Prayer for December 3-9, 2017 

Sermon Text: Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19

That your radiance will remind us that we are yours

God of Glory, we rejoice that You have made your face shine upon us in the face of Christ Jesus our Savior, Teacher and Friend. Through Jesus you have carried us like a gentle shepherd and governed us like a wise and compassionate monarch.

We rejoice that You have not abandoned us to the mess that we tend to make of our lives. You have not allowed our enemies to mock us excessively. You have not forced us to eat and drink only the tears of bitter grief. You have not refused our prayers in prolonged anger.

We need You! We need your Word and your Presence far more than we usually care to admit. We need the radiance of your face to remind us that we are yours and to enable our prayers and our praise.  

Shine upon us that we may be saved! Shine around us that we may know the truth! Shine through us that the world may know You in your glory! Amen.

Prayer for November 26-December 2, 2017 

Sermon Text: Matthew 25:31-46

That we may be agents of your work of feeding, healing, welcoming and befriending

Christ Jesus, help us to see your face in the faces of those around us, but particularly in the faces of those who are most vulnerable in their hunger and thirst, loneliness and exclusion, nakedness, homelessness, sickness and imprisonment.

Enable us to offer care and friendship to those we encounter in their need, weakness, isolation and shame. Enable us to release the resources that You have entrusted to us so that others may experience a greater measure of the abundance, liberation, healing, welcome and friendship that are features of your reign of peace and justice and our salvation.

When we are tempted to turn away from those in need, help us to remember the kind and generous ways that You answered the burning needs of those who came to You, called to You, or reached for You amid the press of bodies and the clamor of voices. 

Let us be agents of your continuing work of feeding, healing, welcoming and befriending many people. May we be full participants in your reign of justice and peace. Amen.

Prayer for November 19-25, 2017 

Sermon Text: Matthew 25:14-30

That we may be faithful stewards who share Christ’s joy when he returns

Trusting God, You have entrusted so much to us: this creation of complexity, beauty and abundance; talents and spiritual gifts; intimate relationships; material wealth; and time and energy.

Enable us to be wise stewards of all your resources and to nurture faithfulness and fruitfulness in everything around us.

When we are fearful and want to protect the resources You have entrusted to us by hiding them, overcome our anxiety and fear by your tender, encouraging love.

When it seems to us that You are far, far away, and unlikely to return in a meaningful time frame, and we become greedy and hoard your resources as though they were our own, send us a prophetic word that reminds us that “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” 

Help us to live in such a way that we may share Christ’s joy in the day of Christ’s return. We would be your “good and faithful servants.” Amen.      

Prayer for November 12-18, 2017 

Sermon Text: Matthew 25:1-13

That we may be fully prepared to welcome Jesus and enable others to prepare for his presence

God of mystery, enable us to welcome the presence of Christ in every moment and every place. Enable us to prepare ourselves so that Christ’s presence does not take us by surprise.

Let us live in such intimacy with Christ Jesus that we know him with a good measure of his full knowledge of us.

We cannot stay alert every minute, but help us to order our lives in such a way that they reflect total commitment to and readiness for Jesus.  

Enable us to help others to prepare for Christ’s presence, to celebrate his arrival with great joy, and to participate in his wedding feast as beloved friends. Amen.

Prayer for October 29-November 4, 2017 

Sermon Texts: Exodus 34:1-12; Mt. 22:34-46

That we may be humble before your wisdom and wonders

Teach us humility, God of wonders. Penetrate our arrogance and overcome our jadedness so that we may react in awe at the many “awesome deeds” that You continue to do among us. Enable us to respond to your saving acts and daily provision with abundant joy.  

Teach us humility, God of wisdom. Overcome our doubts, our failure to listen and our refusal to believe the instruction of Jesus. Enable us to respond to your guidance with quick and glad obedience. Amen.

Prayer for November 5-11, 2017 

Sermon Text: Matthew 23:1-12

That our lives may be aligned with Jesus’ instruction and example

God of wisdom, enable us to receive the instruction of Jesus with humility then align both our words and actions with Jesus’s instruction and example. Enable us to follow Jesus, the Greatest among us, in loving service to our sisters and brothers in faith.

Forgive us when there is a large rift between our religious talk and our public behavior. Forgive us when much of our religious practice is done in order to draw the attention and gain the approval of others. Forgive us when we shy away from important opportunities for service and try to shove them off on others. 

Humble us, if You must, Wise God, until we are able to walk before You, and our companions in faith, with humility. Amen.

Prayer for October 22-28, 2017 

Sermon Texts: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

That we may emulate good examples of faithfulness

God of all people, we rejoice that our lives have been sustained by the prayers of faithful leaders and co-laborers in Christ. Prod us to be continually in prayer for one another. Let our Spirit-guided  prayers be catalysts for lives that abound in faithful, loving labor.  May our hope in Jesus Christ inspire and energize tenacious endurance in our pursuit of your justice and peace.

We rejoice that You have chosen us as your own, and we pray that our lives may give evidence that your Spirit is working among us with power. May we consistently act on our convictions and may we be convicted of our idolatry, greed, and apathy when we do not do so. 

Enable us to follow the examples of Jesus, his apostles, and other faithful ones in the history of the church, so that our lives witness to the One whom You raised from death, Jesus Christ our Sovereign. Amen.