Prayer for the Week of January 15, 2003 We praise You, O God, for the wonder of life. By Your Spirit alone do all things live; for You give the breath of life to creatures great and small. You order their days and provide them food; You structure their frames and set their boundaries. You’ve set them in place in the magnificent world You have made.
Yet with man and woman You made something new--not the strongest or the largest of the creatures, but one suited to bear Your own image and stamp of approval, one set here to continue the work of creation, filled with hope and strength, capable of gaining knowledge of things near and far. And so we make things, we design, we imagine, we build, we test, we explore. What a creature You have made!
Yet for all the potential, for all the accomplishments, all the dreams, we find ourselves saying with the Psalmist, troubles without number surround us. Terror, threats, warnings; crime, drugs, disease; cruelty, injury, callousness. These are all around us and overtake many a soul. Yet our own sins have overtaken us even more. It is we who have failed, not our Maker; but it is He who came to our aid in Jesus, the Christ, who bore our sins.
This morning we confess those sins to You. Where we have rebelled against Your authority over us, have mercy upon us, we pray; where we have failed to honor Your image in people near and far, remind us of our own sinful state. Where we have thought of self and its interests, and not of Your kingdom, forgive and restore our minds to their rightful use. Christ, have mercy upon us.
We pray for the fallen and the falling ones. Lord, send your Word of grace, and let there be light to show the way that leads to life. We pray for those who mourn this day; be their comfort and their hope. We pray for those who struggle against addictions that enslave their minds and destroy their bodies, their hopes, and those who love them. We pray for those who hunger and thirst, both for food and drink and for righteousness; may they be filled. We pray for those facing difficult decisions, with no clear answer in sight, no way that seems right. We pray for the sick and injured; make them whole again in the Name and power of Jesus. We pray for the elderly, weakened by time and its assault on body and senses; point them hopefully toward the new heaven and new earth you are preparing. Lead us to know why You ask us to pray in this way:
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. Prayer for the Week of January 8, 2023 We come to You, O God, that we might be made whole.
We come, O Father who made us in Your own image, to know and explore and enjoy the worlds You have made. We come to You, O Christ, who forgives our sins; we come to You, O Holy Spirit, who renews our lives and fills us with power, with purpose, and with hope.
We come because we have broken faith with You and with our fellow persons and have lost our way. We see a world in which hatred has destroyed, where greed has corrupted, where lust has replaced love and the ways of conquest have threatened the ways of peace. We suffer under many a cloud and storm, and are dismayed and discouraged by what we see and hear. Our news speaks of evil, of suffering, and of death. We long to make things better but know not how. Lord God, come to our aid we plead.
We confess our own sins this day. We have blamed others without examining self. Purify our hearts and renew our minds, for we ourselves have fallen short of the ways of Jesus. We have exalted political leaders, athletes, actors, even ourselves, while barely noticing what you have done in him. You made Yourself known to men and women by sending him into the world, that in seeing Him we might see You, in hearing Him might hear Your own voice calling us from darkness to light. Forgive us, we pray, for preferring the ways of self over the ways of Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. Forgive us, we pray, for setting our sights on things desired in a fallen world, rather than on the kingdom He brings. Lord, have mercy upon us.
We ask that we might see with clearer vision the Christ who saves, and then see the world through his eyes. We ask that we might act and think with sights set firmly on those things that are true and right and good. We ask that Your Spirit would turn our heads toward the ones who need to know that You are love, that You came to save and not to condemn, and that it is in giving that we receive the greatest blessing of life--fellowship with Your Spirit. Comfort those who mourn; there are many. Lift up the fallen; they are all around us. Fill the hungry with good things; they look with bewildered eyes. Encourage those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness; they are hidden from our sights, yet they witness to Your presence in powerful ways.
And may we live our expressed desires when we pray together, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for New Year's Day and the Week of January 1, 2023 Eternal Father, hear in our moment driven lives; Incarnate Son, save us from our captivity to the flesh; Empowering Holy Spirit, display Your redeeming love before our eyes and through our lives. As we enter another year, open our eyes to Your time, Your purpose, and Your marvelous designs for those who are Yours.
We come to this place and this hour with many and varied perspectives. Some are here with great hope and expectation, some with fear and trembling over uncertain prospects ahead. Some come in great pain, in deep sorrow, others in gladness for blessings recently received. All of us come in acknowledgement that You are God, the creator, redeemer, and sustainer of all there is, whether the expanse of space, the details of atoms, or the purpose for which they exist. Let us never forget. As we marvel, as we wonder, as we question, research, and ponder, guide our thoughts. As we listen to the news of the day, the rulers of the earth, and the voices of unrest, remind us of Your glory and Your ultimate judgment and Your unshakable promise. As we hear Your word, we confess our own participation in ways that defy You and harm ourselves and others. We have sinned in thought, word, and deed. Have mercy upon us, we pray. Lead us to that repentance which seeks the true, the good, and the beautiful in place of all that destroys.
Lead us this day, this year. Open our ears and our eyes to what You desire for our lives, our communities, our congregation, but especially on how these participate in bringing wholeness to a broken world. The sick, the poor, the blind, the forgotten, the hopeless, the addicted, the abused, the deceived, the proud, the hard of heart--all who need the new life Christ alone can provide--are those to whom we are sent. For that reason, we continue to pray, saying . . . The Lord’s Prayer (Unison)Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name;Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for Christmas Day and the Week of December 25, 2022. You’ve come, You’ve come, Emmanuel! You’ve come to live among us, to set us free, to release us from our sins and our fears. You’ve come to give us joy, to restore our created nature, with all its hopes, dreams, and possibilities. How can we not sing our joy to the world!
We praise You and worship this day, celebrating the world being renewed and pointed once again toward its Maker. For our faith is not blind; it has been captured by a vision of the glory yet to come, assured by what has already been made plain, as the Word has spread throughout the earth. And You both bid and enable us to join You in the work of restoring sight, setting free, renewing strength, and making straight paths toward the Kingdom of God.
We pray this day that as carols long known and oft repeated sound again, their message of hope, healing, and invitation would find a home in each one who sings and each one who hears. We ask for some small yet undeniable fulfillment of the promise they contain would come along with familiar tune and lyric, refreshing the soul and spirit.
As we sing and as we listen, remind us O Lord, that we, too, are in need of the redeeming Word made flesh. We confess our own sins of thought, word, and deed before You; for we, too, have sinned against You and against our fellow persons. We have not sought You with our whole heart, we have not seen You in the stranger; we have not sought peace and pursued it. Lord, have mercy and forgive us our sins. We have allowed the lure of the world and its desires to capture our hearts and we have wasted our strength in chasing after the wind. Christ, have mercy. We have not always believed, we have not always trusted, we have not always hoped in accordance with Your Word. God, have mercy; forgive us our sins, and restore us in body and mind.
We pray for the sick and injured; we plead for the homeless and helpless. We ask for mercy upon the suffering ones, and hope for those who grieve. We ask You to encourage those whose hearts grow faint even now, as an uncertain future presses with fear. Fill the hungry with good things, the thirsty with living water, and the weak with wings of eagles to soar above the world. Come once again to us, and abide with us, our Lord, as we pray together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Fourth Sunday of Advent and the Week of December 18, 2022.
Your coming, O Lord, is near.
As we worship on this day, would You graciously grant us a new comprehension of what those words mean. You, the Creator of all there is, seen and unseen, Author of human life in Your own image, do not leave us to wonder who You are. Your designs are magnificent, Your works are spectacular, and Your ways are perfect. You have given the creature so much in resources and capacities to reflect Your glory. We are in awe. And we give You thanks for all these gifts and for the joy and fulfillment they bring; we thank you for the joy of brother, sister, parent, child.
Yet it is Your love that is the most amazing. In spite of our selfish and stubborn ways, You loved us still, leaving the glory of the heavens, coming to earth for us as one of us, to live as we do, and even to die as we do. You emptied Yourself that we might again be filled with the vision of the glory of God, and share in it. Thank You, Lord Jesus Christ.
We come in a season intended to remind us of Your incarnation, to help us prepare for Your fresh arrival in a confused and sometimes frightening world. Yet we’ve turned this season into preparation for self-indulgence and excess. So much to do, so many people to greet, so many events to host and attend, so many decorations to brighten the world in which we live. We confess that our thoughts have not always been guided by the coming One, that our desires have not centered on His kingdom. Have mercy upon us, and forgive us our sins, we pray. We confess our failure to honor all people, made in Your image and worthy of Your own love. We continue to divide the people around us between “us” and “them,” accepting those like us and rejecting those who are different in ways that are an affront to them and to their Maker. Hear our prayer, O Lord, and forgive our sin through him in whom there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female.
Equip us, we pray, for the week ahead. When so many will act under the self-imposed pressure of preparations, fill us with joyful anticipation of Your own coming. When others are intent on their own desires, open our eyes to the real needs of people in want, in despair, in confusion, and in grief. Let us witness by word and deed to the coming Lord and King. Lift up the fallen, teach the unknowing, heal the sick, encourage the bewildered, gladden the forlorn, penetrate the stubborn and rebellious spirit. Humble us, yet encourage us as we pray together,
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Third Sunday of Advent and the Week of December 11, 2022 O God, our Maker, we wait. We wonder. We hope. We fear. We learn. We remember. We forget.
Through all of our living, thinking, and being, You are from everlasting to everlasting, not changed or challenged by the shifting conditions of our world or of our minds and emotions. We are carried and tossed by changing fortunes and prospects; You are firm in Your desires, constant in the designs of Your kingdom You have set before us as our true home. Lead us there, we pray, with sights that grow ever clearer as we learn daily to trust in You.
We know that You are real; else there would be no world in which to live, no thoughts to be developed, no soul from which they could arise. You are the maker of all things seen and unseen. And we need not wonder who You are, for You have shown us Yourself in the person of Jesus. When we ask what child is this, the answer comes: this is Christ, the King, whom shepherds guard and angels sing. Witnesses both of earth and of heaven, declaring that You are fully and finally revealed to us as Lord.
We wonder at Your humility in coming among us as a child; for those who would lead us on earth do so from pride and self-importance. You came to give Yourself, that we might receive, How different a king You are! How worthy of our attention, our trust, and our faithfulness.
We come confessing the inadequacy of our devotion to You. We have not loved You with our whole hearts, for we seek the things that can be lost or taken more than we seek the eternal good of the neighbor and stranger. We hold too tightly to the things that perish, and only loosely grasp the good that endures forever. Lord, have mercy, and forgive us our misplaced loves.
We confess the unkind words spoken, the jealous glance at those who have more, the wicked thought dwelled upon in our spiteful spirits. Christ, hear from heaven, have mercy upon us, and forgive our sin.
Inspire us anew, we pray, to follow more nearly the One who came and showed us the way of everlasting life. Fill us afresh with His Holy Spirit, that we may encourage the fainting heart, strengthen the stumbling soul, bind up the wounds of those battered by life in a seriously sinful world. May we be those who make peace in Your name, bring hope in a despairing world, and display the character of the Incarnate God to a skeptical world. May the healing and hope that came with Jesus continue to do the same in our times and places, that the world may know that You have sent Him.
Hear the prayer of Your people through all times and places, as we say together,
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Second Sunday of Advent and the Week of December 4, 2022 We bow before You this day, our Lord, our God, our coming King. We bring to You our hopes and our dreams, our pains and our sorrows. You alone are the source of all good and perfect gifts; You alone can bring the kind of world for which we inwardly long. The more we hear of the plans of human leaders and the threats of those thirsty for power, the greater our wonder over the kingdom of God, brought to this world by the power of love rather than fear, by self-giving rather than self-promotion. Teach us Your ways, O God, for they are eternally right and true and just.
We also bring our confessions of sins and sorrows, of weakness and fear. We have not sought You with our whole heart; we have pursued the gifts of creation more than the Giver; we have worshiped the creature more than the Creator. Lord, have mercy upon us. We have failed to see You in the stranger and the alien, the sick and the hungry, the burdened and the oppressed, and thus turned away when we should have stopped and given of ourselves. Christ, have mercy, we pray. We have thought too highly of ourselves, taken too easily to offenses real and perceived, and held for ourselves the time and resources designed to spread hope and comfort to a needful neighbor, community, and world. Forgive us our sins, we humbly ask, for Your name’s sake.
As our thoughts are turned in this season toward Your coming, let us make and prepare the way in our lives in the days ahead. Show us how You want to release the captive, open the blind eye and the deaf ear, and speak good news to the poor and oppressed. Impart to us and through us the true blessings of Your heavenly rule. Heal the sick, raise the dead in spirit; proclaim truth throughout this land; dispel the darkness that hides our true needs and our real purpose. Hear us as we pray with Your people everywhere,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name;Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer for The First Sunday of Advent and the Week of November 27, 2022 We wait, O Lord, our God. Even as we bow before You this day, we anticipate the coming of something, of Someone, to change our world, to transform our lives.
We have heard the promise, we have embraced the Incarnation, we have rejoiced in the resurrection and ascension, and now we point ourselves hopefully toward the Day of Your Son’s appearing. As we do, we marvel, we fear, we perplex, we hope; and we live in the tension of what we have already and what is yet to be.
Your ways are beyond our knowing, Your timing beyond our finding out, Your plans for Your people beyond our imaginations. Keep us firm in our hope, confident in our expectations, and faithful in our living, we humbly pray.
From our fears and sins release us, that we may indeed find our rest in You. We fear when our eyes are moved from the prize and fall onto the waves of life that rise and fall around us; we sin when we trust in our own ways more than in Yours. Come, Almighty Lord, to deliver us, we pray.
Forgive us, we humbly ask, for placing our hopes in candidates, empty promises, and in the will of a fickle and fallen people. Forgive us for settling for temporal goals and conditions, rather than pressing on toward the high calling of Your Son. Lord have mercy.
We find ourselves again confessing that we have failed to do the good we know to do, and that we have spoken, acted and thought in ways we know we should not. Lord Christ, have mercy upon us, and forgive us our sins.
We ask You to take up those faithful words and deeds we have offered this week, and to bring them to completion in the lives of those we touch. We ask You to use us in the days now coming to be a comfort to those who mourn, an outstretched arm to those who fall, a source of hope for those who despair, a hand of provision for those in physical need. May we give as was given to us in our need, and as we would wish to be given should we find ourselves in the place of the other.
May we anticipate through this advent season the complete fulfillment of that which You taught Your church to pray, saying, . . .
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. Prayer for Christ the King Sunday and the Week of November 20, 2022 Holy and righteous God, almighty and everlasting Lord, present and welcoming Spirit, we come before You in wonder, in amazement, in humility, and in gratitude. You who formed the heavens and fashioned this earth, You who molded us and loved us, You whom we know not unless You come to us, before whom we can only bow head and heart. Hear our prayer.
We come today because You alone can rule in justice, in equity, and in love. Jesus, the promised Messiah of Israel, became the Lord and rightful king when he came among us, experienced our sorrows and atoned for our sins, died our death and offered us his life. We acknowledge his ascension to the place above all rule and authority in this world. He is our king.
Grant us this day the grace of our king’s direction as we live in a world of pretentious rulers. Keep us from dishonoring our true Lord as we live amidst the noise of political battle and the passion of public debate. Help us to affirm the right and reject the wrong, not only in policy, but also in our own lives. Keep us true to Yourself, even at the cost of political disfavor or public disgrace. Forgive us our sins, we pray. For we are caught up in ways that defy the truth, ignore the good, and hide the beauty of Your design for us. We have failed our true king in thought, word, and deed. Lead us to see, acknowledge, and repent of our sins, we humbly pray.
By Your Spirit, renew our confidence in Your call to serve in this present age by taking on the character of our king. For he came not to be served, but to serve, to give grace to the humble and to resist the proud. Let us learn of him by imitating his compassion for the lowly and distressed, his calmness when challenged, his confidence that nothing in this world can separate him from his Father in heaven, the One to whom we join him in praying, . . .
