gifts. We put all of our trust in You. Amen.

Prayer for September 27-October 3, 2020
Sermon Text: Exodus 17:1-7

That our memories may be stoked to energize us for tenacious and joyful faith

You who deliver and sustain us, we rejoice in You. We rejoice in the many wonders You have done on our behalf. We rejoice that You have been our constant companion every step of our journey.

We acknowledge that You must lead us through barren places in order to bring us to the place of promise where we may enjoy the fullest fruits of your provision. We have learned, however, that it is in those barren places that we most fully experience and comprehend your sustenance. It is there that we see your incomparable care and compassion for your children.  

Forgive us when quarrelling, doubt, grumbling and bitterness become our primary modes of being. Stoke our memories so that we will be energized for tenacious and joyful faith. Amen.