Prayer for December 27, 2020-January 2, 2021
Sermon Text: Luke 2:22-40

That we may have an urgent desire to see your love brought to fruition in all whom You love

Loving God--You who throw the net of your love wide--we worship You! We rejoice in your presence! We thank You for your many wonderful works among us! We celebrate all that You have done for us, in us, and through us, through Jesus, who embodied your goodness and love among us.

Forgive us, Merciful One, when we become narrowly focused upon our own self-interest. Forgive us when we fail to see that our salvation is not merely a private matter, but is linked to the well-being of people everywhere, and to the whole of your wondrous creation.

Expand our vision, Enlightening One. Enable us to see the connections that You created and that You are renewing in Christ Jesus. Give us an urgent desire to see your redeeming love brought to fruition in all whom You love. Move us, by your Spirit, to the places where we may see your presence most fully and participate in your mission most energetically.

We praise You as we await the final fulfillment of your promises. Amen.

Prayer for December 20-26, 2020
Sermon Text: Luke 1:26-38

That we may say, "Yes," to your call with courage and trust

God of wonders, sometimes You send your messengers to announce and ask the strangest things. They declare your favor, your good intentions for us. They tell us not to be afraid and enable us to find peace in your presence. Then they ask us to be involved in your mission in the world in ways that require that we invest our lives fully, and take significant risks as we do so.

We take those risks because we trust You. You have been faithful to us, even when we have been faithless. We take those risks because we want to reciprocate the love that we have received so continuously and bountifully from You. We take those risks because we want to participate in the new thing that You are doing as You renew your people and renew all of creation.

 

Forgive us when we are overly fearful. Forgive us when we shy away from your call upon our lives. Enable us to say "Yes," with courage, and trust You as we take the risks required to participate in your reign of peace, justice, and compassion. Amen.

Prayer for December 13-19, 2020
Sermon Text: Psalm 126

That our speech and songs will declare the "great things" You have done for us

God of covenant--You who see and judge the sins of your people as an expression of your love; You who remember your own in their time of grief, loss, and exile; You who create new futures when it seems that life has collapsed and no hope is possible--we rejoice in You because You do not forget us even when we have forgotten You.

We rejoice that You know our needs better than we do. But we also rejoice that You long to bring us home to You. You seek to create lives of fullness and joy. You flood our lives with blessing that surprises and sometimes overwhelms us.

God of mercy and grace, we rejoice that You have restored our fortunes. We rejoice that You have give us a place to live and work. We rejoice that You have seen our tears of grief and joy, and that You have enabled us to declare the "great things" You have done for us in both our speech and our songs.

We sing with joy to You, Eternal One, our only hope and joy. Amen.

Prayer for December 6-12, 2020
Sermon Text: Isaiah 40:1-11

That we may prepare your way so others may return from places of pain and exile

God of all creation, we worship You. We praise You for the many ways that You have intervened in the lives of your people.

     

We thank You that You are faithful both in judgment and in mercy. We thank You for your forgiveness. We rejoice that You rescue your people from the most desperate circumstances and lead them home from distant places of exile.

Forgive us when we forget You. Forgive us when we turn from You. Forgive us when we place our hope in things that we have created, rather than in your enduring word and glorious presence.

Enable us to prepare your way so that others may also return from places of pain and exile. Enable us to trust You, in every moment, as we answer your call upon our lives. Amen.

Prayer for November 29-December 5, 2020
Sermon Text: Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19

That we may speak and hear truth in our relationship with You

God of creation and covenant, empower us to call upon You in every circumstance. Enable us to cry out of joy and blessing, but also out of sorry and pain. Enable us to be your covenant partners when we are rejoicing and grateful for your acts of salvation, but also when we feel that You have failed us, abandoned us, or judged us unfairly.

Help us to see and speak out of the truth of our experience, but enable us, also, to hear your truth, even when it does not match our perceptions.

We have done injustice and violence. We have suffered illness. We have diminished ourselves by our own actions. But we have also been harmed by circumstances over which we had no control.

Make your face shine on us for our salvation, we pray. . . .

Indeed, we believe You have shone your face upon us, for our salvation, in Jesus, your Anointed One. We thank You that Jesus has revived us. We rejoice that Jesus has enabled us to turn to You and call upon your name. May we be abiding partners in the covenant You have established with us through Jesus. Amen.

Prayer for November 22-28, 2020
Sermon Text: Matthew 25:31-46 

That we may nurture our diverse neighbors for fruitful existence

God of all creation, we rejoice that You have entrusted us with stewardship of your vast and varied resources. But we rejoice, also, in the fact that You do not leave us on our own to depend solely upon our own wisdom for the best care and use of those resources.

Enable us to be bold and creative in utilizing the resources we have been entrusted with to care for our human neighbors, and our other creaturely neighbors, in ways that nourish and nurture all for fruitful existence.

Forgive us when we are afraid to use your resources in creative and risky ways. Forgive us when we overlook the needs of our neighbors while significant resources are hoarded or hidden away. Forgive us when we fail to use your resources to pursue your justice.

Let participation in your joy be a powerful motivator for thankful and generous faithfulness. Amen.

Prayer for November 15, 2020
Sermon Text: Matthew 25:14-30

That we may act in creative ways that glorify You, nourish the church, and preserve the world

Generous One, we rejoice that You have entrusted us with many resources, of many kinds, in order to participate in and extend your reign of peace and justice in the world.

Most of the time, we rejoice in your trust and gladly use your resources to pursue your glory. Sometimes we are greedy, lazy, or fearful, using your resources solely for our own benefit, or shelving or hiding them because we are too lazy to do the strenuous and creative work of faith.

Forgive us when we act in fearful or greedy ways. Forgive us when we let the gifts and resources You have provided go to waste. Forgive us when we do not allow our best perceptions of You to guide our actions.

Enable us to act in creative ways that bring glory to You, nourish the life of the church, and preserve the world that You have created for the sustenance and joy of a myriad creatures. Amen.