Prayer for October 13-19, 2013 

Sermon Text: Jeremiah 29:1, 4-11

That we may rebuild our uprooted lives with your guidance and energy

God, how hard it is to move on when our lives have been uprooted.  How easy it becomes to turn to those who will fill us with false hope, or confirm the false hopes to which we already cling, by saying exactly what we want them to say.

It is difficult to settle into a reality that has been thrust upon us, difficult to build something meaningful to replace all that we have lost.

But You provide guidance for our places of exile.  You give energy to start life anew.  You give vision of a life of fruitfulness that enhances the lives of our neighbors and even the lives of our enemies.  You enable us to live again!

Thank You for your guidance, for the hope You instill, for the renewed energy that You have given and given again.  Amen.

Prayer for October 6-12, 2013 

Sermon Text: Psalm 137 (with a look at Lamentations too)

That we may move beyond grief and bitterness by facing it truthfully

God of comfort, when we lose that which is truly and deeply meaningful, enable us to express our grief through tears and prayers.  Enable us to name what we have lost.  Enable us to identify our bitterness and our desire for vengeance imagined most terribly.

Turn our thoughts to You.  Enable us to trust You.  Fill us with hope in You.  Move us beyond bitterness.  Move us beyond thoughts of vengeance.  Comfort us!  Heal us!

Move us to worship You with praise.  Move us to love our neighbor gladly.  Move us to love our enemy boldly.  Move us to the new life that only You can give.  Amen.

Prayer for September 29-October 5, 2013 

Sermon Text: Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15

That we may see and admit the truth about ourselves

God of hope, at times when we are besieged by life we are tempted to stop trusting You.  Some of us are tempted to deny the truth of our circumstances and assume that everything will just be okay.  Some of us are inclined to presume that You will intervene, even when trouble has come about as the result of our foolishness or sin and we have not sought you or your intervention.  Some of us become passive and refuse to act because we conclude that there is no future for us.

God of all, enable us to see the truth of our circumstances.  Enable us to face reality with courage.  Enable us to admit the truth when we have sinned or played the fool.  Enable us to repent.  Enable us to seek You and trust You and follow your guidance into the new life You promise.

God, our God, we know that there is no real hope apart from your presence and action.  All our hope is in You.  Amen.

Prayer for September 22-28, 2013 

Sermon Text: 1 Timothy 2:1-7

That our prayers may contribute to justice, healing, and peace

Sovereign One, we rejoice in your invitation to pray, your promise of loving attentiveness, and the confidence your fidelity gives us that You will hear and answer for our well-being and for the healing of your world.

     Guide the leaders of our cities, states, nation, and nations of the world into knowledge of your word and pursuit of your justice.

     Enable our leaders to protect those who are poor, weak, and without voice, by compassionate advocacy and by wise and just allocation of resources.

     Enable us, as your people, to be agents of your truth; and may our leaders be committed to knowing your truth and acting truthfully as they carry out their tasks.

     Through wise leadership and faithful living, create a world of peace where your people and your creation are one in You.  Amen.

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.