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of November 13, 2022 God of all things made, we worship You. God of all the unseen laws by which they all hold together, we are in awe as we ponder the wisdom and explore the mysteries with which they were written. What an amazing creation it is!Author of life, we worship You. From the very elements of the earth You fashioned creatures to bear Your image of love and justice, of wisdom and mercy, of truth and beauty, that we might create families, communities, and nations. What gifts You have given!
Savior of mankind, we worship You. You saw us in our brokenness and rebellion, our weakness and distress, our deception and confusion, and came to dwell among us, display the right way, and, most incredibly, accept our fate. Yet You conquered them all with a resurrection to life as it was meant to be, beyond our greatest hopes and dreams. What grace You have given!
Spirit of the true, the good, and the beautiful, we worship You. You filled the world with these things that we might learn from them and seek them, long for them and find them, embrace them and extend them. What hope You have given!And so we come, seeing and feeling both our need and our failure. For we have not thought as we should, we have not spoken as we should, we have not acted as we should. We are guilty of denying Your truth, rejecting Your goodness, and marring Your beauty. Have mercy upon us, we humbly pray. Forgive our sin, renew our minds, and create a right spirit within us. For only then shall we know the way, the truth, and the life; only then can we be the blessing to the world that You call us to be. Only then can we minister to the sick, the poor, the lost, and the lonely, the broken, the forgotten.
Hear us, then, as we pray continually pray by saying from our hearts, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of November 6, 2022 God of yesterday, of today, and of all tomorrows, we worship You this day. We worship because we must find that something far greater than ourselves, greater than our clans and tribes and nations, greater than life itself. We have searched and wondered, we have tried and wandered. Then we were found by the One who is the way, the truth, and the life. It is He, the Son of God and the Son of Man, who not only finds us but joins us to himself in worshiping the Father.
Thank You, Holy Trinity of Love, for Your faithfulness in spite of our rebellion, Your mercy in spite of our hardness of heart, for Your strength in spite of our weakness. Thank You for Your presence in our struggles, Your wisdom in our confusion, Your care in our times of illness and injury. Thank You for the marvels of the world in which we live, the gifts You’ve invested in the people among whom we live, and the joy of learning and growing in the company of Your people. How blessed we are!We confess that in the course of our living we are not as thankful as we ought to be. We are not as obedient as we need to be. We are not as loving as our neighbors need us to be. We have indeed sinned against You and against them in our thoughts, our words, and our deeds, as well as in that which we did not think, say, or do. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, for the sake of Your own Name to which we bear in witness in the world.
Hear our prayer, and heal our minds, our tongues, and our hands. Open them so that they become more truly the instruments of Your love for the world.Release the power of Your Holy Spirit in our world! Through those who know You and love Your appearing, heal the broken hearted, set the captives free; proclaim the good news of the kingdom throughout the world. Heal Your fractured church, work mightily in its redemptive mission to the lost in body, mind, and spirit. Give hope, give healing, give recovery of dignity and value for all who despair. Hear us, then as we continue to work and to pray for Your kingdom, saying. . .
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of October 30, 2022 Holy Father, we come as children seeking Your word of assurance that Your presence is ever constant, that Your face is turned toward us, and that You know the way for us to go.
Righteous Son of God, we come as strangers because You alone have walked fully in the Father’s way, have experienced the full weight of human sin, and have invited us to be joined to You in death and in a far greater life than we’ve known before.
Eternal Spirit, we come as vessels to be filled that we may find the right pathway, see with redemptive eyes, and work with heavenly power flowing through us.
It would be too bold of us to pray in this way, O God, for we have defied Your direction. We have refused to live, to speak, to dream, and to work in ways that reflect Your image stamped upon us. Yet You tell us that if we confess our sins, You are faithful to forgive us through the grace poured out in the cross and resurrection of Jesus. Therefore we come, acknowledging our sins of thought, word, and deed. Grant it that we might fully repent, turning away from all ungodliness and embracing the mind of Christ, our Savior, to work within us.
We pray for those in harm’s way, where fire or flood threaten life and provision. We pray for those persecuted for righteousness, for bearing witness to Your love in a violent world. We pray for those living in daily, constant fear in violent neighborhoods, where hope is only a flickering vision. We pray for those disillusioned with life, caught in addictions of body, mind, and spirit. For the poor, the hungry, the bereaved we pray. And after we pray, send us to one of those for whom we have prayed, trusting in Your grace and Your power to work within us to heal and to redeem. For so Your church shall ever pray, saying . . .
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. Prayer for the Week of October 23, 2022 Hear our prayer this day, O Lord. Hear us as we bring our own thoughts, our own wills, our own passions and ask you to cleanse them, to correct them, to convert them into Your thoughts, will, and passion.Hear us as we honor Your Holy name in word, in song, in prayer, and in opening ourselves to receive Your Word, spoken long ago, yet living in and through all time by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.
Hear us, we pray, as we confess our sins to You, acknowledging that Your ways have not become our ways in all we have said and done. We have sinned against You and our neighbor in thought, word, and deed, forsaking the good You intend for us and for the world. Forgive us, we pray. Have mercy upon us for thinking we can fix ourselves by ourselves. We stand only by union with Christ, who died that we might know Your grace and receive the new life only he can provide. Keep far from us any thought that we can stand anywhere but in him. Remind us daily that we need his grace as much as anyone around us.
Hear us, we pray, as we ask for Your truth to live within us and to flow through us. For we live in a world of deception. In public and in private, in places of great power and and lowly commerce, lips that lie, tongues that mislead, and words that destroy keep us from living in peace and security. Use Your people, we pray, to show a better way to a confused and skeptical people. Speaking the truth in love, may we honor You and our neighbor in our speech and in our example, walking by faith and not by the sights and sounds of the moment.
Hear us as we pray for Your church throughout the world. Give it courage where it faces danger. Grant it discernment where it is conflicted. Grant it humility where it is tempted toward pride. Then hear us as we voice with that Church the prayer of its heart until Jesus reigns supreme, saying . . .
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of October 16, 2022 How we need Your love, O God. Provision and blessing, sunshine and rain, planting and harvest, mountain and field, river and valley, sea and shore, all beautifully blended that we might live and flourish.
How we need Your guidance, O Spirit of Wisdom. Challenge and opportunity, obstacle and warning, perplexity and frustration all lie in our path as we chase uncertain goods and goals. How we need Your grace, O Christ of the Cross. Accusation and condemnation, suspicion and deceit, calloused hearts and blinded eyes lead us to treat those made in Your image as things to be used and discarded, ignored and dismissed.
How we need Your forgiving mercy, O Lord. We have misused Your gifts, rejected Your word, and despised the bearers of Your image. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves; we have not thought of things to come as much as things that pass in a moment; we have not done the good nor rejected the evil that confronts us; we have not spoken the truthful, healing word at all times. Have mercy on us, O Lord. We have done nothing to deserve Your favor, yet Jesus came to give us light, to give us hope, and to give us the blessing of forgiveness by His own sacrifice. Thank You, Lord.
Bless Your church this day, we pray. Give it unity, give it clear sight of her mission, give it humility that honors its Lord. Give it strength for its trials, grace for its enemies, and love for the lost and lonely, the sick and the poor, the widow and the orphan, the hard of heart and confused of spirit. Live and lead among us as we seek Your will day by day, even as we pray together,
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of October 9, 2022 We offer our praise, O God; for the more we learn about the wonders of creation, the more we see the depths of Your wisdom in supplying all that we need. Needs of body and soul, mind and spirit, all met with what You have made and what You supply-- it truly is a marvelous world, put together in ways that we can only begin to discover. You made it, and saw that it was good.
We pause today to say thank You, O Father, for the world in which we live, learn, and grow. It nourishes us, challenges us, and excites us. It stirs our souls with its beauty, it challenges our minds with its occasional harshness, and it feeds and clothes us with its riches. It leads us to discovery, bringing out the many skills and abilities You have given to men and women, putting mind and body to work. It stimulates the artists and musicians, it baffles the engineers and scientists; it is filled with wonder and surprise, it evokes from us our best in order to succeed. Thank You, Lord.
We thank You, Lord Jesus Christ, for giving us yourself when we went our own way, walking in unfaithfulness to what we were created to be and to do. All of us, like sheep, have certainly gone astray and encouraged others to do the same. Yet you yourself bore the blame in order to restore us to our rightful mind. We were dead in our sins, and yet you made us alive by your death, resurrection, and ascension. You displayed how life should be lived, in service to the Father and to one another. We know not how to say thanks, yet we know we must.
We thank You, Holy Spirit, for providing us with wisdom and strength, filling us with faith, hope, and love for our daily lives here in the present world. You have given us the awesome task of representing the Kingdom of God in a world that has lost its vision of that which is truly good, beautiful, and just. You inspired so many who have been our examples of how we should live, how we should worship, and how we should follow Jesus in a world so full of clamoring and boastful voices. Fix our minds on him and our hearts on the world he loves. Inspire us, we humbly ask, even as we pray in the way Jesus taught us, saying . . .
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of October 2, 2022 (Worldwide Communion Sunday) Today, O God, we remember. We, the people called by Your name, come together at the great table, represented by individual tables throughout the world. Some are large and some small, some elaborate and elegant, some simple and rudimentary, some that have stood strong and stable for centuries, some that will be folded and put away in a moment. Yet at all of them Jesus will be remembered. Not just called to mind for a moment in case we might have forgotten, but called to be here among the gathered ones by his Spirit, sharing his life with them for whom his blood was shed, and lifting them up to the place where he is seated, above all rule and authority this world has claimed for itself.
Today, O Lord, we confess with all Christians that creed by which Your truth is known and declared through the ages, that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one; that we, though dead in our sins, have life through he who came in the flesh for us that we might have hope of life that is life indeed. And we bind ourselves to that one holy church to be his body, his presence in the world in our time, in our places, varied though they may be.
Today, O Spirit, we ask for Your vision and directive to see with Christ-like eyes, to hear with discerning ears, and to love with pure motives. Send us from these tables with renewed confidence that our sins are indeed forgiven, with renewed hope that nothing can separate us from Your love, and with renewed passion for the lost, the lonely, the suffering, and the despised. We ask for Your power to be at work in each faith-driven step, each hopeful word to be spoken, and each act of lovingkindness we offer to the world.
Humble the prideful, lift up the fallen, strengthen the weak, comfort the mourning ones. Give wisdom to those confused, health to those afflicted, encouragement to those persecuted. Hear us once more by Your mercy as Your church continues to pray as You taught us, saying . . .
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,And forgive our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of September 25, 2022 God of all power, we come to You in our weakness. God of all wisdom, we come to You in our ignorance. God of all truth, we come to You in a world of deception.We give thanks for all Your good and perfect gifts, and for those human hands and hearts through which they come to us. For teachers, for doctors, for neighbors, for friends and strangers who have blessed us in unexpected and timely ways, we are humbly grateful; and we ask that You provide for someone else the blessing they truly need in the moment of our meeting.
Hear our prayer this day, we humbly ask. You alone know the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning. You alone know the thoughts and intentions of human hearts, and You alone will be the judge of all things. We judge and accuse, we dismiss and excuse according to our desires. You judge fairly and rightly.In You, O Lord, there is mercy, there is grace. You have told us that if we confess our sins, You are faithful to forgive us and cleanse us, to remove our sins from us as far as east is from west. Therefore, we confess even now that we have defied Your ways in our thoughts, in our words, and in our deeds. We have not sought the good nor resisted the evil according to the truth. We have committed the very sins of which we accuse our enemies. Forgive us, we pray, for the sake of Your love, displayed in Christ on behalf of all people.
Empower us to live the life of faith, of hope, and of love. For the faith to believe Your kingdom is both among us and ahead of us; for the hope of the redemption of our past and present struggles, at the end of which all tears shall be wiped away; for the love that reaches to our world, to our neighbor, and even to our enemies, that they, too, may embrace the world to come. The sick, the aged, the sorrowing, the forgotten, the hungry, the hopeless, the addicted, the scornful, the angry, the discouraged ones--these are our mission, these are the ones to whom You send us. Open our eyes to see them, our ears to hear them, and our hearts to love them.Give ear to Your church around the world, as it continues to pray together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of September 18, 2022 O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your Name in all the earth! So declared the psalmist many centuries ago, and so declare Your people through all the ages since that time. And so say we today, in this time, and in this place. For all the accomplishments of humankind in our own day, harnessing nature to power devices and create newer, faster, bigger machines, unlocking more and more secrets hidden in this world, You have made it all with purpose and care. What a marvelous world!
You know more about us than we can ever discover. The ills that afflict us, the manner in which they may be mitigated; the possibilities before us, and the problems that we must conquer; the conflicts that threaten us, and the solutions we have yet to embrace. Oh, that we might turn our searchings in the directions You lead! For truth, goodness, and beauty belong to You, and these are what we most need to find. Turn our hearts, our minds, and our strength to the One who is the way, the truth, and the life.
We confess our neglect of Your wisdom. We acknowledge our desire to build what seems good to us without considering our neighbors. We admit that we have less care for the welfare of others than for the comfort our wealth promises to provide. How we have strayed in thought, word, and deed! Please hear our confessions, and have mercy upon us. Forgive our wayward wanderings and our secret desires. Transform us by the merits of Christ, who not only forgives our sins, but who, by the Holy Spirit, makes us new.Teach us how to live in a world that knows less about You than the generation before us. Show us how to witness by life and example more than by word. Accompany us with Your love, mercy, and grace when we are unwelcome by a disbelieving world. Strengthen us to turn the other cheek when we are despised and rejected. For this, too, is the way of Jesus, whose resurrection and ascension give us courage and confidence in the face of adversity.
In faith, in hope, and in love, therefore, Your people continue to pray, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of September 11, 2022 Father, guide us as we seek to worship in spirit and in truth. Christ, the Son, hear us as we seek your righteousness. Holy Spirit, speak to us in ways of Your choosing, that we might know the way and follow it faithfully. Our world seems more complex by the day; none of it escapes Your notice, nothing it does transcends Your wisdom. Nothing we learn is a surprise to You. No rising or passing of leaders, no great or terrible events are marked without Your knowledge. In our wonder, in our discoveries, in our making of things, remind us that You alone are God. We are Your workmanship, created to grow in our knowledge and imitation of our Maker. Thank You, therefore, for those who teach us, those who encourage us, those who challenge us, those who love us. We are blessed. We confess our sins of pride, of thinking we have done so much on our own. Rather than thanking You for the gifts of creation and using them for the good of all, we have thought them our own and hoarded them. Rather than thanking You for our minds, and tuning them to hear Your voice for direction, we have used them toward selfish wants. Rather than seeking the good of our neighbors, we have closed heart and ear to their needs. Forgive us, O Lord, for have sinned in thought, word, and deed. Have mercy on us, we humbly pray, for the sake of Jesus, who died that we might know Your love, Your power, and Your purpose for us. We pray for Your people everywhere. For those of our brothers and sisters facing persecution, we ask for protection. May their struggles be redeemed by their witness toward those who torment them and those who watch. For those in harm’s way through storm, drought, or flood, we pray for protection. We pray for those who have lost their way, whether through stubborn pride, through unfortunate turns, or the cruelty of others. Let us see Jesus as our model of reaching out to all who are weary and heavy laden. Teach us Your own heart, even as we pray, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. Prayer for the Week of September 4, 2022 Our Father, our Guide, our Maker, our Savior--come to us, we pray, as we hear Your invitation to come to You. We want to come near, yet we fear getting too close; we want You to come near, yet we shrink back when You do. You are not like us, but You want us to become like You, that we might truly live.
We hear of Your power, strength, and wisdom, for You have made the heavens and the earth; yet too little do we see the power of the cross of Jesus, the strength of self-giving love, and the wisdom that knows the depth of the human hearts and the heights to which we may be raised. Teach us Your Your ways and Your desires for us.
Heal us, we pray, of the afflictions we have brought upon ourselves by turning aside from the truth. Triumph over the deceits, the pain, the losses brought upon us by people and worldly powers that do not see us as Your own possession and image, but rather as means to their own ends. Oh, that we might trust You to bring joy out of suffering, victory out of loss, and blessing out of disappointment.
