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.

Prayer for July 28-August 3, 2013 

Sermon Text: Luke 11:1-13

That we will always remember that we depend upon You

Listening God, we rejoice in your invitation to prayer.  We rejoice that Christ taught his disciples to pray and we rejoice in the practice of prayer that has been cultivated in the history of Israel, and in the church, for millennia.

We rejoice that your invitation to pray is coupled with your resolve to provide good gifts that nurture and strengthen us and provide what we truly need.

Because of your invitation, we ask of You, we seek your provision, we knock upon your door as the door of our dearest and most responsive friend.

With your children throughout many generations we pray:

     Father, your name is holy. 

     Reign among us.

     Give us the food we need each day.

     Forgive our sins as we forgive all who sin against us.

     Don’t lead us into temptation. 

Open your door to us, our Dearest Friend.  Amen.   

Prayer for July 21-27, 2013 

Sermon Text: Luke 10:38-42

That we will commune with You and serve You without anxiety

O Christ Jesus, too many things distract us from attending to You and learning from You.  We become “worried and upset” about many things – including many that are good, like providing hospitality, caring for our families, and working for the well-being of our communities.

Enable us to discern between the times when You invite us to more direct communion with You, and the times when we must diligently exert ourselves for completion of the tasks to which You have called us, and for which You have equipped us.

Whether resting in communion with You, or working in obedience to You, enable us to be free from anxiety.  Enable us to focus well so that your presence and glory are always in sight, energizing love and obedience as we wait and as we work.  Amen.

Prayer for July 14-20, 2013 

Sermon Text: Luke 10:25-37

That we may practice costly love for our neighbors

O Christ, how eager we seem for your word until it challenges us to love our neighbor through bold, self-giving action.

We want to limit the field of neighborliness to that which we think we can manage: our relatives, our friends, people who look a lot like us, people who seem to share our values and commitments.

We often find it difficult to care when someone who is a stranger or outsider falls victim to brutal predators.  We often find it difficult to respond to the losses of those who are not close to us.

Compassionate God, make us alert to the trials and losses of those who have been assaulted and abandoned in ways that are beyond our experience and understanding.  Give us hearts that open to those who have been victimized.  Give us feet and hands that will walk and work for the healing of strangers.  Enable us to release our resources in loving and neighborly acts.  Amen.