Prayer for May 27-June 2, 2018 

Sermon Text: John 3:1-17

That your Spirit will blow a new life of freedom into us

God, so often when we come to You, we do not know how to form either our questions or our requests.

We come in need, and encounter You in mystery, and, at times, have no greater clarity when we finish than when we started.

But You know us! You know our deepest concerns before we are able to voice them. You know the yearning of our hearts. You know the obstacles to faith that have grown up within us.

You are not stymied by our confusion or lack of faith. So we ask that You send your Spirit to blow through us and liberate us for new life.  

Enable us to focus on Jesus. Enable us to trust. Let the life of your eternal realm course through us now.  

We rejoice that You act for our salvation and are slow to condemn. We rejoice in You! Day after day we rejoice in You! Amen.

Prayer for May 20-26, 2018 

Sermon Texts: Acts 2:1-21, John 15:26-16:15

That we who seem as good as dead may experience your renewing power

Jesus, we rejoice that You have not left us to fend for ourselves as we try to live faithfully in a world that is often hostile to meaningful faith. We rejoice that You have given your Spirit as companion, comforter and instructor.

We rejoice that the outpouring of your Spirit fulfills God’s promise to Israel, and that it enters and energizes your people for witness and ministry without regard to age, gender and other distinctions.

We rejoice that your Spirit is a gift made possible by your resurrection from death, and that we who often seem as good as dead may experience the renewing power that makes dry bones live.  

May the Spirit of truth and life empower us to live in alternative ways to all of the deceitful and death-dealing practices around us. May we be your Spirit people. Amen.

Prayer for May 13-19, 2018 

Sermon Text: John 17:6-19

That we may be thorough expressions of living truth

Christ Jesus, we rejoice that you prayed for the protection of your disciples so that they could be one as You and your Holy Father are one.

Protect us from the evil one and from every evil influence that diminishes our humanity and undermines our joy in following You. Fuse our lives so thoroughly that we are truly of one heart and mind.

Enable others to see the truth about who You are as they observe the unity and love among us.

Let our lives be thorough expressions of living truth and be fully set aside for the service of God’s reign in this world that we inhabit. Enable us to go gladly to witness and serve and give us patience and endurance when we are subject to the hatred of those who reject You. 

We rejoice that You continue to intercede and advocate for your followers in every age, and that your prayers for our unity, protection and joy have been fulfilled, in a significant measure, in our lives. Amen.

Prayer for May 6-12, 2018 

Sermon Text: John 15:9-17

That we may gladly act as beloved agents of your love

Jesus, help us not to forget that our entire life proceeds from the love that You received from God the Father and then bestowed upon us.

We are surrounded by holy love. We are commanded to love. We are energized for love.

Help us practice love for You by obeying your instruction with gladness. Help us to love our neighbors by giving of ourselves for them as You have given yourself completely for us.

As we love You and love our neighbors, fill us with your joy. Enable us to act in ways that have an enduring impact on others while bringing glory to your name. 

We gladly act as beloved agents of your love! Amen.

Prayer for April 29-May 5, 2018 

Sermon Text: John 15:1-8

That every useless feature and false attachment may be pruned from our lives

Christ Jesus, True Vine, we rejoice that our lives are intimately linked to yours. We rejoice that your life flows through us and energizes us for faithful and fruitful life. We remain in You because we know that there is no other source of life, no other way of fruitfulness.

Forgive us when forget and think that we can sustain life without You. Forgive us when we choose the delusion of autonomy that leads to fruitlessness and death. Transform our minds and restore us. 

Prune every useless feature and false attachment from our lives. Let nothing obstruct the vitality that flows from your life to ours. Let abundant good works flow from our life on behalf of our many neighbors. May others see that we are yours and give glory to God for God’s enduring love. Amen.

Prayer for April 22-28, 2018 

Sermon Text: John 10:11-18

That we may lay our lives down for You as we follow You

Jesus, Good Shepherd, we rejoice in You! We rejoice that You know us and call us by name. We rejoice that You have revealed yourself to us and enabled us to know You and recognize your voice. We rejoice that You have gathered us together and that You are still gathering many to be part of your beloved flock.

Continue to lead us in the path of freedom and fruitfulness. Keep feeding us by your word. Quell our anxiety so that we may rest in your presence. Protect us from every danger that threatens to ravage and destroy our faith. Stay with us in the midst of every trial.

You are the One who has given your life for your sheep. And You are the One whom God has raised to new life. We rejoice in the life You have given us, and we lay it down for You as we follow You with deep and abiding joy. Amen.

Prayer for April 15-21, 2018 

Sermon Text: Luke 24:36-49

That your Spirit will fully energize our testimony

Christ Jesus, we rejoice that God raised You from death. We rejoice that You appeared to your disciples and declared your peace to them. We imagine that we would have been just as frightened and confused as they were to encounter You alive after your gruesome death. We imagine that we may have drawn back from the sight of your wounds and felt ashamed that we had abandoned You to face death alone. But, like them, we imagine that confusion and fear would have been transformed into great joy in your presence, even if that joy was still tinged with doubt.

Christ, we rejoice that You have instructed us with great patience. We rejoice that You have opened our minds to receive You in spite of our doubts. We are thankful that You have chosen and enabled us to be witnesses for You and to call others to repentance in your name.

Let your Spirit fully energize our testimony to what we have heard, seen, and learned of You. Help us to give others hope in You, hope in new life that arises beyond suffering and death. Amen.