We confess our sins before You this day. For we have failed to follow where You have led, and we have listened to self and world to set our course through the days You have given us. Lord, have mercy upon us, we humbly pray. We also confess that we have not invested in Your Word, that we might be better able to distinguish between true and false choices. Forgive us for failing to renew our minds, that we might more clearly see Your will for our days and our decisions. To be like our pattern, Jesus--may it truly be our longing and prayer.
We pray for the suffering and the homeless, the hungry and the oppressed. Whether through the storms of nature, the power of which overwhelms our spirits, or through the devastation of injustice, lives are shaken to the core. Come alongside those who are confused and those who are broken; through Your Holy Spirit live and work, heal and restore through the lives of the people in whom He dwells. Open the hearts of all to respond with love and compassion to the needs that surround us. May we learn the nature of Your presence in our own souls to be the instruments of Your love.
And we pray for Your church, divided contrary to the desires of Jesus himself. Bind us together in spirit to serve You, to know You, that we might be what You called us to be. Hear that living church throughout the world, as it prays together, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of August 28, 2022 Holy God, we come before You in recognition of our weakness. We look for Your mighty power to sustain us. We come in recognition of our ignorance. We look to You for wisdom to guide us. We come to You in our selfishness. We look to You for generosity of spirit to expand our hearts.We are reminded of our limits as we see the power of nature building and threatening. We are powerless to stop it, in spite of all the wonderful things we have learned about this world You have fashioned as our dwelling place. We ask that You teach us yet again to live humbly, wisely, and generously in the days You give us, with hearts that are ready to care for those who suffer loss.
Forgive us, we pray, of the pride that so easily grips our hearts when we look at what we have made, what we have accumulated, what we have learned. For in our pride we have thought these things to be our own, rather than blessings from Your hand. We have neglected the others through whom they were given and the ones with whom they are meant to be shared. Have mercy upon us, O Lord. Show us Jesus yet again, that we might repent of neglecting his way.
Fill us anew with Your own Holy Spirit, the most generous of gifts. Show us, and lead us to show to the world, His compassion, His mercy, His love. His is the power to heal the disease, to overcome the addiction, to bless the neglected, to restore the fallen, to break the bondage. Direct each one who shares in this prayer to see, to hear, and to act in the way of Jesus. Hear Your church as it continues to pray in all times and places, saying . . .
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of August 21, 2022 Father, You have made all things, and surely will judge them rightly. Lord Christ, the Son, You tell us not to fear, for You have overcome the world. Holy Spirit, You are a presence not of fear, but of sound mind and heart. Holy God, let us fix our minds on You that we might see truly the things of this present age.
We look at a world that seems to devour the poor and exalt the greedy and self-important. You tell us to fear not. We listen to a world that boasts of its things and scoffs at the truth. You say to us, “Be not afraid.” We see disputes over goods and borders between nations, turmoil in financial markets, and unrest in communities; You tell us to be still and know that You are God. We observe violence and bloodshed in communities around us. You tell us that You have overcome the world. We worry about disease and suffering. You tell us that nothing in all creation can separate us from Your love.
Draw us closer, we pray. Let that still, small voice drown out the noise of a world gone wrong. Forgive us, we pray, for giving way to fear and worry; for then we are prone to selfish solutions to the things we fear. Forgive us, we pray, for fixing blame on those whose hearts are not as different from our own as we would like to think. Have mercy upon us, and lead us to fix our eyes on Jesus, the one who shows what true faith is.
We pray for those whom we fear. The stranger and the alien, the addicted and the afflicted, the sick and the lame. Guide Your people as they walk among the lost and lonely, the mourners and the oppressed. Speak words of faith, hope, and love that are validated by the way in which we live. Let us, by the power of Your Spirit, demonstrate what it means when we pray together with words Jesus taught us,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. Prayer for the Week of August 14, 2022 Your love, wisdom, and power, O God, are beyond measure or comprehension. Boundless in their depth and extent, they fill the universe without exhausting Your glory. You made us to see and comprehend in part, that we might explore and long for that source from which everything has its meaning, that we might seek You and know You.
We try, we struggle, we question. We seek, but do not always find; we knock but the door does not always open. Teach us, O Lord by Your Word and by Your silence. Give to us, we pray, that diligence by which true knowledge is gained and true faith is forged. Though Your ways are indeed higher than ours, You draw us closer if only we will have ears that want to hear and eyes that want to see.
For though Your power is great, Your love is made real in Jesus. In him we find that healing the sick and the lame, weeping with those who weep, mourning with those who mourn, walking alongside the lonely, forgiving the sinner, are the greatest forms of power. Oh, that we might truly imitate our Lord and Maker! We ask for Your mercy without seeking to extend it to others; we ask for Your blessing only to feel better and have more for ourselves. Have mercy upon us, O Christ, and forgive our hardness of heart. Remove our sin from our hearts, not just from our records or accounts. Restore us in the image in which we were made.
Thank You for thinking so much of us that You give us work to do in Your kingdom. You give us Your Spirit to fit us for the work. Let us not resist Him when He calls, when He empowers, and when He seeks to bless. Restore the joy of salvation as we share its blessings with those around us. Heal our relationships, strengthen our faith, remove our blindness. Let us see what You see when You look at the world.
Hear Your Church, Your agent of hope in this world, as we pray together, saying . . .
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of August 7, 2022 What a beautiful world You have made, O God Almighty! From the farthest star to the ground on which we walk, everything fits together and works together. Boundless in its expanse, wondrous in its operations, the universe speaks the glory of its Maker. We can only bow in awe.What an amazing creature You have made, O Lord! Made in Your image, we, too, design and build, imagine and create. We marvel, we study, we ponder, and we construct things beyond the imagination of previous generations. You made us with purpose, and we honor You when we fill it. Oh, that every new discovery might lead us to praise the Creator of heaven and earth!
Yet how easily we forget that we have not made ourselves; for we are Yours, the creatures of Your hands. Wanting to be our own masters, we have imagined a world without a maker, a governor, a judge; we have forgotten Your image in our fellow persons, especially those we have deemed not to be like us. We have built things for ourselves and kept the good of the earth from others. What misery we have brought upon ourselves and others as a result. In Your mercy, O Lord, put our sins far from us, that we might live. In Your compassion, hide not Your voice and Your ways from us. For the sake of Jesus, who came, who lived, who taught, who died, who rose again from the dead and now reigns over those who are His, forgive us, we humbly pray.
Give us new vision, new thoughts, new love for the people around us each day. Let us not speak in general terms about the beauty of love, but instead take it where its presence is longed for, dreamed of, yet is presently overshadowed by fear, by disappointment, by anguish of soul and body. For the sick and the addicted, we pray for release of body and mind. For those in great sorrow we pray for renewed hope. For those conflicted by decisions which seem to have no good outcome, we pray for wisdom and faith to see beyond the present. Yes, Lord, in all these things, let Your Spirit dwell in us that Your light might shine in this present darkness.
Hear us, then as we join countless others in praying, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of July 31, 2022 Wise and wonderful are Your ways, O God. From the first speck of the universe and until all things have transpired, holy and righteous are the thoughts and plans you bring to pass. You know how to bring good things into our lives in a world filled with hatred and envy, greed and corruption. Therefore, we look to You for our guidance and care, our provision and our hope. You speak and it comes into being; You look with favor upon those who fear Your name, and they are protected; You hear the boasting of prideful men and women and bring them to nothing in due time.
Forgive us, O Lord, for seeking our fortunes without generously sharing the things we already have. Cleanse our minds when we look for more without fearing Your Name and Your righteous judgments. Have mercy upon us, we pray. Forgive our foolish ways. We so easily exchange the promise of Your eternal presence for the false comfort of the present moment, seeking its fleeting pleasure. In Your mercy, correct us. Forgive us for seeking human solutions to problems created by humanity’s sins. We are rightly distressed over our inability to converse with and understand those different from us, though they still bear Your image; we are grieved at the blatant thievery taking place through computers and guns, through the instruments of fear and control. We are horrified at the disregard for the lives of others. We are saddened by the vulgarity of conversation, the pettiness of accusations, the exaggeration of the faults of others and the excusing of faults of the accusers. Yet we don’t always hear the uncertainty of the self-assured, the internal pain of those who cause hurt, the insecurity of those who are greedy. We cannot fix these things without Your Word and the power of Your love being made real in our lives. Tune our hearts, we pray.
We bring before you the sick, the aged, the hurting ones. We ask Your mercy for those ravaged by war and unrest. We plead for Your presence among those devastated by a natural world still groaning for its redemption from the curse of sin. Hear our prayer, O God. Answer quickly and come to our aid.
In a world that leaves us confused and distressed, let us never lose sight and confidence for the better world for which we pray when we say together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of July 24, 2022 Father above us, Son among us yet ruling us, Spirit indwelling us yet going before us, we worship You. We come because we feel the weight of a world we cannot control, of problems we cannot solve, and of lives we cannot save. We come because we have not made ourselves, and we need to hear from the One who has and who has stamped His own image upon our souls.So hear us, we plead, for we know our frame, and that it is made of dust; we know our mind, and that it is made of fleeting ideas; we know our spirit, and that is searching for satisfaction only You can provide. Come to us anew, we pray.
We come knowing our weakness of body and spirit. We ask for Your grace to help in time of need. We also ask for mercy in times of failure, for too often have we lingered in thoughts that dishonor You and our neighbors; too easily have we spoken out of anger or thoughtlessness; too often we have acted as though You did not exist or claim us as Your own. In Your mercy, forgive us, we humbly pray. For the sake of Christ and His work, once on a cross, now on his throne, make us new once again.
Remind us that the lives we now live in the flesh are not our own, but belong to Christ for his purpose of bringing sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, strength to walk for the lame, and good news for the poor. Strengthen us to speak truthfully and to live faithfully. Grant us the wisdom to seek peace and to pursue it, to see redemption in the messes that confront us and then work for it.Teach what it means to pray with the church of all generations as it prays,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of July 17, 2022 Father in heaven, teach us to trust in You. Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man, teach us to follow You. Holy Spirit, teach us to find contentment in You. God of all the past, present, and future, accept our worship, humble our hearts, and open our minds.
You have promised never to leave nor forsake us; You have set before us a vision of the world we’ve always wanted and so much more. You have secured the way to it by overcoming our pride, our sin in Jesus. In him we see that pain and suffering, injustice and ridicule do not stop Your work. In him we see full trust and confidence in what can only be known by faith and humility.
Forgive us, O Lord, for trusting in ourselves and doubting the way of Christ. We have placed hope in wealth, success, abilities, relationships, political winds, technology. We have laid up treasures in places where thieves can rob and storms can destroy. We have been reluctant to embrace Your way and Your promise. Have mercy upon us, we pray. Our love of this world has led us to think, to act, and to speak in sinful and harmful ways. Teach us to truly repent and seek Your mercy. Then grant us the grace, we pray, to accept Your word of forgiveness, to truly believe in Your goodness, and to walk humbly with our God.Guide us and equip us, O Holy Spirit, to face this world in faith.
Increase our faith, so we might believe that You are already present in this world, waiting for us to join in Your work. Let us see the image of God in the lowest and vilest of people; let us envision wholeness in the lives of the poor, the sick, and the forgotten. Let us see past the illusions of politics and the shouting of crowds, seeing instead the needs we are equipped to meet in Jesus’ name. Move us from complaint and despair to encouragement and hope, both for ourselves and for those we meet, whoever they may be. Teach us the way of Jesus, even as we pray together as he taught us, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of July 10, 2022 God, our Father in heaven; Jesus, our redeeming brother come to earth; Holy Spirit, sent from the Father to continue the work of the Son, hear us as we pray. You have provided light for our darkness, healing for our self-inflicted wounds of soul and society, and purpose for our abilities. Thank You, Holy Trinity of love. We give thanks for the written word, handed to us through the ages. May we, by its guidance, learn to see the world and its inhabitants through its light. May we, by its inspiration, seek to become more like You in our daily living. May we, by its promise, faithfully commit ourselves to bringing hope to the weary and lonely. Forgive us, O Lord, for using Your gifts for selfish purposes. Too often have we read and followed words from the scripture to justify ourselves and vilify those whom we do not love. Too often we have clung to tiny pieces of the truth without listening more fully. Too often have we walked away, forgetting what it shows us about ourselves. Have mercy, O God, and forgive us our many sins of thought, word, and deed. Forgive us, we pray, for our neglect of the wisdom You provide and the example You have set before us. We pray for Your church this day. We ask that the Holy Spirit would speak through the word, both written and incarnate, that Your people would reflect Your glory and Your love and faithfulness. We ask for renewal in this Your body, present throughout the world, made visible in gatherings large and small throughout the whole world. We ask that You heal our divisions and make us more truly one, so that the lost may be found, the weak may be made strong, the sick may be healed, and the oppressed might be set free. Let us not walk by the wounded, suffering, and neglected ones along the roads we travel. So hear us and change us, even as we pray . . .
Prayer for the Week of July 3, 2022 God and Father of all nations, we bow before You as the only true and Sovereign Lord of all the earth, of all its peoples and races. You alone set the boundaries of our years and of our reach. You alone are fit to judge and condemn, vindicate and approve the ways we establish.
How good it is to know that You see the aggressions of pride and the sufferings of the neglected and despised. How much we must yet learn in order to make Your ways our ways, and Your thoughts our thoughts. For You alone are wise enough to solve the issues that divide nation from nation, race from race, and persons from one another. We give thanks for those who have heard Your voice in their attempts to govern well in the affairs of this world. We honor those whose lives were dedicated to the creation of a land of opportunity for all. We humbly ask that the vision which guided them might become our own, applied to a different day and age.
Forgive us of our vain attempts to do things our own way as nations and as persons. We hear the empty promises of provision without responsibility in lust for power. We hear the fear that what we think is ours will be taken if we are mindful of the poor and oppressed. Show to us our true selves, that we might repent and turn from our sinful ways. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, and heal our hearts and fortify our minds. Forgive us for not seeking that the mind of Christ might truly live and rule in our every way.
We pray for a renewal in our land, one that seeks not an imagined glory of the past, but a truly redemptive hope for the future. We ask that Your people may be committed to bringing sight to the blind, good news to the poor, the ability to leap freely for those shackled by oppressions of body and mind, whether political or physical. Let Your people declare Your ways with bold humility, with hopeful realism, and with ever growing love for You and all mankind. For this reason we pray together this day,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen
Prayer for the Week of June 26, 2022 Our faith, O Holy God, is grounded in what You have done. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, eternally giving and receiving love, extending that love into the creation of the world with an eye toward those who dwell therein, we worship You.
You have made all things and declared them good; You have given Yourself for the redemption of our rebellious race; You dwell among us to guide us toward the truth and toward love for one another. You direct us to a kingdom of truth and justice which shall not end. All thanks and praise belong to You.
Dwell among us and in us, we pray. May Your ways become our ways, Your thoughts our thoughts. Ground us daily in this faith, once delivered to the saints, and for all time doing battle against the ideas that destroy and the ways that lead to death. Forgive us, we pray, for our neglect of the mind of Christ, given through the wisdom of godly men and women of this and every age. For we have ignored their voice, Your voice, in order to follow the fanciful and wishful thoughts of this age. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, and correct the sins of our minds. Forgive our foolish and hurtful words, uttered in anger rather than in love, tearing down rather than building up those made in Your image and likeness. Christ, have mercy. Forgive our sinful deeds, committed in love of self over love for You and our neighbor. God, be merciful. Heal us thoroughly, we pray.
Turn us toward the world You have loved. You see what we see as nation rises against nation, race against race, neighbor against neighbor. You see what we see when good is called evil, and evil is called good. You see what we see when storms arise and destroy, when floods wash away the work of our hands, when earthquakes shake the very foundation. We cannot explain, but we can love those in need and come to their aid. So let us do until all these things shall pass. Let us witness faithfully to the One who is Love. And so hear us as Your people pray,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of June 19, 2022 Today, Our Father, we come before You to bring our praise, our thanks, ourselves before the One who alone is worthy of all we have to offer and infinitely more. We also come with our confusion, our fears, and our guilt, to the one who alone can dispel them with wisdom, light, and lovingkindness we do not not possess on our own.
