Prayer for August 25-31, 2019
Sermon Text: Luke 13:10-17

That we may celebrate with wild praise the many ways You work salvation  

Christ Jesus, we rejoice that You came as Agent of God's reign. We rejoice that You came with the energy and willingness to enact healing as a generous and liberating act.

You created wholeness for those who were treated as less than fully human. You restored many to full participation in community life. You placed great value on those who were considered worthless.

Forgive us for resisting the generosity and compassion that You show toward those who are most vulnerable. Forgive us for giving greater value to our traditions than to the hurting people around us.

Enable us to join in your healing, liberating, reconciling work with generosity and joy. Let us celebrate with wild praise the many ways that You work salvation. Amen.

Prayer for August 18-24, 2019
Sermon Text: Luke 12:49-56

That we will cling to your word even in the face of resistance  

Holy God, our lives are attuned to many things, including: cultural traditions, political movements, current fads, folk wisdom, sports teams, and our fluctuating desires and emotions, among others.

We regret, and repent, that our lives are less attuned to your word and your presence. We fail to see that your word is countercultural, challenging us to live in alternative ways to the exploitative or frivolous ways of our society. We fail to see that following Jesus often sets us in opposition to our families, neighbors, and communities, that being Jesus' disciples is risky business.

Holy One, ignite our lives by the fire of your Spirit. Let our lives blaze like burning bushes that cause others to pause and turn aside to see what You are doing.

Do not let our ardor be an excuse to live with belligerence or to offend others intentionally. But enable us to burn brightly for You, even in the face of many forms of resistance. Amen.

Prayer for February 2-8, 2020
Sermon Text: Matthew 5:1-12

That we will not grasp for blessing as though You are reluctant to bless 

God of many blessings, we rejoice that being blessed is not dependent upon self-sufficiency and pride, on holding abundant wealth, on being free of grief and suffering, or on asserting our will in the struggle for power.

We rejoice, that in your wisdom, blessing commonly attends mercy, generosity and justice, truthful relationships, and the work of reconciliation.

Enable us to be people of humility, mercy, generosity, justice, truth, and forgiveness. Help us not to grasp for blessing as though You were reluctant to bless. Help us not to live grimly, but with abundant thanksgiving and joy.

You have blessed us in more ways than we can count. Let endless praise flow from our hearts and lips. Amen.

Prayer for January 26-February 1, 2020

Sermon Text: Matthew 4:12-23 

That we may hear and follow You without reservation 

Christ Jesus, we rejoice that You were the light for whom many were waiting. You touched people living in darkness. You touched people living in the shadow of death. 

Some recognized you, immediately, as Light of the world and Source of all hope. Others resisted and struggled before recognizing You as the One for whom their hearts had ached. Others, still, sought to deny and defeat You, but would fail to do so in the end. 

Let us be among those who hear and follow without reservation. It is too late for some of us to do so “immediately,” or “at once,” but it is not too late to follow with all our concentration and passion. It is not too late for us to give You everything, as You have given everything on our behalf. 

Enable us to do so now. And enable us to draw others to You. Amen.

Prayer for January 19-25, 2020
Sermon Text: Acts 27:18-28:10

That we may show generous kindness without hesitation and with deep gladness 

God of mercy, we have been met with kindness in so many places and have been shown kindness in so many ways. Our most challenging moments, those in which our lives have seemed shipwrecked and splintered, have often been the ones in which we have most clearly seen your mercy shown to us through the gracious generosity of others.

We rejoice in your goodness. And we rejoice in the goodness that You have inspired.

Enable us—as we remember the many kindnesses that have been shown to us—to practice generous kindness without hesitation and with deep gladness. May others rejoice in You because of the kindness that we show to them. Amen.

NOTE: This prayer was not used in our worship for the week, but was based on the text for our Service of Prayer for Christian Unity that was based on materials from the Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute.

Prayer for January 12-18, 2020
Sermon Text: Matthew 3:13-17

That we may walk and learn from You as your disciples 

Jesus, we rejoice that You identified fully with your people. We rejoice that You were not aloof. You did not hold yourself apart or assume that your life was exempt from their troubles and trials.

You entered the waters of repentance as an act of solidarity and obedience. You entered those waters as a way of receiving the new thing, the new way of being human, that God was creating for God’s chosen ones in and through You.

We rejoice in You! We rejoice that God identified You as beloved Son. We rejoice that You have called us to walk with You and learn from You, as your disciples. We rejoice that through You, we, too, are God’s beloved sons and daughters. Amen.

Prayer for January 5-11, 2020
Sermon Text: John 1:10-18

That every aspect of our lives will reflect your grace and truth 

You: Creator, Wisdom, Light, Life – we worship You. We open our hearts and raise our voices in order to pour forth our gratitude and praise.

We rejoice that You have come among us. We rejoice that in You, Living Word, we have encountered grace and truth in their fullest dimensions. We rejoice that we have been enabled to trust You and have been drawn into God’s extended family.

We give thanks for your generosity and praise You for the flow of grace that continuously floods our lives. You have made God known to us and have enabled us to know ourselves and our neighbors by that same revelation. 

Let every aspect of our lives reflect the grace and truth You have revealed to us. O Living and True Word, we praise You! Amen.