Prayer for February 14-20, 2021
Sermon Text: Mark 9:2-9

That we may listen with our whole being to the instruction and command of Jesus

Jesus, we long to walk close beside You. We long to see the power of God's reign touch the world through You. We long to be dazzled by your beauty and radiance. We long to comprehend, more fully, the way that your life, your presence, fulfills the instruction, warning, and promise that Moses and Elijah represent for your people Israel.

God, enable us to obey You and listen with our whole being to the instruction and command of Jesus. Let us draw from his wisdom. Let us follow in his ways. Let us practice the compassion that he showed for those who were "like sheep without a shepherd."

Spirit, draw us together. Enable us to be the compassionate community of Jesus in a world that is usually most interested in accumulating commodities and exercising control over others. May your freedom blow through our lives and liberate us for new life and transforming service. Amen.

Prayer for February 7-13, 2021
Sermon Text: Mark 1:29-39

That we may remain open to all You offers us in your matchless love

God of many gifts, we praise You for the wonders of your creation. We praise You for your ability to nurture and sustain what You have made. And we rejoice in the many gifts that You have given that enable us to walk in close communion with You and to minister in your name.

We rejoice that through the waters of baptism and the outpouring of your Spirit, we have been identified as your beloved children. We are thankful that Jesus' compassionate touch has brought many forms of healing to our bodies and spirits. We rejoice that You meet us in times of prayerful intimacy, and that in those times we can align our lives more completely with your life-giving will for us. And we praise You, that in your wisdom, acts of obedience give us greater energy for daily faith and ministry.

Forgive us when we forget or spurn your gifts. Enable us to remain open to all that You offer us out of your matchless love. We are yours by your own word. Amen.

Prayer for January 31-February 6, 2021
Sermon text: Mark 1:21-28 

That we may follow the alternative model of human life that You lived among us

Jesus, we worship You. We are awed by your teaching, which flowed from the depths of God's love through your life. We rejoice that You were so fully aligned with God, and so fully authorized by God, that You were able to enact God's reign in liberating, restoring ways among us.

We rejoice that You were able to resist temptation, in the wilderness, but also that You were able to defeat enslaving spirits that diminished the lives of some of those whom You encountered during your ministry.

We rejoice that You provided an alternative model of humanity that did not thrive through violence and death.

Enable us to follow You in your way. Enable us to open our minds to your instruction and open our hearts to your love. Forgive us when we resist You. Forgive us when we submit to the demonic and deadly ways that You encountered and defeated.

Let us experience the renewing freedom that You bring. And let us share the good news about what You have done and can do among us. Amen.

Prayer for January 24-30, 2021
Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 1:10-13a 

That we will radiate your holiness, beauty, and love into the world by our love for each other

God of all creation, we worship You. We rejoice that You have made us for communion with You and with each other.

Thank You for drawing close to us in Jesus the Christ. Thank You for drawing us close to each other by the Spirit of Christ at work in our lives.

Forgive us when we forget that the love in which and by which we flourish is both ... and. Forgive us when we attempt or claim to love You without loving the many people whom You have placed in our lives. And forgive us when we try to love the people whom You have drawn close to us, without loving You, making of them an idol that eventually diminishes each and all together.

By your Spirit, enable us to draw close to each other, to love each other, to nourish and build each other up, so that, together, we radiate your holiness, beauty, and love into the world around us.

We pray in the name of the One who broke down every impediment to unity among us. Amen.

Prayer for January 17-23, 2021
Sermon Text: Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 

That our anxious, wandering hearts may be stilled and held close in your love

We rejoice in You, our God! We rejoice that we live and move and have our being in You. We are astonished by those times when your presence seems to hover particularly close, when we seem to be enfolded and enrapt in your love, like that of a young lover. We are amazed, comforted, and sometimes nervous, that You know us thoroughly enough to know even our thoughts, like two friends or lovers who have walked together for many years.

You complete our lives. You reveal yourself, your world, and even our selves to us in ways that we could not begin to discover by our own will and intellect. Yet mystery remains! And we rejoice in the continued unfolding of mystery in your presence and action that creates both awe and delight.

You have kept us close to your love even when we have been inclined to wander. You have stilled our hearts, even when we have been anxious and fearful. We rejoice in You, our God!  Amen.

Prayer for January 10-16, 2021
Sermon Texts: Genesis 1:1-5, Mark 1:4-11, Acts 19:1-7

That we may remain attentive to your Spirit and not quench the Spirit's work

Living God, we rejoice in the wonders of creation, which your Spirit hovered over in love as the creative word was spoken. We rejoice in the wisdom of your works and in the delight that You have given us through them.

Murmuring Spirit, we rejoice that You descended upon Jesus as he emerged from the waters of baptism, and as God's voice declared his special identity. We rejoice that You led him through temptation, then through every moment of his ministry--guiding him, energizing him--enabling him to fulfill God's promises to the world God loves.

Wondrous God, we rejoice that You have fulfilled your promise to pour out your Spirit on all people. Your Spirit has refreshed, guided, comforted, and energized us in ways that we could not have imagined. Enable us to remain attentive to the movement of your Spirit among us and not quench the Spirit's work. Amen.

 

Prayer for January 3-9, 2021
Sermon Text: John 1:1-18

That our trust will make your presence and love known on a broad scale

Jesus, we adore You. We praise your name. We rejoice in all that God has done through You.

We have received You with glad hearts. We have trusted You in the midst of all the challenges of life. We acknowledge You as:

• Living Word,
• Creator of all things,
• Source of all life,
• Light that gives vision, wisdom and understanding,
• Bearer of God's glory,
• Giver of many gifts of grace,
• Truth embodied, and
• God with us.

Forgive us when we fail to perceive that You make newness possible in our lives. Enable us to trust You in ways that make your presence and love known on a broad scale. Amen.