We praise You for the beauty of the earth, the glories of the skies beyond, and for the fearful and wonderful way in which You have made us. We thank You for the minds that reflect upon the world You have made, for the hands that fashion the things we see into tools, and homes, and so much more. We present ourselves that You might teach us true wisdom, due humility, and righteous ways.
Once again we ask You to open our eyes, ears, and our minds to look for You. Restore to our memory that in asking we shall receive, in seeking we shall find, and in knocking we shall find an open door to that which is truly best for us and for the world. Forgive us, we pray, for continually striving and struggling to make the world we desire, and forgetting that all we see and hear are Yours. We confess our misspent time and energy, trying to fashion life in ways that do not honor You and do not show love of neighbor or forgiveness toward those who trespass against us. In Your great mercy, forgive us, we pray.
We pray for earthly fathers today, that their hearts may be turned toward their children. Be Thou their vision, the Lord of their thoughts and hearts; for then only shall the world be blessed with truth and healing. Then only shall wars end and swords be turned into plows. We pray for children who suffer unimaginably because of fathers who do not show the likeness of God in any way. Our hearts break when a world doesn’t want to know You as Father because of the image created by broken and hardened men. Send us Your truth and light; send us Your love anew. In praying this we also acknowledge that Your work in the world is accomplished by Your Holy Spirit at work in our lives. Give us open ears to hear Him speak and strong minds to carry out His direction.
Heal the sick. Feed the hungry. Give shelter to the homeless and rest from oppression for those without power or voice. Lord, in Your great love and mercy, hear us as we pray together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for Trinity Sunday and the Week of June 12, 2022 Holy God, we praise Your name; Lord of all, we bow before You. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we acknowledge You as almighty Creator, the self-giving Redeemer, and the life giving Sustainer of all things. The thoughts, the patterns, the intentions of people and of nations can only be judged or justified by You and Your truth, which we can only know in part. Humble us, therefore, in our bold attempts to declare our own righteousness and to judge others by our own short-sighted vision. You alone are the way, the truth, and the life.
Keep us close to Yourself, we pray, for we are prone to wandering. We waver in our commitments to do, to think, and to speak in ways that reflect Your desires and our best selves. We do not look much like Jesus, who seeks to save us even when we allow pride and ambition to guide what we do and say. We humbly ask for Your forgiveness; do have mercy upon us, we pray. Renew our minds that we may think more clearly according to Your truth and Your love for all mankind. Your Spirit is ready to guide, if only we will follow.
We pray for our community, our nation, and our world. So many people seem lost in their own private world where there is only self to guide, where all voices sound the same, where other people are unwelcome and unappreciated. Some of them are in positions of power and influence, creating hardship and chaos for others; some lash out at and destroy without cause or purpose. We lament, we cry out, we grieve, and we are so sorely tempted to lash out ourselves. Lead us to repent of our own sins before we pretend to know the cause and the cure for the sins of our neighbors. Make of us the candle, the beacon, the lighthouse by which someone will see and turn to You. Hear us as we offer ourselves and pray,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for Pentecost Sunday and the Week of June 5, 2022 The promise and the power of this day, O God, is far beyond what we can grasp. Your Holy Spirit, given that we might in word and deed be the agents through whom You change the world, that we might continue the work of Jesus, the One who came to heal the broken hearted, make the lame to walk and the blind to see, to set the captives free, and to proclaim the good news that Your kingdom has come–that Jesus and that work drive us onward. Oh Lord, we believe; but help us in our disbelief.
The world is a fearful place when we do not believe. The power of darkness, the limitations of fear, the memories of the past all weigh upon us when we look at them without the lens of Your love. Forgive us for thinking too much of what limits and too little of the One who overcomes. Turn our thoughts from what binds us and toward the One who frees us; turn our passions from what is fleeting and fix them on that which will always abide–faith, hope, and love.
Many are hurting this day, in places near and far. For greed, hatred, confusion, and anger have taken a stand as they always have and always will until the victory of Christ is complete over even the last enemy, death itself; bring the confidence of Your Spirit into our hearts and minds, fresh every morning, strong in every challenge.
May we trust what You have already given, may we deny evil its victory in Your name, and may we become the ones through whom You answer our constant prayer, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for Ascension Sunday and the Week of May 29, 2022 Father. Creator. Lord. Savior. Redeemer. Guide. Guardian. Companion. King. How foolish of us to resist Your invitation to come and worship in spirit and in truth! To come, to know that all shall be well in fellowship with You. In the midst of a world without direction, You show to us the way, the truth, and the life. Thank You!
We come today to praise You. We come today to hear from You. We come today to confess that we have not always sought Your guidance, and have all too frequently turned from it when we knew it. We have come to be forgiven of our rebellion, restored in our fellowship with You and with one another, and to be reminded of Your desires for us as well as Your promise to us. But we also come with broken hearts and anguished spirits. Neglected children grow to kill children, and there is no comfort; how long, O Lord! How many times will we raise our voice in weeping without consolation? O God, turn our thoughts away from pointing blame and toward hearing the silent, anguished cries of the lonely and wounded hiding among us. Teach us to love the unlovely souls.
The rulers of this earth are in turmoil; the people seek justice, freedom from oppression, fair and sufficient distribution of the things needed for life. The rulers of this world seem inattentive to the cries of the downtrodden. An evil leader has lust for a land not his own and disdain for those who dwell there, and there is no one to stop him. How long, O Lord?
We long for that day when the kingdom of this world will fully and finally become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, that he may reign forever. Until that day, may bow to him as king, making his ways become our ways that suffering might cease. Declare truth to those in power, and hope to those in distress. And may we who feel as though we are neither of these give ourselves to those in need. And so, please speak to our hearts and to our minds, our needs and our passions, our hopes and our purpose. In some way, perhaps largely unknown to us at the present moment, fill us with Your Spirit that we may be means by which the sick are healed in body and soul, the blind will see, the deaf will hear, and the poor will hear good news.
Pray with us as Your own adopted brothers and sisters, when we say together what You taught us, praying . . . Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Sixth Sunday of Easter and the Week of May 22, 2022 What a world You have made, O God! Set in the unimaginable vastness of space, in just the right place at just the right time, it is awesome to behold and ponder. Filled with mysteries and possibilities, it calls us to taste and see, to explore and dissect, to imagine and create. May each new discovery cause us to reflect on the Maker of this wonderful place. As the psalmist has said, may the peoples praise You, O Lord--all of them!
What a creature You have made, O God! Among all the things created to move upon the earth, or swim in the seas, or soar through the air, one is Your own image, so stamped to rule and to create in this planet. How far we have come, how many things we have made, how many challenges and obstacles we have overcome because of the way You have designed us for living and growing in knowledge. Yes, may all the people praise You!
What a Savior You have given, O God! For instead of praising You, all the people have gone astray, turning Your gift into their own glory, which turns into shame for self and into the degradation of others. Unwilling to follow the Creator’s pattern, we have sinned against Him and against one another in thought, word, and deed. Yet You did not abandon us, but came in the person of Jesus to show us the way, to declare the truth, and to restore us to life by his life, by his death, resurrection, and ascension. We can do nothing but confess our sin, receive his grace, and walk in faith.
What a Spirit You have sent, O God! Sent to give to Your people the wisdom and the courage to be Your presence in this world, He guides us toward that kingdom where all pain is gone, all suffering is ended, and death itself shall be no more. Where justice rolls down, where oppression has ceased, where hunger is unknown, where dignity is restored to all, where love has finally won. Increase our faith as we pray for that day again together, saying . . .
The Lord’s Prayer (Unison):Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Fifth Sunday of Easter and the Week of May 15, 2022 Father in heaven, You have called to us yet again. In so many ways, You continue to speak to us, whether through the glories of creation, through the inner voice of conscience, through the Scriptures You have inspired, through the people in whom Your spirit dwells, or through the regular gathering of worshipers. You are not silent.
We need Your presence; we need Your wisdom; we need Your love. And You do not withhold them from us, though we often ignore them or resist them. We ask that this day Your voice may be heard in the world, in our churches, and in our own hearts as we humble ourselves to listen and truly hear.
We confess our sins before You. In our pride we have preferred the call of self interest over the voice of the Spirit, the desire for comfort over the needs of people. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, and forgive our foolish ways. Guide us to think, speak, and act in better ways, ways informed by Your heart and driven by a desire for Your kingdom. Make our stubborn minds more receptive to the correction of Your love for us and for those You wish to encounter through us,
We pray for those who stand for Your truth in a world of deception and false hopes. May the power of the Spirit work mightily to change the minds of those who oppose Your desires for nations and communities. We pray for those who suffer even now at the hand of those of blinded eye, deafened ear, and hardened heart. Give courage, wisdom, and love for the enemy. We pray for pastors and congregations committed to displaying Your character in places where anger, violence, and hatred seem to rule the day. We pray for ourselves, gathered in this place, at this time, asking for the guidance and the confidence of Your Spirit to be and to do as You would have us to do. And so hear Your children as they pray together, saying in faith,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Fourth Sunday of Easter (and Mothers Day), May 8, 2022 May the beauty of the earth and the glory of the skies draw our thoughts to You, O Lord our God. The work of Your love and care, meticulously crafted and woven together in ways we’ve only begun to discover, it is a world You designed for creatures such as us. Eyes that can see, ears that hear, minds that make sense of sight, sound and touch–all put together in ways that draw us to You, if only we will search with our whole heart and sound mind. Thank You.
May the joy of human love, of brother, sister, parent, child, friends here and friends no longer with us but safe in Your keeping point, the way to Your own nature of watchful, guiding, redeeming care. You call our names in the midst of joy and sorrow, gain and loss, comfort and pain. Remove the barriers we and others have erected to keep that still small voice from reaching our souls.
Today we give thanks for those women who gave us birth. We ask for Your blessing upon those who are yet here with us, and a blessing upon our memories of those who are not. For the ones who need our forgiveness, we ask for open hearts to extend Your mercy; for those who have faithfully loved us in spite of our stubborn ways, we give thanks for their loving display of Your own heart. Made in Your image, they care for us, comfort us, encourage us, shelter us, heal us. Forgive our rebellion against them and against You. We have sought our independence from both to our own harm. We have dishonored Your name in our thoughts, our actions, and our speech, and ask that You forgive us and heal us from wayward desires. Have mercy upon us, we pray--mercy both to forgive and to renew. For better versions of ourselves, we need Your guidance by day and Your protection by night. In Your great love, hear our prayer.
We pray for Your church. Guardian of the faith once delivered to the saints, Body through which Jesus lives and moves in the world today, keep it ever faithful. In word and witness, in sacrifice and despair, in weakness and in strength, may Your church love the world the way Jesus did when he walked this earth. And so may it proclaim the kingdom in its every move and desire and give itself fully for the feeding and clothing of the poor, the healing and wholeness of the sick, and for the teaching of justice to both the oppressed and the oppressors. May the year of the Lord’s favor be its everlasting goal, even as it prays together, The Lord’s Prayer (Unison):Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Third Sunday of Easter and the Week of May 1, 2022 Holy, Triune God, we bow in Your presence, not sure of anything more than that we need You. We need Your love, we need Your provision, and we need Your protection. We need Your grace, Your guidance, and Your guarantee that when we seek You with our whole heart You will answer. We thank You for all the gifts bestowed upon us as we experience life in this world. The gifts of sight and sound and touch bring joy to the senses; the gifts of time and place bring meaning to our searching; the gifts of relationship give us persons and opportunities to reflect Your own nature of love and care. Thank You, Lord!
We ask You to teach us, Father. Teach us Your character, that we might imitate it. Teach us your desires, that we might fulfill them. Teach us Your humility, that we might not think more highly of ourselves or more lowly of others than we should. Teach us again, how mercy triumphs over judgment. You teach all of this and more in Jesus, the Incarnate Son by whose grace we live, by whose sacrifice of himself we are restored, renewed, and returned to our work in this world. We bow to plead for His forgiveness for not walking in the truth. For we confess that our lives have not always been guided by truth, beauty, and goodness as we see them in Him. We therefore have sinned in thought, word, and deed, loving ourselves more than trusting You. Have mercy upon us, we pray, and forgive our sins.
Send us, then, restored and forgiven, to answer the call of the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the neglected, the abused, and the lost. They are all around us. So give us new eyes to see, new ears to hear, and new hearts to care, new hands to reach out, new voices to proclaim the good news that Jesus lives and walks among us. Hear us and teach us, even as we pray,
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Second Sunday of Easter and the Week of April 24, 2022 Father of creation, Son of the empty tomb, Spirit of wisdom and possibility, we worship You today. You know our dreams and our hopes, you know our limits and our weaknesses, you know our potential for reaching to do great things. We come to You to be guided, to be corrected, and to see the world in ways that reveal Your presence and Your desires for us.
We thank You for seasons in nature and in life, for times of renewal and times of rest. We marvel at the budding and blossoming of new life springing from the ground, decorating tree and shrub. We thank You for the laughter and joy coming from children making new discoveries as they grow. You have made all things, and they are good indeed.We offer our praise for the resurrection of Jesus, showing us conclusively that Your strength is made perfect in weakness, Your victory secured through loss, and Your love manifested in hopelessness. Guide us to trust in Your ways when our path is dark and our future unforeseen.
Forgive us, we humbly pray, for doubting Your care, for questioning Your way, and for defying Your will for us. We have sinned in our thinking, in our speaking, and in our acting. We have not sought You with our whole heart, nor desired Your will to become ours. Correct us, we pray, and remove the barriers we have erected between Your love and our best selves.
Make Your image shine from within us, renewed by the Holy Spirit, sent in Jesus’ name to show the world who You are. Lover of the poor and the outcast, Protector of the weak and the vulnerable, Teacher of the ignorant and the confused, Hope of the lost and the forgotten--Your mission, our assignment, Your purpose in this world where too many people are angry, distressed, and lost. Lord Christ, teach us once again to pray together,
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for Easter Sunday and the Week of April 17, 2022 Father of all that lives, Son of the Father’s glory made flesh, Spirit of eternal renewal, we come in joy and in hope on this Easter morning!
That which seems too good to be true, yet cannot be false has been spoken to us again: the Lord is risen. Alleluia! His Spirit calls to us not from a grave, but from a throne, above all other power and authority; for not even death could hold him. We cannot explain. We can only praise and rejoice. By His grace and for His glory, please accept the praise we bring this day.
We come in weakness seeking strength; we come in fear, seeking courage; we come in loss, seeking renewed hope, in sickness of body, mind, and spirit seeking restoration. We come for our own selves, but also for those we love who are in danger of many kinds. As we come, point us once again to the empty tomb that fills the world with possibilities beyond imagination and with power beyond limit. For if Christ has not been raised, we are lost in our struggles. But a different word has been spoken and affirmed--Christ Jesus lives today, and walks with us and talks with us by Your Holy Spirit.
We confess our sins that cloud our full acceptance of the good news. Our thoughts, words ,and deeds have not relied fully on the power and promise of the resurrection, and have strayed against the law provided by Your love. In Your mercy, forgive us, O Lord, we pray. Cast away our doubts, that we may never again fear to walk in the truth.
Because Easter is true, bring hope to the distressed, release to the captives, gladness to those who mourn, and joy to the sad of heart. Bring wisdom for the decisions, courage for the challenges, and clear vision that sees victory more clearly than it sees the foe. Send Your people in resurrection power to love the world in the name of a risen Jesus, who even now invites to pray with him and with one another, saying . . .
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Sixth Sunday in Lent (Palm Sunday) and the Week of April 10, 2022 Hear our prayer, O Lord.
We worship the One whom we know to be far wiser than we, far stronger than we, One whose love we cannot fathom and so poorly imitate. We can only bow in recognition of our need for Your grace.
