PRAYERS FOR JANUARY 2023
January 1*
Sermon Text: John
1:1-14
That we may trust and receive your Word for us
God of all creation, it astonishes us that the One whose birth was promised and welcomed so long ago, could somehow be the living embodiment of your word.
Though your people have preached, sung, and written about the One we
name with so many names, the life of Jesus, the Christ, remains a great mystery
that we cannot fully comprehend or adequately explain.
We trust You because of your many promises and your faithfulness to your
people. We trust You, because in this One who is Word, Life, and Light, You
have come to live among us and to celebrate and endure the joys and trials of
human existence. We receive your Word
because we perceive that in this One, You have risked everything in order to
express your love, draw us to yourself, and heal all the wounds of your
creation, human and otherwise.
We rejoice in this One who reveals your vast love and fills our lives
with blessings that we cannot count and do not fully appreciate. We rejoice
that in the Word, whom we call Jesus, we see your glory.
Glory! Glory! Glory! Amen.
* This prayer was written
for December 25, 2022, but we had no worship that day due to bad weather and
malfunctioning heat.
January 8
Sermon
Text: Matthew 3:13-17
That our lives will continue to be shaped by the movement of your Spirit in and among us
God of all, we worship You with joy. We rejoice in the presence and work of your Spirit, which moved over chaotic waters before You spoke and gave form to everything. Thank You for the beauty and complexity which surround and sustain us!
We rejoice that your Spirit was present,
unseen, at the conception of Jesus linking his life with yours in a unique and
unrepeatable way. We give thanks that your Spirit was present, without angel
announcement, at the conception of each one of us who worship here today. Thank
You for your enduring presence with us!
We rejoice that your Spirit led Jesus to
the waters of baptism and like a murmuring dove came upon him and empowered him
for ministry as your beloved representative to the world You love so deeply.
Through grace that precedes our thoughts and choices, Your Spirit has also led
us through the waters of baptism and training to be Jesus’ disciples, friends,
and coworkers in the world. Thank you for your mercy to us! Thank You for
making us your own and making us partners with Jesus in your mission!
We rejoice that your Spirit led Jesus into
the time of testing that would prepare him to resist ongoing temptations to pursue
his mission in self-serving, self-inflating, and idolatrous ways. We rejoice
that your Spirit enables us to perceive temptations to be your people and
pursue your mission in ways that undermine both identity and mission. Thank
You for providing guidance and sustenance as we seek your will and serve your
reign in your world! Amen.
January 15
Sermon Text: John
1:29-42
That
we may live from the presence, gifts, guidance, and energy or your Spirit
God of all, by your
Spirit You have enabled us to recognize and acknowledge Jesus as your Chosen
One, the embodiment of your word and enactor of your will among us. We praise
You that You have enabled us to recognize and receive Jesus as the source of
salvation from all the powers of sin and death. We rejoice that Jesus has
submerged our lives in your enlivening, energizing Spirit.
In spite of all
that You have done for us, and given to us, we often resist you.
Forgive us! -
when we resist acknowledging Jesus as your Chosen One by failing or refusing to
live in total commitment to You that allows first place to no other
commitments, and with generous love to our diverse neighbors that refuses to
diminish, exploit, or control them.
Forgive us! –
when we continue to act as though our salvation is dependent primarily on our
own ingenuity and ability, and not on Jesus as Lamb of God.
Forgive us! –
when we resist your Spirit as the source of guidance, comfort, and energy for
every faithful venture.
Enable us to
receive your many gifts, with gratitude, so that they enrich our lives with
You, and enrich our neighbors with your love. Amen.
January 22
Sermon Text: Matthew
4:12-23
That we may build upon the foundation of unity You have created and strengthen each other for works of righteousness and justice
God of all, we rejoice in You! We rejoice that You have called us to be disciples of Jesus together. We rejoice that You have laid the perfect foundation for our unity with one another: one body, one Spirit, one new hope to which You have called us, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God, sovereign and present everywhere.*
Enable us to trust You as we build upon
the foundation that you have prepared. Enable us to use the gifts You have
given us in order to strengthen and encourage each other for the enduring
practice of righteousness and justice.
Help us to know your presence by the
movement of your Spirit among us. Let us to see the face of Jesus in the faces
of the most vulnerable with whom he identified himself and for whom he did many
wondrous works of sustenance, forgiveness, healing, and liberation that
generated new life and new hope.
Forgive us when we forget that Jesus has
called us to continue his ministry to those whom he loved. Forgive us when our
self-focused lives blind us to the needs of others, and to our connection with
them in our dependence upon You.
Enable us to look upon others with
compassion so we may act with the extravagant love that Jesus practiced. Amen.
*Ephesians 4:4-6, paraphrased
January 29
Sermon Text: Matthew
5:1-12
That we may be fully committed to You and your agenda of restoring and blessing all of creation
God of all, we rejoice in your amazing love! We rejoice in your ability to redeem, rescue, and restore!
We thank You for revealing yourself to us
in Christ Jesus. We thank You for Jesus’ counterintuitive pronouncement of
blessing upon many whose lives did not seem blessed or who stood outside of the
mainstream of self-serving pursuits. As your Living Word, and agent of your
sovereign reign, his words of blessing were able to alter circumstances and
enact your will on behalf of those poor and vulnerable ones who sought your
intervention and those who were mistreated and shoved aside because of their
devotion to You and your ways.
Forgive us when we deepen the poverty of
the poor, the grief of the bereaved, and the rootlessness of the displaced.
Forgive us when we refuse to recognize our daily dependence upon you. Forgive
us when we fail to seek your righteousness, act in mercy, or practice peace.
Forgive us when our hearts and vision are muddied by devotion to false gods of
our own making.
Transform us into people whose lives are
fully devoted to You, fully committed to your agenda of restoring your
creation, and fully invested in blessing all people, everywhere, as agents of
your love. Amen.
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