Prayer for September 15-21, 2013 

Sermon Text: 1 Timothy 1:12-17

(Note: As it turned out, I preached from the gospel instead)

That we may be full transformed by your love

God, our Creator, we rejoice in your great mercy.  We rejoice that You have overcome our resistance, overcome the violence of our hearts, to flood our lives with your grace and enable us to trust and love You through Christ Jesus.

You have saved us from the sin that enslaved us.  You have acted with great patience toward us.  You have shown us your amazing ability to transform lives so that we, with our many flaws and checkered histories, may be a sign of hope for others.

God of all, we rejoice that You have freed us, forgiven us, healed us, transformed us, called us, and empowered us as your people. 

How we rejoice in You!  Amen.

Prayer for September 8-14, 2013

Sermon Text: Philemon 1-21

That we may love without distinction

Living God, fill us with love for all your people and enable us to love, without distinction, even those with whom we disagree.

Enable us to witness boldly about your presence and action and see, more completely, the goodness that we receive from You through Jesus Christ.

Enable us to be a source of refreshment and joy for our sisters and brothers who face great trials.

Help us to see that we really are brothers and sisters in Christ and that we are all deeply valued by You.  Let this understanding be the catalyst for liberating each other from every form of control that we have used to hold others in bondage to us.

Enable us to abandon the hierarchical ways of thinking and acting that have characterized so much of “normal” human relating – even in the church.

Help us live fully into the life of grace, generosity, freedom, and peace that You intend for us.  Amen.

Prayer for September 1-7, 2013 

Sermon Text: Luke 14:1, 7-14

That your generosity will generate generosity in us

God of all people, we rejoice in your faithful provision for us.  We delight in the good food and drink that You provide.  We thank You for the opportunity to share our table with family and friends.

     Enable us to open our tables more widely to strangers and those who are in need.  Keep us from turning hospitality into a competition for honor, or into a way of making other people feel obligated to us.

     Enable us to be gracious hosts and grateful guests who accept all things as a gift of your generosity.

     May your generosity, which we can never hope to repay, generate generosity of heart and action for which we expect nothing in return.  Amen.

Prayer for August 25-31, 2013 

Sermon Text: Luke 13:10-17

That we might act in ways that free others to praise You

Liberating God, we rejoice in your desire to free each of us, and every one of our neighbors, worldwide, from all that binds our spirits and prevents us from experiencing the fullness of life that You desire for us.

Enable us to open ourselves fully to your liberating presence.  Enable us to celebrate your liberating acts for others with joy.

Forgive us when we shut ourselves off from the freedom You desire for us.  Forgive us when we complain about or stand in the way of your liberating acts.

Enable us to follow Jesus as agents of your liberation, whose healing acts set others free to praise You and to live with delight in your presence.  Amen.

Prayer for August 18-24, 2013

Sermon Text: Psalm 80:1-2, 8-19

That we may experience renewed energy in your presence

Merciful God, everything depends upon your presence.

     You are our salvation.

     You are our provision.

     You are our Judge when we turn from You.

     You watch over us.

     You raise up wise and just leadership among us.

     You revive our flagging devotion and enable us to worship You with enthusiasm and joy.

     When You turn your face toward us, we experience the fulness of your salvation, we experience peace that is beyond adequate explanation and that endures through every circumstance.  We rejoice in You, our Savior and our God.  Amen.

Prayer for August 11-17, 2013 

Sermon Text: Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

That we may exercise a bold, hopeful faith

O God, give us bold faith.  Give us assurance that You will bring your plan for salvation - for the healing of all creation - to fulfillment.  Give us confidence that You, in your creative ability, will bring about a new reality that we cannot now see or fully envision.

Give us faith like that of Abraham, who left his home to follow your guidance to an unfamiliar place, and there receive the gifts that You had in mind for him. 

Give us faith to live in covenant fidelity and to trust You in all things.  Give us faith, especially, when your promises seem long in coming, when the new reality we await seems like a delusion or an impossibility.

We are not heroic, God, but we ask that You enable us to live by faith daily, consistently, boldly, and with great hope.  Amen.

Prayer for August 4-10, 2013 

Sermon Text: Luke 12:13-21

hat we will not give in to covetousness and greed

Generous God, how easy it is for us to succumb to covetousness and greed.  How easy it is to compare what we have with what others have and concluded that we have gotten a raw deal.

Root out greed and covetousness from our lives.  Fill us with joy in your presence.  Enable us to live with gratitude – content with your ample provision for our daily needs.

Open our hearts to express your generosity.  In our gratitude, enable us to be generous with our neighbors.  Enable us to be generous, especially, with those whose needs are unmet, those who are truly victimized by unjust practices.

Let us not be lured into folly by wealth, but let us overflow with love and generosity as we depend upon You.  Amen.