Even when we worship, we bring so many other thoughts, so many desires. They blunt Your presence, drown out Your voice, and obscure our vision of what is true and good and beautiful. Clear our minds, we pray, that we might find the peace of Your own love for us. Guide us to true worship, that we might grow in Your likeness.
We thank You for the glory revealed in Jesus, glory that displays Your nature in the most unexpected way. For he came quietly among us, humbling himself to serve us and to save us. Though knowing our hearts and our weakness, he gave himself for us, teaching Your way, then suffering under the ways of sinful people. No one else could say more powerfully, “Love your enemies; pray for those who persecute you.” Save us, O Lord!
We confess our sin. We have missed the mark, and have engaged in thoughts, words, and deeds that are neither pleasing in Your sight nor helpful toward those among whom we live. Have mercy upon us, O God; save us from ourselves. Forgive for the limits we place on whom we will love and the kinds of people we will acknowledge as worthy of our attention. We discriminate; You offer Yourself for all. Change our hearts, O God.
Thank You for those who seek to honor You by serving the poor, the homeless, and the confused. Your Spirit is at work in the minds and the hearts of many people. May we recognize Your work and join in what You are doing in answer to prayers for food, for homes, for care, and for victory over darkness. Bring comfort to those who mourn, bring peace to those who are troubled by all manner of injustice and thoughtlessness; bring peace to our troubled world, and clarity of mission to the church that is called to reach it with truly good news.
The need is great, O God; Your promise is even greater. And so we continue to pray together,
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Fifth Sunday in Lent and the Week of April 3, 2022 We come to You, O Father, because Your Word is true. The creed we confess, the Lord we acknowledge, the life set before us by the Spirit, are true and entirely good. This faith, describing our past, our present, and our future, grounds us thoroughly in Your power, Your wisdom, and Your love, that we might share in Your promise. Praise to You, Father! Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ! Praise to You, Holy Spirit! How good it is to dwell in Your truth.
We hear the story. We sing the praise. Yet we do not always live in its glory and its promise. We turn our ears to other stories, our eyes to other goals, and our feet to other pathways. We confuse the temporary with the eternal, the immediate for the final, and we stumble. In Your mercy, O Lord, guide us to confess those thoughts, words, and deeds that take us away from our true selves, made in Your image to reflect Your glory and Your ways. Forgive us, we pray, for the sake of that Jesus, who showed us the way of love, and died that we might live, and walk in newness of life.
Hear the prayers we offer on behalf of the sick, the tired, the poor, the oppressed, and the hopeless ones. For these are all around us, giving convicting evidence that we have not made Your ways our ways. By the wisdom and strength of Your Spirit, by the confidence that good shall overcome evil, lead us as Your agents of healing and hope, Your witnesses to truth and mercy. Strengthen our sometimes feeble hands and our sometimes stubborn wills, that we might truly serve our Lord and King in a world of need. Shine light in the darkness, shout truth in the void, filling it with songs of a dawning hope.
We join our voices to the many who continue to pray with Jesus, saying . . . Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Fourth Sunday in Lent and the Week of March 27, 2022 O God of wisdom and understanding, God of truth and enlightenment, hear our prayer this day. You who have created all there is, know all things from the beginning to the end of days and beyond, be our teacher and our guide. The more we learn of what You have made, the greater our marvel becomes. Our insights are of only the surface, yet they display an ever more complex and intricate design behind all that we see and so much more that we can only imagine.
You also know our failed attempts to understand our world and ourselves without You. We search for ways to get around the truth You reveal about both where we live and how we live. And as we do, our blindness leads us astray and turns others away from the truth that would set them free. Forgive us, O Lord, for our willful and rebellious refusal to see the world as You made it. As a race, we have tried to remake it as though we made it ourselves and You were not there. Great is our sin. Have mercy upon us.
Forgive us, we pray, for designing our own way, neglecting fellowship with You in the cool of evening; like Adam and Eve, we try in vain to hide from You. Lord, have mercy, and call to us once again, that You might clothe us with humility and kindness like unto Your own. Heal our willful blindness, caused not because we do not want to see, but because we insist on seeing without Your light. Open our searching spirits to the one who is the way, the truth, and the life, by whom alone we come to the Father. For then we shall see as You see the world, the people, the future before us. Then shall we rightly perceive the real needs, the real solutions, and the real hope of all mankind.
Turn us from seeking our comfort and toward the stranger and the alien seeking even the basic needs of life. Open our eyes that we see searching hearts and troubled souls more quickly than we see angry crowds and violent protests. Open the eyes of leaders more concerned with partisan ways than with the healing of our nation and its people. Let us see what You see when You look at the world. Then use us, we pray, in ways little or large to engage in Your redemptive work in this world. For so Your children have always prayed when they say together, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer for the Third Sunday in Lent and the Week of March 20, 2022 Lord God, Father of all who have faith, no matter how weak, we do indeed need you. You know that far better than we do. You wait for us to come, even in the times You remain hidden from sight, removed from our lives and afflictions. You know when to answer; and You know far better than we what is good for us.
Teach us, O Lord, to seek, to knock on the only true door to life in all its fullness, richness, and blessing. Teach us that these things may be far different in form than we imagine them to be, and that true joy awaits us in Your timing, yes, in Your kingdom, in Your presence.
We confess this day that our wandering hearts grow impatient; our misplaced desires go unmet; our selfish goals are thwarted by events, by people, by unexpected changes in life as we face it and expect it to flow. In the meantime, we have done things we ought not to have done; and we have left undone the things You have set before us to do; we have not sought You with our whole heart, and perhaps not at all. We humbly bow and ask, Lord have mercy. We confess that our minds have focused more on what you have not brought about to meet our goals than on what we are to do to fulfill Your rightful expectations of us, Your children. Forgive our foolish ways, we plead. We pray for desires like unto Your own, concerned more for those who truly suffer in want and need than for our own comfort.
Even as we bring before You in prayer those who are sick, those who mourn, those who have no work, or homes; those whose land is ravaged by war, by famine, by peril, we ask that You give us the wisdom of Your Spirit and the strength of Your Son to see and answer their need as we are able. We pray for Your power to come upon us to live in ways that glorify the One to Whom we pray,
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evilFor thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Second Sunday in Lent and the Week of March 13 Open our ears, Our Father. There are beautiful sounds to be heard in this world--music, laughter, morning birds, friendly voices, loving words of encouragement and hope.
Open our eyes, Lord Jesus. There are wondrous sights to behold--mountains, shores, rising and setting sun, smiles, children at play, people walking arm in arm.
Open our hearts, Holy Spirit. There are redemptive moments to embrace--grievances forgiven, addictions defeated, relationships restored, bitterness softened.
Holy God, Your world is beautiful, Your desires are pure and righteous altogether. And so we cannot but worship. We cannot hear, see, or feel this world aright without You. Forgive us, we pray. For we have not heard Your call, we have turned blind eye to Your ways, and we have not desired the good as much as the tempting alternatives offered to us. Have mercy upon us for ignoring Your voice. It has warned us, we have not heeded; it has called us, we have not answered; it sent us, we have not followed. Have mercy upon us, for we have therefore sinned in thought, word, and deed. We have participated in tearing down more than in building up. We need You to restore our vision, our hopes, our very lives.
We grieve over what sinful and rebellious ways have done to this world. We watch as fearful people allow hatred to build and boil over; we see the grief, we hear the cries. We shake our heads over scandals of pride and greed running over fairness and truth. We watch in horror as a nation has risen against the people of another, causing such suffering and loss as we would not imagine. Your voice has not been heard. How long, O Lord, will You put up with us?
Yet You believe in us. You believe us to be worth saving, even at the cost of a cross for Yourself. As we look to it, may we see the invitation to become like You--thinking of others more than self, seeking the lost and forgotten, setting our sights on the glory to come more than on the desires of this present world. Guide us by the power of the resurrection to overcome all earthly threats, pressing on in hope.
And so we pray, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen
Prayer for the Week of March 6, the First Sunday in Lent Our Father, Our Brother, Our Guide, we come again for worship. We come to the Holy God of unity in difference, hearing Your call to be more than what we have been by shedding our misguided ideas and longings. We come to hear Your voice above the noise of the world and the clatter of dreams.
You have given us times and seasons, O God, some for planting and some for harvesting, some for work and some for rest, some for reflection and some for planning. We have come to that time wisely set aside for our assessment and our repentance, a time to think about who You truly are as revealed in the self-giving love of Jesus; a time to measure ourselves by that love and example. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear above and beyond the world of our own making. Grant to us both the grace and the courage to see ourselves truly, that we might turn from our own ways and toward the ones that are so much higher, so much better.
Forgive us, we pray, for neglecting Your word. Forgive us, O Lord, for creating lives that are so much less than they could be, if only we would trust You more completely in all things. Have mercy upon us, O Lord. For the lives we have chosen have damaged not only ourselves, but also those with whom we share this world. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves; we have not done to others as we would have them do to us; we have hated our enemies, and failed to respect the stranger. We ask for Your forgiving grace; we ask for Your renewing work inside our hearts so that our minds may be changed as we face each day.
We pray for the weak and the lonely; we plead for the hardened hearts. We ask for the wisdom to set our feet upon solid ground in facing the challenges before us. We long to be the instruments of Your peace in a world of strife and distress. For this is how You taught us to live and to pray when we say together as one,
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of February 27, 2022 Your greatness, O Lord, no one can fathom, no one can adequately comprehend or proclaim. How could we? For You have made the worlds from nothing, patterned only on the wisdom You alone possess. The best of our knowledge, the most intense of our searching and testing, the highest of our thoughts can only begin the task of exploration.
Even as we find the formulas, discover the principles, apply the numbers to new questions, You are ever before us, ever behind us; how long will it take us to find You? What new and latest method will it take for us to acknowledge You as Creator and Preserver of all things? Thank You, O God, for not waiting for us to find You. For we have not the wisdom nor the patience. You came to us in our need, not only to clear our minds, but to cleanse our souls; not only to answer our questions, but to restore our hopes; not only to show us the way, but to walk it with us. Praise to You, Incarnate Son; blessed are You, Holy Spirit!
Forgive us, O Lord, for seeking answers without You; forgive us, we pray, for trying to fashion solutions as though You are not the maker of all things visible and invisible. We foolishly think we can avoid Your watching eye and loving care. We have indeed sinned against You and against one another in what we have thought, said, and done. Give us the grace to truly repent, and the mercy to forgive our foolish ways. Open our eyes to the Spirit You have given, that we might not transgress Your ways.
Today we ask for the miracle of peace to be brought to a people from whom it has been taken; we ask for unexpected humility to overtake the oppressors; we ask for love to embrace the displaced. There and everywhere, we ask for comfort for those who mourn, food for those who hunger, shelter for those without homes, health for those who are injured or ill, hope for those caught in addiction--for these we pray, knowing that You have placed within us the power and resources to answer these prayers. Turn us to the task, and excite us in the work so the world may know that Jesus does indeed save.
So hear us as we pray together, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of February 20, 2022 Is it true, Our Father? We come in wonder, we come in hope, we come in fear. Behind our mixed emotions is the burning question of whether it is true. Sometimes we are sure, sometimes we are not, sometimes we doubt the very idea that You have made us for more than this present world. How could it be that things unseen, unmeasured, unheard, and unknown could be more important than what we witness day by day?
And so we place ourselves before You, seeking the way, the truth, and the life. We come because we sense that there must be a better way for us to go than by what we see. For that is the way of the world–the way that has led to injustice, unfairness, inequality, lives ruined at the hands of others, lives squandered in the pursuit of pleasure. What we see now is the tyranny of false ideas about who we are and what we can and cannot do or say, what has been that has not and what has not been that is. What we see does not show us the way of life that is full, abundant, and satisfying; it does not show us what life can really be, what it truly means, and where it truly leads.
Son of God and Son of Man, come to our aid, we pray. For You have shown us what is good, and true, and beautiful. You came and lived the life of the flesh in front of the world perfectly. You showed how to love and how to live, how to fellowship and celebrate, how to suffer yet hope, how to be misunderstood yet firm and steadfast, how to yield yet overcome, how to rejoice and triumph over everything the world might do to hide the truth. Thank You, Jesus!
Come to our aide, we pray, and take away our sin. For the more we see Your way, the more we become aware that our own thoughts, words, and deeds are a denial of our Father’s desires for human life. We cannot undo the past, but You can redeem it. We cannot fix what we’ve broken, but You can make it whole again in ways we cannot imagine.
Come to our aid, O Holy Spirit, and give us new desires, new hearts, soft and ready for molding into the image of Christ. Then shall the blind see, the lame walk, and the poor receive good news. Renew our trust in the promise that resurrection is sure, that mercy triumphs, that death and all of its companions of injustice, pain, and distress will be swallowed up in victory. For this purpose we continue to pray in faith,
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of February 13, 2022 Lord, we bow before you in prayer. We do so both because we believe and because we want to believe. Help our unbelief.
So many ideas, so many events that we do not understand tend to draw us toward doubting Your power, Your goodness, or Your love. Yet without You nothing that we see, nothing that we have would be at all. There would be no world, and no people to wonder. You alone know the end from the beginning; You alone know what is truly good.
If only we would trust You more, and lean on our own ideas a little less; if only we would truly seek You more than we seek Your gifts, perhaps we would find the joy we crave, the sufficiency and satisfaction we chase after. Yes, Father, help us to believe. Let us be honest in our doubts, and bring them before You, that You might heal our minds, and open our eyes to the true wonders You have designed for all of us made in Your image. In a time of wars and rumors of wars, lead ever closer to the Prince of Peace.
We need Your mercy and Your grace, O Lord. We need Your mercy that inclines You to see what we can be in spite of our sin; we need Your grace to remove that sin from us and set us on the path of righteousness and wholeness. And so we humbly ask that You forgive our sins and cleanse us from our unrighteousness for the sake of Jesus, who died that we might truly live. We long to be raised with Him, seated above the things and problems that confuse, confound, and distort this present world. We long for His Spirit to be at work within us as we walk redemptively through this life You have given us, aware of and ready to complete the good works You have designed for us to accomplish in Your strength.
We pray for those who mourn, and for the compassion to walk beside them. We pray for the poor and for the wisdom of how best to serve them. We pray for the sick and injured, and for the power to heal their spirits. We pray for the hopeless, and for the encouraging words and actions that can transform their lost desires. We pray for the cold and calloused ones, and for the patience to hear the cries beneath their loudness. We pray for Your Church, that its members would be united in proclamation, in witness, in service, and in hope. We join with that Church of many centuries, as it prays together,
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of February 6, 2022 The depth of Your love, O God, is far greater than we can imagine. Ever flowing, ever giving, always seeking our return to You and Your ways. For all the times and all the ways we have refused to receive, You give nonetheless.
For You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are love--always giving and always receiving, in perfect fellowship, wanting us to join in that community of love. You have shown to us what it means and how it lives in Jesus, the Incarnate Son. Love in Him was always truly acted and truly spoken. Not even death could extinguish it. He loved us and gave himself for us and for our salvation. And we praise Him in our worship.
We confess our unrighteous ways, O God. We do not know the depth of our sin, and therefore we know not the depth of Your love. We want Your forgiveness, but not Your correction; we want Your gifts, but not Your call; we want Your grace, but not Your desire that we extend it to others. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, we pray. Teach us the way of true repentance that receives the gift and seeks to employ it in our daily routine. For it is there that we fail, guided by habit and custom more than by Your Spirit. Forgive us of the great sin of not wanting to be better in our thoughts, our words, and our deeds.
You have told us what is right--to seek justice, not so much for ourselves as for those without the power to seek it for themselves; to love mercy, not for ourselves, but as our own way of receiving the insults and misdeeds of those near to us; to walk humbly in this world, measuring ourselves against the holiness of the savior, rather than against the sinfulness of the world.
