Prayer for January 21-27, 2018

Text: Ephesians 4:1-6

Incomparable God, You who are glorious in power, we worship You. We give You all of our praise. We rejoice that You have become our salvation.

Though You have acted in patient and powerful ways among us, we are distressed by the condition of the church of Jesus Christ. Though You have created a perfect foundation for our unity:

                one body … one Spirit … one hope … one Lord … one faith … one baptism

                … one God and Father of all;

we have done almost everything possible to separate ourselves from one another by our arrogance, our stubbornness, our animosity and brutality toward one another.

Through the centuries, Christians have insulted, excluded, banished, tortured and slaughtered each other in the name of Christ. We acknowledge this part of our heritage with great sadness.

In our distress we cry out to You, trusting that You are able to deliver us from our own destruction.

Forgive us for the ways that we have shared the hateful attitudes and actions of our forebears. Forgive us for our assumption of our own superiority over other Christians. Forgive us for our refusal of fellowship with one another. 

By your Spirit, break the chains within us that keep us from building on the foundation of unity that You have created. May your Spirit help us in our weakness and enable us to live as your true children, for the healing of Christ’s church and the renewal of all creation. Amen. 

Note: Yesterday, St. Nicolai UCC joined with a group of Focolare friends for a service of prayer for Chistian unity. We used materials from Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute for our worship, so this prayer was not used. It will still be used during this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: January 18-25.

PRAYER OF COMMITMENT FOR THE NEW YEAR

January 7, 2018

One:      God, our God,

Many:   We worship you!

One:      God, One and only God,

Many:   We offer You all of our praise!

One:      Move among us by your Spirit in this new year.

Many:   Enable us to receive refreshment and energy from You.

One:      Make us aware of the depth of your forgiving and healing love

Many:   So that we may live each day with thanksgiving and joy.

One:      May your Spirit guide us in effective and fruitful service to our many

  Neighbors, so they may see and experience your generous reign.

All:        Teach us to see and love our neighbors as they are.

              Teach us to act in their best interests, even when that may not

  match our preferences or needs.

  Guide us to pray for them and do good for them without growing weary.

  Free us to act with extravagant generosity in the face of real needs.

  Help us to welcome and include people who are often attacked,

  abused, or excluded by others.

  Open our hearts and homes and church to strangers.

  Enable us to practice mercy for people who do not deserve it.

  Enable us to offer forgiveness of both the personal offenses we

  have endured and the financial debts we are owed.

  Help us to bring peace and reconciliation to relationships that

  have become painful in their brokenness and bitterness.

  Let us be a source of presence and comfort for those who are sick or in prison.

  Let us be agents of freedom for those who are bound by

  addictions, sin, and human servitude.

  Shape us for effective stewardship of this beautiful and complex

  planet that You have created and provided as our home.

One:      We know that without your help we can do nothing. We know that

  we cannot do all of these things every day.

All:        We trust in your promise that You will never leave us or forsake us.

One:      Free us from any fears that prevent us from being bold disciples.

All:        Free us to practice love for you and for every person we encounter with 

              overflowing gladness. Amen.

Prayer for January 7-13, 2018

Sermon Text: Mark 1:4-11

That our discipleship will be energized by grace and gratitude

God of all people, we need You!  We need prophetic leaders who know that they are not the Power from On High, but who are able to make us aware of our sins, prompt us to repentance, and point us to Jesus who gives the Holy Spirit freely.

Give us leaders who understand their preparatory role and fulfill it well.  

Forgive our sins in your great mercy! Grant us your Spirit in your unmatched generosity! Impel us into a deeper discipleship that is energized by grace and gratitude and that overflows with joy. 

Our spiritual hunger has not been fully sated. Our spiritual thirst has not been fully quenched. But You have the resources to match our deepest hunger and thirst so that we may live as fruitful followers of Jesus. Make it so, we pray! Amen.

Prayer for January 14-20, 2018 

Sermon Text: Psalm 139:1-18

That we may be energized to continue casting our nets in the water 

God of all creation, we rejoice that You created us as creatures of awesome complexity who bear your own image in the world. Your wisdom is beyond fathoming, yet cause for our richest praise.

Most of the time, we rejoice that we are enfolded in your presence. But when we are resistant to your loving guidance, we feel constricted and chafed and look for avenues of escape. Then we find that there is no way out of your love that does not harm or destroy us.

We have seen only a sliver of the depth and complexity of your thought as we have read scripture, examined and interacted with your world, and joined in the worship of your communities of faith. We live in mystery with trust!  

We give thanks that when we awake, we are still with You.  We quiet ourselves in your presence. We rejoice that You have not abandoned us as we slept, or in the midst of any of our troubles. Your constant presence is our deepest source of comfort. Amen.

Prayer for December 31, 2017-January 6, 2018 

Sermon Text: Luke 2:22-40

That we may we trust You fully and be fully available to You

God of Grace, enable us to practice the glad obedience of Mary and Joseph. Help us to be fully available to You for your purpose of reconciling all things in heaven and earth.

We rejoice in your many words of promise to us. We cherish them and trust in your ability to bring them to pass. Enable us to endure, in hope, even when the fulfillment of your word seems to be delayed.

By your Spirit, give us wisdom, like Simeon and Anna, to discern your presence, even when you come among us in surprising ways and through people who seem like unlikely candidates for such a role. 

When we have seen your Consolation and Salvation face to face, energize us to tell the good news to all who await your presence in hope and to those who are unaware of the hope You create. Amen.

Prayer for December 24-30, 2017 

Sermon Text: Luke 1:26-55

That we may respond to You with the willingness of Mary

God of new wonders, You are continuously announcing new creation, new salvation, and new futures for your people.

We are unnerved by your presence and by your word. We barely know how to respond, and cannot hide our fears.

You tell us (over and over) not to be afraid. You tell us that You are graciously inclined toward us. You calm our fears. You make promises for new life that only You can create.

You assure us that Jesus, who comes among us as your Child, your Agent of salvation and newness, will reign forever. You point to wonders that are taking place, now, in order to assure us that You can do what You promise. 

Enable us to respond with the willingness of Mary. May your word be fulfilled in and through us. Let us bear your presence into the world around us. Amen.

Prayer for December 17-23, 2017 

Sermon Text: Psalm 126

Let our lives reflect our gratitude and convince others that You are at work among us

God of restoration, so often it seems that our quest for autonomy and our pursuit of our own agenda makes us exiles. We find ourselves exiled from You, exiled from our true selves, from the people who have most consistently nurtured us, and from the places where we have felt most at home and most whole.

While we are lost in chaos of our own making, You are at work, often in unseen ways, to enable our return, to bring forgiveness, reconciliation, healing, wholeness and peace.

Others are seldom able to see all that You have done for us, but we declare: “God has done great things for us!” You have done great things over and over, and we will praise You again and again.  

Continue your work of restoration among us. Let our lives reflect our gratitude and convince others that You really are at work among us, so that their praise may echo our own, to your endless glory. Amen.