Prayer for Lent - Day 4 - Saturday (February 20, 2021)

Gospel Reading: Luke 4:1-8

     We rejoice, O God, that You endowed Jesus with your Spirit, and that every moment of his ministry was in the presence and under the direction of the Spirit. Even his sojourn in the wilderness, echoing the experience of his ancestors, was initiated by the Spirit's guidance.

     We rejoice that your Spirit enabled Jesus to fast for 40 days. And though he became very hungry, at the end of those days, his time in the presence of your Spirit gave him the courage, wisdom, and energy to resist the temptation to make his physical hunger the  dominant reality of his life.

     We rejoice that Jesus, the embodiment of your Word, was so thoroughly acquainted with the scriptures that he was able to resist the temptation to let hunger for personal authority and glory cause him to act in the idolatrous way that the tempter offered. He was fully loyal to You in spite of great temptation. And he did not doubt your affirmation of his role as your beloved Son, with the authority and eventual glory that implied.

     God, we don't always allow your Spirit to guide us, especially when we are guided toward potential hardship. Forgive us! We don't always trust in the identity You have given us as your children, but, instead, work hard to achieve what You give as gift. Forgive us! We don't always resist the temptation to put our own needs, or our own appetite for power and glory aside, in order to be fully faithful to You! Forgive us.

     May we find in our own wilderness days, that your Spirit is close, your word is true, and your call upon our lives is full of promise. Energize us for the ministry to which You have called us. We rejoice in You, O God! Amen.

     

Prayer for Lent - Day 3 - Friday (February 19, 2021)

Luke 9:57-62

     Jesus, we want to follow You, if we can fit You into our schedule, somehow, and if You don't make things too inconvenient for us. We aren't really all that interested in giving up the life of abundance and ease that many of us enjoy. We don't want to face deprivation. We don't want following You to interfere with our family obligations or with other relationships. We want to take up the work of discipleship and set it aside as it fits our own priorities, dreams, or even whims.
     Jesus, You call us to follow You by making your priorities our own. You call us to follow You by accepting, and even rejoicing in, the hardships that often arise for those who live with You at the center of their existence. Forgive us for our many failures and our frequent moments of rebellion. Enable us to resist allowing anything else to hold the central place of loyalty in our lives. Enable us to follow You by remaining attuned to your instruction and energized by your Spirit. We rejoice in your call upon our lives! Amen.

Prayer for Lent - Day 2 - Thursday (2/18/2021)

Gospel Reading: Luke 18:9-14

     God of all people, we rejoice in You! We trust in You!

     Forgive us when we become overconfident in our status before You, become self-congratulatory, and look with scorn upon others whose morality seems compromised, and whose understanding or performance of faith seems feeble, when compared to our own.

     Let every dimension of our lives be shaped by your word. May each day be filled with acts of glad fidelity to the covenant You have created with us. 

     As we pray, may we stand in solidarity, not in judgment, upon all who seek You and enter your presence in humility or self-abasement. Enable us to see ourselves clearly, to recognize our sinfulness and our dependence upon You. Let us cry for your mercy with everyone else who seeks it. And may we find and celebrate that mercy with a vast host of people whom You love. We pray in the name of the One who taught and enacted your mercy among us. Amen.

Prayer for Ash Wednesday - Lent - Day 1 - February 17, 2021
Sermon Text: Psalm 51

     God our Creator and Covenant-maker, enable us to cry out to You in our guilt and grief. Enable us to speak the truth about ourselves, to admit that we have sinned against You, but also to recognize the harm that we have done to others through our wanton and careless acts.

     We would prefer to avoid the truth about our sinfulness, because that makes it easier for us to deny that we need You, and easier to deny that our lives are inextricably linked to the lives of many other people. Help us to see and acknowledge the truth even when that is painful for us.

     Have mercy! Forgive us for our sins against You.

     Have mercy! Forgive us for the harm we have done to our neighbors.

     Have mercy! Forgive us for thinking that we can create our own way in the world, by our own means, without reference to and dependence upon You.

     Keep us close to You! Fill us with your Spirit! Heal us! Enable us to worship and serve You with joy! Amen.

Note: I don't have a plan for a particular series of prayers for this Lenten season. If you utilize this prayer, pray also that God will touch my mind and guide my writing in the days ahead. Peace to each of you!

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.