As we enter the world again, give us eyes to see and ears to hear the voices of those who cry out in pain and despair, in hopelessness and in loss. Provide through us food for the hungry, shelter for the homeless, and dignity for those passed by without so much as a glance or a thought. For thus we show we understand the Father’s love for us, and for this very reason we continue to pray, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of January 30, 2022 What a beautiful word it is, O Lord--redeemed! For all of the glory of Your creation, vast and wondrous as it is, finely detailed, magnificently displayed, spiraling with galaxies, woven intricately together with protons, electrons, neutrons--no word describes Your nature better than “redeemed.” It speaks Your power to overcome, not with strength, which surely is yours, but with love, which no one can conquer.
Your love, O God, gives to humankind what we do not deserve. Your love, Our Father, seeks and restores; Your love, O Christ the Son, pours itself out by becoming one of us and experiencing for us all of the damage we do to ourselves and to one another, even to the point of death; Your love, O Holy Spirit, seeks to dwell and rule within us that we might be renewed into Your image, remade in likeness to Jesus.
Our world gives witness daily to our rebellion against love for You and for one another. Unlike our Maker, we seek to conquer and subdue, rather than to restore; we want to use rather than to honor one another; we build bigger weapons rather than bigger hearts, we react in anger when we feel threatened, we accuse rather than listen, we feel offense rather than compassion. We want our own way rather than Yours. Great is our sin. Yet greater is Your love.
And so we come, confessing before You our sins of thought, of word, and of deed. We confess our confused desires, our conflicted loyalties, and our concocted versions of the lives and needs of those others whom we know and of those we have never met. We confess our misplaced anger, our mistaken conclusions, and our misguided responses. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, and hear our prayer. In Your great love, restore us, renew us, and remind us constantly whose we are. For we are baptized into Christ, the One who perfectly loved us and gave himself for us.
As Jesus was sent, so are we, to seek to save that which is lost. It is for this purpose that we give ourselves and continue to pray together, saying . . . Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of January 23, 2022 Great are You, O God, and You alone. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit--Three yet One, One but three--we marvel, we stumble at the mystery. Let us never relinquish the truth simply because we have not comprehended it. Instead, may we worship, lost in wonder and praise.
We thank You for minds that can explore, discern, imagine. We thank You for hearts that can love, create, restore. Made in Your image and likeness, set in a world of Your making, we as creatures have done many things well to bring into being new tools, art, structures, medicine, and so much more. We thank You for the wonderful way in which You’ve made us.
Yet we have too often used Your gifts for evil, and not for good. Thinking ourselves independent of You, we have made things that destroy, turning them upon one another. We have ignored Your image in us and Your claims upon us, defying Your ways and denying You truth. Caring only for ourselves and those we deem to be like us, we turn upon those who are different, declaring them unworthy of our love and concern. The stranger, the alien, the weak have no place among us. Lord, have mercy.
Our sin is ever before us; give us the grace to recognize it and repent of it, turning from darkness to light, from death to life, from despair to hope. Forgive us for the sake of the Son who died to set us free. Remove our desire to sin in thought, word, and deed. For only then can we begin to see with Your eyes, hear with Your ears, and love with Your heart. Fill us with that same Holy Spirit who anointed Jesus to bring good news to the poor and deliverance to the captives. We pray this day for leaders in our land and around the world. Stir in them the desire to do justice and rule rightly, placing truth above party, and people above power. Encourage those who know You as Lord to stand firm in the face of opposition. Show all of us how to overcome evil with good instead of repaying it with raw power, inciting more evil in reply. May justice indeed come like a river, righteousness like a flood. Humble us as Your people, under Your hand, that You may lift us up in Your perfect time.
Your kingdom--may we truly embrace it and pray for its victory, saying together,
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for Week of January 16, 2022 Eternal Father, Incarnate Son, Holy Spirit, we praise You this day. We look to You for all good and perfect gifts, for they come from One who does not change; we look to You for redemption from our lost and foolish ways, for that can only come from the One who loved us and gave Himself for us. We look to You for wisdom to walk in this world, for it comes from the One who was sent to dwell within and among us.
We look to You, Holy Trinity, perfect in unity and love, in a world divided by opinion and pride. We know not how to balance the needs and wants of conflicting interests; we know not how to listen with understanding or to speak with grace. Indeed, Your ways are so much higher than ours. Teach us to be slower to speak and quicker to listen.
We ask for Your mercy, our Father. For the sin that causes division and malice is not only in parties and policies, but in each of us as well. We do the evil we know not to do, and refuse the good that is set before us. We confess our sins of thought, word, and deed, as well as those of neglect. According to Your promise and by the virtue of Your Son Jesus, forgive us, we humbly pray. As He gave himself for us, strengthen us to give ourselves to those in need of the gifts Your Spirit provides each one of us.
Open our minds, open our hearts, open our hands. We offer them all to You that Your grace and power may be made known, not in word alone, but in demonstration of redeemed and renewed humanity. For there are yet many who are blinded by sin, dazzled by sight and sound without substance. There are many who wound others out of their own pain, many who feel the injustice that comes from self-interest. There are many who mourn, many who suffer under the weight of illness and disability. The hungry, the poor, the forgotten ones in old age--so many needs it overwhelms us. Teach us to walk toward one of them in the name and power of Your Son Jesus. Teach us even as we pray together as that same Jesus gave us, saying . . .
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the second Sunday of Christmas and the New Year, 2022 Another year, O Lord. A thousand of them pass before You as a single one does to us; but we mark them carefully, and we hope. Maybe, just maybe, it will be the year of Your Son’s appearing. Maybe, just maybe, it will be a year in which justice comes to the oppressed. Perhaps this year the blinded ones will receive their sight and see all things anew. Could it be the year in which the dumb will speak and the deaf will hear their wisdom? Could it happen that the hungry will be given a share in the bounty of the earth, the sick will be made whole, and the lame will jump to their feet and dance? Yes, come, Lord Jesus!
Come in ways silent and humble, come in ways loud and spectacular, come in ways we do not expect but are made ready to embrace. Open our eyes to Your presence, for You are already here. Jesus has come and walked among us, and His Spirit wants to walk within us and among us once more. Yes, come, Lord Jesus!
Forgive us, Lord, for our many sins. We stand in need of You mercy and Your redeeming love. Forgive us, Father, for tiny dreams and resolutions we’ve set before us. All so often, they center on ourselves and fail to think of the greatness of Your salvation, the hope of Your calling, and the power of Your Spirit at work within us. So easily they exclude the neighbor, the stranger, the alien. Renew our minds, we pray.
Immerse us in the truth that sets us free, in the love that sent the Savior into the world; then shall pray more fervently and powerfully what Jesus asks us to pray, saying,
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen
Prayer for the Second Day of Christmas and the Week of December 26, 2021
Holy God, mysterious and mighty, yet revealed and gentle, hear our prayer. We tremble when we think of Your power, and we wonder when we think of Your love. We know not what to say in Your presence, we know not what to do in Your absence. May the sense of Your glory be stronger than what we know of You. You came among us to expose our pretensions of strength and power, revealing instead the way of grace and truth, of humility and hope.
You have been our help in ages past; You remain our hope for years to come. When we most wondered where You might be, Your love was most mightily at work for our good. When we most wanted to hide from Your presence, You most diligently sought to restore our damaged souls. For redemption and restoration are the reasons for which Jesus came. Increase our faith, our hope, our confidence in him as we look ahead. We become anxious, but he teaches us to wait, even beyond the boundaries of this mortal life. For as a day is a thousand years and a thousand years as a day in Your sight, we mark our times and seasons in order that we might grow in our knowledge of You and of Your will for us and of our growth in Your likeness.
Grant us, we pray, the grace to repent of our sins. For we have not always kept Your kingdom sufficiently in view as we live from day to day and year to year. Thus we have strayed from Your will, thinking, speaking, and acting in ways that destroy what You desire to build. We have placed our passions at the service of men and women, political parties and movements, pleasures and dreams that are even at their best but shadows of Your kingdom. In Your great mercy, forgive us, we humbly pray, for the sake of Your Son, Jesus. May His words of submission to Your will rather than human desires become ours more fully each day.
Build Your Church, O Lord, we pray. Not in structures and crowds, but in love and the pursuit of all that is good and just and true. Not in visible places among the powerful of this world, but in the forgotten places among the poor, the lonely, the hungry, the broken, and the addicted. There proclaim Your power and might by the deeds of love and mercy Your Spirit inspires. May it become the daily bread of Your people to do the will of the Father, even as it was the bread of the One who came to save. And so we continue to pray, saying together, . . .
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name;Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Fourth Sunday of Advent and the Week of December 19, 2021 Lord Christ, You came; You come; You will come! What wonderful news for all mankind! What comfort for those who feel defeated by the world! What hope for those who long for truth and justice! Of the Father’s love begotten, You came to us as one of us that we might become like You, loving the forgotten ones, seeking the lost ones, and healing the broken ones.
In great humility You came, caring not for Your reputation or safety. Knowing we would reject You until You revealed our true selves to our blinded eyes, You loved us and gave Yourself for us. Open our eyes once again to Your ways as we celebrate Your birth. May the joy and festive times never lose sight that our truest joy is that which comes from receiving our King and preparing Him room.
And so, Lord, remove those things which crowd Your Spirit from our lives and routines. We confess our thoughtlessness toward Your desires for us. For we have sought our joy and placed our hope too much in things the world provides on its own. We have placed our wants above the needs of others; we have spoken too much of the shortcomings of our neighbors and too little of the goodness of our Lord. Have mercy upon us, we pray. For the sake of Jesus, who died for us, forgive our sins and purify our hearts so that we shall not repeat that which we confess.
We ask that Your coming would be made visible to the world by our very lives; for You sent Your Spirit for this purpose. Oh, how much that Spirit is needed in our time! So many are hungry, so many in need of warmth, so many more in need of love. So many are sick, so many oppressed, so many more in need of hope. Set our sights on the incarnation of our Lord so that we might bring Him to our world, our lives, our neighbors, our friends. Yes, be born in us today, that we might carry You to all who meet us. Make us the instruments of Your peace.
So hear us as we pray together, . . . Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name;Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Third Sunday of Advent and the Week of December 12, 2021 Father of all, as we prepare for the coming of the Son, the return of the King, and reign of the Spirit, turn our thoughts from all that glistens so we might see the True Light, and by its glory, see all things well.
May the wonder of Your love for all mankind overwhelm us and reassure us that You do all things perfectly. For Your Word to us good and right, Your plan for us is joy and peace, and Your desire for us is to share in the glory of Your kingdom.
So give us the grace, we pray, of true preparation for You to come to our world, to our lives, and to walk with us in the places we go. Make the rough places plain; make the mountains lower, the valleys higher, removing all the obstacles that keep You from sight. For Your work is not in the future only, but around us, before us, and even in us, if only we will look with faith and longing for Your appearing.
Teach us how to repent. For we are far quicker to recognize the faltering steps than the misplaced affections. We see the sins in others more readily than those in our own souls. We use our hands to point more than we do to pick up the fallen. We use our voices more to announce our displeasure than to declare the riches of Your grace. And so forgive us, we humbly pray, for sins of thought, word, and deed. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, for the sake of the Son who gave himself for us and for our salvation.
Renew our minds by Your Spirit. For then we shall be able to know Your will for us in the places we live, among the people we know and those we have yet to meet. Give us faith to go to new challenges, to see needs we haven’t noticed before, and to draw on the strength that we sing about but so seldom call upon. May we seek to bring joy to others, and in so doing find it ourselves in a truer more lasting way.
So hear us as we pray with all Your people of this and every age, saying . . . Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name; Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Second Sunday of Advent and the Week of December 5, 2021
We bow before You this day, our Lord, our God, our coming King. We bring to You our hopes and our dreams, our pains and our sorrows. You alone are the source of all good and perfect gifts; You alone can bring the kind of world for which we inwardly long. The more we hear of the plans of human leaders and the threats of those thirsty for power, the greater our wonder over the kingdom of God, brought to this world by the power of love rather than fear, by self-giving rather than self-promotion. Teach us Your ways, O God, for they are eternally right and true and just. We also bring our confessions of sins and sorrows, of weakness and fear. We have not sought You with our whole heart; we have pursued the gifts of creation more than the Giver; we have worshipped the creature more than the Creator. Lord, have mercy upon us. We have failed to see You in the stranger and the alien, the sick and the hungry, the burdened and the oppressed, and thus turned away when we should have stopped and given of ourselves. Christ, have mercy, we pray. We have thought too highly of ourselves, taken too easily to offenses real and perceived, and held for ourselves the time and resources designed to spread hope and comfort to a needful neighbor, community, and world. Forgive us our sins, we humbly ask, for Your name’s sake. As our thoughts are turned in this season toward Your coming, let us make and prepare the way in our lives in the days ahead. Show us how You want to release the captive, open the blind eye and the deaf ear, and speak good news to the poor and oppressed. Impart to us and through the true blessings of Your heavenly rule. Heal the sick, raise the dead in spirit; proclaim truth throughout this land; dispel the darkness that hides our true needs and our real purpose. Hear us as we pray with Your people everywhere, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name; Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer for the First Sunday of Advent and the Week of November 28, 2021 To You we lift up our heads, our hearts, and our voices, O God. To You we offer our hands in service. To You we sing and pray. To You we bring our hopes and lay down our fears. We come to another Advent season, still looking for Your coming to make all things new. For even while we rejoice in the coming of Jesus into the world to reveal Your very nature and to remove from us the curse to which our sin has exposed our souls, we long for the fullness of His victory. He shall come again to defeat sin and death, sickness and injustice, deceit and oppression. For this we hope; for this we pray.
We confess that our hopes have been drawn aside to lesser things. We have hoped for comfort more than service, riches more than Your presence, and safety more than obedience. Therefore we have fallen into sins of thought, word, and deed. We confess them before You; we ask for your mercy, Your grace, and Your correction, that we might be both forgiven and renewed. And we plead for Your mercy upon our repentant souls.
Awaken us, we pray, to the ones for whom it is hard to hope at all. So many have given themselves over to despair, and have been destroyed by the false and fleeting promises of a world where Your truth has been silenced. Comfort those who mourn, even while the world celebrates its own emptiness. Strengthen those whose bodies have been weakened by age and by disease and injury; may we be near to them and learn from them that everything temporal is passing away, often sooner than we imagine. Draw near to the lonely, even those who hide the pain of loss for fear of diminishing the supposed happiness of others. Teach us how to give true gifts to all people--gifts that are expressions of what You have given to us through Your Holy Spirit. So teach us how to faithfully pray,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name;Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for Christ the King Sunday and the Week of November 21, 2021 God, our Father; Christ Jesus, our King; Holy Spirit, our Guide, hear our prayer this day. Hear us in our pain and our sorrow, hear us in our comfort and our joy. For You alone are constant; Your care is ever present, Your love is ever giving, and Your promise is ever sure.
Many of us have paused to give thanks; and it is good for us to do so, for we have been blessed beyond our deserving. Teachers, parents, friends, neighbors, and even strangers placed in our path have provided for us before we ever knew which way we should go or what we would need; we have nothing truly and fully our own. For the dignity of work, the provision of life’s needs, the relative security in which we dwell, we offer our thanks. Open our eyes daily to the blessings in the ordinary, the grace in the many things that could have been otherwise. We are blessed.
We give honor this day to our King. While prideful people claim allegiance to no one and feel indebted to only themselves, we gratefully serve the One who saves us from foolish pretensions. His ways are just and right, His judgments are true, His wisdom is beyond scrutiny. We are humbled by His love for us in spite of our failures. We are strengthened by Him in spite of our weakness. We are called into His service in spite of our lowliness.
We confess to our King the unworthiness and incompleteness of our service to His Name. For His ways have not always been our ways, and His thoughts have not always become our thoughts. Rather we have sinned against Him and against our neighbor in thought, in word, and in deed. Have mercy upon us, we pray, and forgive our sin. Repair our wounded souls that we might think, speak, and act in ways that reflect Your own mind and heart.
Lead us by Your Holy Spirit into a world at odds with truth, in which anger burns and hatred destroys. Use us in ways great and small in the overcoming of evil with good; for Your kingdom shall prevail. And so, we pray, increase our faith and strengthen our resolve, even as we pray together, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of November 14, 2021 We live in Your world, our Father. We live in a place so small in the immensity of space, yet it is so carefully made for us. We see the stars without knowing how unimaginably distant they are, then realize they are but a tiny fraction of such stars You have made. Who would ever know or care about our tiny lives, except that You have made us. With great thought and care, with great love and attention, You’ve made us and a place for us to dwell, to learn, to grow, and to love. We are humbled. We are grateful. We are speechless.
We are made to know You, that we might grow into Your likeness. Exalting the lowly, caring for the helpless, giving attention to the small and almost forgotten--how else could we learn to be like You? And when we go astray, forgetting whose world this is and to whom we all belong, You offer Yourself as one of us in order to redeem all of us. How grateful we are!
We stand in need of Your redemptive grace. We stand in need of Your forgiving love. We bow to humbly receive it. For we have treated this beautiful world as our own, using its riches for evil purposes, creating things that destroy one another. We have even used other people to satisfy the flesh at the cost of both their spirit and our own souls. We have not listened; we have not followed in Your righteous ways. Have mercy upon us, we pray; Lord, have mercy.Forgive us, we pray, for demanding our rights to do, to think, to speak as though You had never spoken to guide us. Give us new hearts, we pray, that we might recognize the needs and the pains of our fellow persons. Give us renewed minds, that we might clearly see the solutions to our mutual problems. Give us new spirits, that we might rejoice in hope and be patient in tribulation.
Heal our broken world, we pray. Replace darkness with light, addiction with freedom, ignorance with wisdom, joblessness with the dignity of labor, and loneliness with embrace. Hear Your children as they continue to pray together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of November 7, 2021 Teach us how to seek You, O Lord, our God. Teach us how to know when You’ve found us. Too often we look for what dazzles and sparkles, what gives us joy of ear and eye. Yet you come with whispers more often than shouts, with softened hues more often than bright and colorful lights. Retune our souls, we pray. Since You chose to dwell among us, You call to us in the longing eyes of the poor child as much as You do from the grandeur of mountains and seas. Your greatness is beyond comprehension, yet most strikingly displayed in the humility of Your incarnation in Jesus, son of Mary.
As we come to worship, clear our minds of schemes to impress, and of desires for ease. Cleanse our spirits of selfish motives when we give, of longings for notice when we pray, of needs to be pleased by what we see and hear. Remove the clutter of our lives that we might serve, and in serving truly know Your presence among us.
Forgive us our sins, we humbly pray. For we have not seen things as they are, but as we would like them to be. Hence we have not thought, acted, and spoken as true children of Yours, and have thus harmed both our own souls and those among whom we live. Have mercy, O Lord; have mercy, we pray. Forgive us for not wanting Your word to dwell in us that it might be spoken through us. For Your Word is love, and we have hated; we have condemned rather than healed, complained rather than helped, spoken rather than listened. In Your mercy, show us the Christ, that we might truly repent and seek His Spirit.
For a nation divided, we pray. For a generation of hopeless and angry people, we plead. For neighbors and strangers who cross our paths, we pray for eyes to see and ears to hear the hurts and the longings, the unmet hopes and the crippling fears. And we ask for the strength and wisdom of Your own Spirit to act in Your place. And we pray for this and every community of faith, that faith, hope, and charity would be the prevailing way of life together, thus declaring the truth to a world that is not yet listening, not yet watching. So hear us when we pray with Jesus,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name;Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen
Prayer for the Week of October 31, 2021 For generation after generation, O Lord, You have guided Your people, For year after year, You have kept Your Word. For age after age, Your promise endures.
Hear us, therefore, as we bring our petitions and our confessions, our hopes and our fears, our confidence and our questions before You. Sanctify us as we bring our very selves, pretending nothing, receiving everything as gift. You have made us, You have sought us, You have redeemed us; let us never again question our worth, nor forget that of anyone else for whom Your Son has died and has risen and ascended.
We thank You on this day for the examples of faith You have provided. For without them we would far less clearly see the way in which we should follow. We honor the memory of faithful men and women who have shown how to love You and our neighbor. They now rest from their labor, though the fruit thereof continues as we learn from them.
Forgive us, we pray, for thinking we can do it on our own. In our pride and independence, we have not heeded the warnings nor embraced the truth that our mothers and fathers in the faith have given to us. Have mercy upon us, for we have thereby rejected precious gifts from Your loving heart. We acknowledge our need for one another and for those who have gone before us. Then may those who come behind us find us faithful, worthy to be followed.
We pray for a world in which tensions and troubles abound. We pray for people who cannot live safely in the land of their heritage, who cannot find an accepting place to raise families and work with dignity. We pray for a nation in which new leaders are to be elected; may they speak truth and propose honorable solutions to a culture where fear has limited our life together, where greed has abounded, and brotherly sharing has lost its appeal. May wisdom’s voice be heard above the shouting of life as we’ve come to know it.
Strengthen Your Church, we pray. Call it anew, fill it continually with Your Spirit, Give us eyes to see, ears to hear, that we might live as we pray when we say together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of October 24, 2021
Your creation, O Lord our God, is indeed beautiful. We see it, we study it; we try to capture its gifts in artistry, through which we reflect Your own nature. We inspect it through instruments we have made, learning the depths of the wisdom that lies underneath all that is seen and unseen. We research and combine different elements to do marvelous things with what you have given us. Let us never lose our sense of wonder at the physical world and the space it inhabits.
We, the creatures You have made in Your image, to reflect Your likeness, Your glory, have been given so much. Those who pioneer new areas of knowledge, those who excel at recreating the beauty of the earth and glory of the skies in pictures that all may see; those who use the bodies You’ve given to perform feats of strength and speed; those who give their strength to save other people. We have seen it all on display, and we give You thanks and praise for all You given us to do.
Yet we, the creatures who have rebelled, who have sought our own ways and left Your guidance behind, have marred Your beautiful world. We have destroyed it physically at times; we destroy it continually by neglecting the joy of human love, replacing it with arrogance, pride, and greed. How great the devastation on the lives of millions around this world. We see images of the very young and the very old, and all ages between, shattered and broken by wars not of their own making. We see the great disparity between those who accumulate great wealth and those who lack their daily bread. Heal us, O God, for we are sick and wounded.
You have given Jesus, the Son, to bear our guilt and to show us what is good. Yet we want his forgiveness without the renewing work of His Spirit working daily in our lives; we long for His glory in the age to come, without committing to His words and His ways in the present moment. God, have mercy upon us, for our sin is great.
Send us yet again, in Your unfathomable mercy, to walk in hope and to live in the power of the Holy Spirit You have given to those who repent and believe. Commit us anew to the body You have made, the church for which Jesus died, rose again, and ascended as its head, now to reign above all the powers on earth that have beset us. We believe your Word; help our unbelief. For this very reason, we continue to pray,
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil--for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of October17, 2021
This is Our Father’s world; Let us never forget this simple truth, O God. For it is this simple truth that speaks calmly in a world where much seems to be wrong, and the wrong seems so very strong. Your ways are just and right for all of us, for they are the ways of the One who sees and cares about the whole world, not just the needs of certain nations and tribes. They are the ways of the One who knows the end from the beginning, not the ways of the many who know nothing more than momentary power.
Therefore, we pray that we, whether great or small in the estimation of the world, would apply our hearts and minds, our hands and plans to wisdom. We know so many facts and supposed principles, but we know not how to use them until they are brought before You in humility. Truly, that humble fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
As voices shout and anger burns; as divisions grow and boundaries tighten, may Your people around the world call upon Your Name instead appealing to race or party or national pride. May our allegiance be to the One who rules with weapons of love, of mercy, of truth. May it no longer be true that His ways are not our ways.
We ask for the mercy of forgiveness this day. Yes, our sins. Not simple mistakes, but rebellious violations of Your known will and intentions for us. Because of Your great love, forgive us, we humbly pray. Make our hidden thoughts be brought before us that we might truly repent; set our feet upon the proper path, that we might live.
Fill our hearts with compassion for the poor, grace for the stumbling ones, healing for the broken, hope for the downtrodden, and dignity for the abused. Work in us to overcome evil with good, that a multitude of sins might be overcome. Strengthen our resolve, our commitment to You and to Your ways, even while we pray, saying . . .
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of October 10, 2021 O God, how many are the wonders You have displayed in the world You have made! All the creatures, all the places they dwell. All the ways in which they are sustained, all the interwoven mysteries that tie them together. From atoms to galaxies, from birth to death, all things swirl in a universe of Your design. We seek, we explore, and as we do we learn, we grow, we write, we draw, we sculpt, we speak, that another generation may do the same, with new possibilities, all the while living in a place where the boundaries are set by the Maker of all things, visible and invisible. Great are Your works, O Lord.
As we live, learn, and grow; as we plan, build, and evaluate, let us not forget to number our days. Let us be mindful that this place is not our own, that our creations are not eternal, and that our lives are not unknown to You. Our joys and sorrows, our gains and our losses, our sins and our successes, our plans and our fears are all open before You. At times when we pause to look, we might find that smile of our loving Father upon the work of our hands and of our minds. Slow us down long enough to find it.
Forgive us, we pray, for rushing by as though You did not see or care about our best and our worst. You have enabled the one, and You seek to redeem us from the other; yet we hurry on as though neither mattered. Have mercy upon us, and heal our wounded souls. Increase our awareness of Your presence, that we may learn to welcome it, not to fear it or wish it away. Let us then carry that awareness into the places we go, among the people we meet; for then shall be the opportunities for You to do marvelous things in and through our lives, doing what Jesus did when he lived in this world. Granting favor to the forgotten, hope for the oppressed, healing for the wounded, love for the hardened ones, food for the hungry--may these become more and more our ways of living in this world that You are reconciling to Yourself.
In many voices, in many stations in life, hear Your church as it prays together, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name;Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of October 3, 2021 Father, Son, Holy Spirit, hear your people as they pray. Hear them as they confess with Your church through many generations, that You are God, Maker, Redeemer, and Sanctifier of all that is.
Hear us amid and in spite of all our divisions; hear us when we faintly call for help to overcome them, for they are not from You. Give us strength to seek more earnestly for the unity that displays to the world that Jesus is the Christ, who reconciles us to the Father, that we might be able to reconcile with one another.
Make us one in hope, one in purpose. Diverse in gifts, in language, in location as we are, may Your church in all places and cultures sing, and worship, pray and work as the body of Jesus in the world today, bringing sight to the blind, liberty to the captives, good news to the poor. Forgive us, we pray, for using Your strength for other purposes. Have mercy, Lord, and heal our blinded vision of who we are in Christ; let us turn that we may know the hope of Your calling so that we might forsake all that takes us from it. Forgive us, we humbly plead, for spending our resources on that which is not bread, our labor for that which does not satisfy.
Renew us by Your Spirit, that we might see the crucified, risen, and ascended Christ, and serve him in light of that vision. For we dwell among people lost in their own ways, warring with one another and within their own selves. The poverty, the homelessness, the abuse of one another; the sickness, the suffering, the reign of greed; the lies people tell, the falsehood they believe, the terror they impose--may we see as You see, and give ourselves to You to overcome them all, some of us in one way, some in another.
Until the day and hour known only to the Father, let us pray together, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name;Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of September 26, 2021 Lord, silence our hearts. Silence our mouths. Close off our ears to the constant noise clamoring for our attention and keeping us from the Truth. For Your Word is truth.
We come not to speak, but to listen. We come not to assert, but to receive correction. We come not to enlist Your aid to our cause, but to become the instruments of Your peace. You created the heavens and the earth by sending out Your Word. You spread out the cosmos to greater limits than we can imagine, You hold all things together, You fill them with beauty, You ordered the galaxies and stars, You weave together the fabric of atoms, of cells, of living creatures; You do all things well. Oh, that we would seek you to know wisdom, to find understanding.
You have told us what is good; we have turned a deaf ear to Your voice. Our speech is seasoned with the poison of greed, with the longing to be masters of our fates, captains of our ships, to do it our way. And we have yielded only destruction of body and spirit, brokenness of soul, and suspicion of all that does not sound like our own voice. We judge all that is different from us, condemn all that disagree with us, demanding that only our voice be heard, that our ideas become law. Humble us, O Lord, who before his accusers was like a lamb to be slaughtered. Have mercy upon us, Lord Jesus. Because of Your name, set apart because of Your humble obedience even at the point of death, forgive our sins we pray. For thoughts, words, and deeds that do not honor, respect, and lift up we confess. Give us grace to truly repent and be restored to the wholeness You design and desire for each of us.
Renew our strength, we pray. Grant us the confidence of Your Spirit to be the persons who bring Your peace to the strife, Your Wisdom to the confusion, Your hope to the desperation, Your provision to the want, Your joy to the sorrow, Your healing to the pain, Your mending to the brokenness. Be exalted, O God, above the turmoil of the day, by Your presence in Your people. May all people know that You live because of us. Hear us as we pray as one,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of September 19, 2021 God of all power, we come to You in our weakness. God of all wisdom, we come to You in our ignorance. God of all truth, we come to You in a world of deception.We give thanks for all Your good and perfect gifts, and for those human hands and hearts through which they come to us. For teachers, for doctors, for neighbors, for friends and strangers who have blessed us in unexpected and timely ways, we are humbly grateful; and we ask that You provide for someone else the blessing they truly need in the moment of our meeting.
Hear our prayer this day, we humbly ask. You alone know the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning. You alone know the thoughts and intentions of human hearts, and You alone will be the judge of all things. We judge and accuse, we dismiss and excuse according to our desires. You judge fairly and rightly.In You, O Lord, there is mercy, there is grace. You have told us that if we confess our sins, You are faithful to forgive us and cleanse us, to remove our sins from us as far as east is from west. Therefore, we confess even now that we have defied Your ways in our thoughts, in our words, and in our deeds. We have not sought the good nor resisted the evil according to the truth. We have committed the very sins of which we accuse our enemies. Forgive us, we pray, for the sake of Your love, displayed in Christ on behalf of all people.
Empower us to live the life of faith, of hope, and of love. For the faith to believe Your kingdom is among us and ahead of us; for the hope of the redemption of our past and present struggles, at the end of which all tears shall be wiped away; for the love that reaches to our world, to our neighbor, and even to our enemies, that they, too, may embrace the world to come. The sick, the aged, the sorrowing, the forgotten, the hungry, the hopeless, the addicted, the scornful, the angry, the discouraged ones--these are our mission, these are the ones to whom You send us. Open our eyes to see them, our ears to hear them, and our hearts to love them.Give ear to Your church around the world, as it continues to pray together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of September 12, 2021 O God of power, wisdom, and might, hear our prayer this day. Lord of beauty, truth, and goodness, rule in this world. Spirit of grace, mercy, and redemption, fill our hearts. For we feel powerless in the face of disaster, directionless in a time of uncertainty, and hardened in the face of constant accusation and blame.
Your ways are right and just, Your desires for us are loving and healing. Teach us, therefore, to look beyond the moments and toward the vision of a world made whole, so that we might know the way and do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with You. You speak even in the storms we encounter; for there people are reminded that life is more than political views, more than accumulated resources, more than anything else that separates us from one another as people made in Your image and likeness.
Forgive us, we pray, for allowing differences of race, possessions, positions, and personal interests to separate us. Forgive us our sins of greed, of envy, and of misdirected love, leading us to value ideas over people, possessions over community, and comfort over duty to one another. Have mercy upon us and heal our hearts, we pray.
We pray for the safety of those caught in the path of the storms now raging, and the fires now burning. We gaze in disbelief over the destructive power of the natural world and at the tragedies people have inflicted upon one another; yet we are reminded in the storms and disasters that serving one another is something you implanted in our nature, and we rejoice when we see love and sacrifice played out in the midst of suffering. Bless those who step out on behalf of others, putting themselves in danger to save someone they might not know. Direct the hearts and the hands of Your people to heal, to restore, to rebuild. Let us all be better people after the storms than we were before.
We pray for the sick, for the grieving, for the homeless and the hopeless. For some walk the paths of suffering daily, not only in a time of major disaster. Keep our eyes open, our ears tuned, and our hearts ready to act at Your Spirit’s direction. Then shall we pray with even greater fervency together, saying . . .
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of September 5, 2021 O God of Truth, how comforting it is to know that You see, that You hear, that You speak. You have not left us on our own, but have given witness to Your eternal glory if only we will open our eyes, our ears, our minds, our hearts. For only You truly know the end from the beginning, only You know the truth that evades us because of our limitations of intellect, of will, and of time and place. Our years are too short, our vision is too blinded by barriers of culture and prejudice; only by Your Spirit can we ever hope to see and to know the truth that will set us free.
You alone can see the truth about our world--its origin, its purpose, its prospects, its problems. You give meaning to creation, and therefore it has a beauty and goodness we can only see in part. Times and seasons, drought and flood, darkness and light, joy and sorrow, growth and decay--all is open to You in ways we can never discover or imagine. We humbly acknowledge that without You, we remain in ignorance. Teach us, we pray.
As our world goes its own way, we struggle to make sense of things and events; at times we struggle to make sense even of ourselves. We live in a world where truth is not sought, where it is denied; yet we accuse others of untruthfulness, feeling offended when lies are exposed. Our politics are guided by what we want and not by what is truly good and just; we seek personal advantage rather than what is prescribed by our loving maker and redeemer.
The truth, we confess, is that we sin and fall short of the glory of God. We act in ways that do not build up, we speak words that destroy and discourage, and we consider thoughts that are driven by lust, by selfish desire, and by revenge upon those who do not do what we would like them to do. Expose to us our sin, that we might rightly confess, truly repent, and humbly receive the grace You give us in Christ. Have mercy upon us for His sake who gave himself that we might live. Fill us with His Spirit, to do his works, to speak his words, to see and to hear as he does, the thoughts, the cries, the hopes of those we meet in our daily walk. Let us overcome our preference for those who are like us while ignoring or even despising those who are different. Let us seek the unity of faith that will declare to the world that Jesus yet lives because he lives in and through us. Bind us together in spirit with all those who ever truly prayed as Jesus taught, saying . . .
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen
Prayer for the Week of August 29, 2021 We give thanks, Our Father, for the work of Your hands, of Your mind that we call creation. It is incomprehensibly complex, manifestly beautiful, and given for our provision, our hopes, and our wonder. May we never lose the sense of awe as we pause to consider it, work to respect it, and thankfully receive from it all that You intend for our good.
We give thanks, Our Maker, for designing this world in such a way that we, too, may create within it. We are grateful You made us in Your image, to design, to build, to grow things from the soil, to harvest them for our sustenance, to mine, to design. We thank You for the work of healing, of nurturing, of teaching, of governing. For all these tasks, and so many more, are perfect gifts, coming down from You, the Father of Lights, in whom there is not a hint of change from Your eternal nature of Love. And so we give thanks for our work, both in the physical world and in Your kingdom, where truth and justice reign under the authority of Your Son, the Christ who lived and worked in our world, who gave himself for us and for our salvation, who died for our sin rose for our redemption, who ascended for our victory over evil in this present world.
Forgive us, Lord, for our sins; they are many. In our thinking, in our speaking, and in our actions, we have used Your gifts selfishly. We have not sought the hurting, the hungry, the lonely; we have not blessed those who curse us, nor forgiven as You have forgiven us. We have missed the mark You set for us, that we would love as Christ loved us. Have mercy upon us, we humbly pray. Open our eyes to see that You have given us all we need, both for life itself and for the means to live it faithfully. Then send us to heal, to forgive, to encourage, to console, to feed and clothe, to lift up and redeem. Walk among us as we move about in the midst of anger, uncertainty, through places and problems no one fully understands, where to disagree brings wrath and loss of relationship. Teach us to hear your voice and demonstrate your grace.
Hear the prayer of a flawed yet faithful church as it prays as one, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name;Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of August 22, 2021 God of Creation, sustain us.God of Wisdom, teach us.God of Mercy, direct usGod of Love, mold us.
Father, Son, Holy Spirit, in whom difference and unity are forever perfect, hear us as we pray for ourselves, for our fellow people, and for our world. For we have lost our way and have led others to do the same. We treat those who are different as less important than ourselves, and seek unity only with those we like. We mistrust, mistreat, and misrepresent other people made in Your image, thinking it will make us feel stronger, wiser, and more valuable. How foolish, how sinful, how destructive we can become when we do not follow the way Jesus set for us.
Have mercy upon us, we pray. Forgive our sin, for it is great. Teach us what it is to rejoice always in that which is true, noble, right, and beautiful, wherever it is to be found--even among our adversaries. Forgive our arrogance of thought and certainty over things we really know only in very small part.
We pray this week for those who teach and for those who learn in schools across the world. We ask for a spirit of truth to attend the classrooms of our land and the sanctuaries of our churches. We ask for protection in a season of fear; we ask for a stilling of the most troubled hearts and minds, that there will be an end to the terror and destruction that has come upon us in recent years. We ask that those gifted to teach may find joy in their labor and truth in their lessons. We ask that students will be free to hear and discern wisdom from their studies. And we plead for an end to the virus that not only causes serious illness, but also gives rise to rancor and distrust among friends and neighbors. Give attentive ears and open hearts to Your people, that healing may come to the most troubled souls and the most compromised bodies.
And we ask that all of us may seek to retain our seats at the feet of Jesus, as he continues teaching us to pray, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of August 15, 2021 Father of all beginnings, Word made flesh, Spirit of Truth, we come in search of wisdom only You can provide. In a world of ideas and theories, of wishes and promises, of darkness and light, we long for that which is true and good and beautiful. You know the way, for You are its author, its beginning and its end, its depth and width.
Humble us, therefore, lest we run with ideas that do not give ear to what You have told us, that do not consider the boundaries placed around our prideful expectations. Teach us by the Spirit of Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life--the One by whom we come the Father, Giver of every good and perfect gift. We ask for Your protection from ideas that sound good yet come from the father of lies; for these can do nothing but harm and destroy, even while sounding pleasing to the ear. Grant us discerning ears.
Forgive us, we pray, for straying from Your Word of Truth. In so doing we have brought harm to ourselves and to others. Because of our neglect we have sinned in thought, word, and deed; lead us to true repentance that is ever and always met with Your grace and with Your power to walk in the truth. By faith, we take hold of that which You have provided in the crucified, risen, and ascended Lord.
We pray for a world where fear has once again gripped people You love. The terror of an evil empire, the assaults on the natural world by forces we cannot control, the unbridled lust for power and wealth that leaves poverty in its wake--these we cannot solve unless we hear the Spirit’s voice and believe in its power. In our own lives, where the news of the day overwhelms us with a feeling of helplessness, show us that great power that comes from loving and serving our neighbors as ourselves. The homeless and jobless, the bereaved and the sick need Your touch and Your care that only we can provide as Your agents.
And so we continue to pray until the work on earth is done, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of August 8, 2021 What do You see, Our Father, when You look at this world? This massive universe, with its unfathomable expanse, speckled with galaxies full of innumerable stars, one of which is circled by this little place we call the earth. You took such great care to prepare it for us, and we marvel at the intricate ways it all holds together. It is indeed a very good creation. We cannot help but give our humble praise, not because You need it, but because we need to be reminded that it is You who have made us, and not we ourselves.
What do You see now, when You look at this world? We see rain, while others see drought; we see war and conflict, while others see peace and joyous dancing. We see opportunities to grow and prosper, while others see only hardship and weariness. Some of us see family and friends united, while others see broken dreams and promises. Some see life ahead with strength of body and mind; others see days of pain and declining abilities. Some see only self, others see people made in Your own image.
Open our eyes, Lord, that we might see what You see when You look at the world. Open our ears that we might hear the words both from on high, spoken by Your own Holy Spirit, and from below, where hearts utter cries for dignity, for hope, and for daily bread. As we look again at the world You have prepared for us, give us humble hearts and minds, that we might see how great is the difference between Your vision for the world, for life and our own desires. Then grant us a spirit of repentance that we might see our sin and turn from it. For truly, we have missed the mark in our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. We haven’t seen, heard, not nor acted in the ways You have given for us to walk in integrity, in unity, and in love toward You and with one another. Forgive us, we humbly pray. Have mercy upon us in the name of Jesus, the Christ, who came that we might no longer be blinded by our sinfulness. Remove from us the desire to walk in any other way but his.
Equip us anew with Your Holy Spirit, that we might see, hear, and do according to Your best intentions for us and for the healing of the world. Mend the broken hearts, restore the weakened bodies, soften the hardened defenses of those who do not dare to hope any longer. In the midst of the news of the day, let us pause and remember that we want to see Jesus, arms outstretched and nailed to a cross; and we want to see an empty tomb and hear an everlasting promise. For then we shall see aright, and all the more earnestly pray together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of August 1, 2021 Our God, our Creator, our Redeemer, and our Strength; our Hope, our Confidence, our Shelter, and our Guide. Hear us as we bring ourselves before You this day, seeking to know Your will and Your way, longing to feel the safety of Your embrace.
We come today as Your church, the body through which the work of Jesus continues in this world. It is a broken body, as was his own as he gave himself for us and for our redemption. It is a healing body, as it confronts the diseases of body, mind, and soul that fled from his touch and his word. It is at times a confused body, conflicted by the pain of living in the midst of heartache and sorrow, yet also in the unfulfilled promise of peace and security.
We confess that the church, composed of redeemed yet incomplete souls, is prone to losing its way. It walks independently of its true head, following other voices. There is unwarranted pride, unrepentant spirit; there is vision clouded by earthly desire, hearing turned deaf to cries of need. Open once again the power of Your true Word, that we might hear and speak, that we might see and guide.
Where your people are distressed and despised because of their faithful witness, we pray for the power of Your Spirit to strengthen and provide. We ask that witness these brothers and sisters continue to give will turn captors and tormentors into repentant and redeemed persons, in whom Your image is restored. Walk powerfully among us, we pray, that we might not shrink from the challenges that will always confront Your way, Your truth, and Your life lived in a broken world. And so we join with all Your people and continue to pray for your victory, saying
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of July 25, 2021 Break the darkness, O God of Light. You whose power does not grow dim, whose wisdom can never be surpassed, whose concern for our troubled spirits is far beyond our deserving, shine into our world, into our nation, into our communities, congregations, and our very lives, we pray. You, the One who made mountains and rivers, stars and black holes, atoms and microbes, create in us a new being, we pray.
For the darkness is encroaching upon us, threatening to hide our hope, steal our joy, and discourage our spirits. That darkness grows as people judge others as the cause of all evil, and themselves as those always in the right. Nation against nation, young against old, poor against rich, race against race, even brother against sister, parent against child. Our hearts are hardened toward the one different from us; our hands are kept too close to our chest to be opened to those in need. People shout in fear, shoot in anger, and numb themselves in despair.
We have heard the proposed solutions from political parties. Yet it is You to whom we cry and in Whom we trust. Teach us to seek You with our whole heart. Teach us the way of repentance, as we confess our own sins to You, sins of greed, of lust, of revenge and desires for harm upon those who despise us. Have mercy upon us, we humbly pray. Our dreams are for things the world has to offer, rather than the riches of Your grace, for freedom from want, rather than for ways to provide for others. Forgive our secret desires, we ask in Jesus’ name.
Then empower us by Your own Spirit. Show us that Your very power is at work in us who believe, power to change the way things are now. We are Your people, Your message of hope, Your instruments of change. We are the people we’ve been waiting for. Increase our faith, we pray.
Heal the sick among us, we ask; restore hope to the ones who have lost their way; extend mercy toward the homeless and the poor, shelter for those displaced by wars and rumors of war. Encourage those who suffer for the sake of Your name, for bearing it in spite of threat and terror. Most of all, change our hearts, O God, make us ever pure for Your name’s sake.
Hear Your church as it prays this day, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of July 18, 2021 How beautiful a world You have created, O God of all Ages and Artist of all Beauty. The details, the expanse, both equally awe inspiring! For certain, all that You have made is very good!
But Lord, we’ve lost our way. As nations, as communities, as people living but a few short years in this world, we have strayed from our created purpose. Come to our aid, we pray. Without Your guidance, we do not know which goals to establish for ourselves, which paths to take, or which leaders we should follow. As a result, some of us have much while others have little; some dwell in the security of homes with love, some are rejected and abused by the parents who gave them life; some have all the means to protect what is theirs, while others are at the mercy of thieves and murderers. We think we know how to create peace, but only bring further strife; we think we can end poverty, but only find more beggars hoping to find their daily bread. We search for joy and pleasure, but so often find it at the expense of others. We build machines that move us from place to place, carry our products and belongings, and endlessly entertain us. We build weapons that destroy, concoct pills that kill, and devise strategies that promise riches for some but poverty for others. We pollute, we plunder, we puff up with pride. Anger, despair, and cold-heartedness surround us.
Savior, like a shepherd lead us. So much we need Your tender care. And You provide it in Jesus, who came that we might see and have life in its intended abundance, that we might turn from our foolish and selfish ways. Thank You, Lord! Because of Him we can trust that our past is forgiven and our future is secure. So let us live in the present day that we might extend his grace, and shed light in a darkened world by the Spirit he has sent to continue his work in the world.
We pray for the sick. For those whose remaining days are few upon this earth, we ask for grace to trust that Your promise is true, that death has been defeated and is now a gateway to Your presence. For those in pain, bring relief. For those who suffer the indignity of slavery and physical abuse, we ask for release and for a melting of the hard hearts of captors. We ask for a restoration that only You can provide. We pray for leaders who think they control the world; humble them in a way that honors Your glory and might and brings peace among the people. We pray for those addicted to different substances and activities that destroy mind, body, and relationships. Be our all sufficient provision, we pray.
Hear us, hear Your Church, as it continues to pray, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of July 11, 2021 For the beauty of the earth and glory of the skies we give You praise, O God. For blue horizons, cloudless expanse, refreshing breeze, and bright sunlight we thank You. For eyes to see, ears to hear, and bodies refreshed by this beauty, we smile with delight, receiving this world as a trust to be treasured and preserved, for it is Yours.
For the joys of life lived in harmony, in union with our God and with one another we give thanks. For so You have made us, to live and grow together in loving relationships that reflects the love among Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, eternally giving and receiving love for and from one another. And how good life is when this is our way. Thank You, Holy Trinity of Love.
We are painfully and sorrowfully aware that life in this world isn’t often so beautiful. We have sinned and we have been sinned against; we have kept for ourselves that which love would share. We have wanted gain while others lose, searching for bigger barns while others are without house and home. We have sinned against You, against one another, and against our own best selves in thought, word, and deed. Teach us, therefore, the true repentance that makes Your forgiving mercy come alive within us. We cannot do it on our own.
Thank You for the good news that because of Jesus, we can hope to hear the assurance that when we confess our sins, You are faithful and just to forgive and to take away all our unrighteousness, removing it from us as far as east is from west. Speak that healing word even now to troubled hearts and searching spirits.
Send us in the power of Your Spirit to make the world beautiful again for those who mourn, for those who suffer under the hands of others, for those abused by evil, those imprisoned by addictions, and those who cannot see the truth. Bring peace between races, classes, and nations, that all the world may know that You live and love us unfailingly. And teach us to pray anew together, saying . . .
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of July 4. 2021 You, O God, are alone to be worshiped. You, our Maker and Sustainer, the One in whom all things hold together, are to be honored and praised by the whole world. We pause this day to bring our humble thanks and our sense of wonder; yet we also bring our pain and our sense of loss.
We know You to be Lord of all, calling nations into being and giving them the right and the mandate to rule in justice. When they follow Your ways You bless them; when they become arrogant and full of pride You bring them down. At this time we are mindful of our own nation, celebrating its birth, and affirming its best aspirations to be a place that honors the rights and dignity of all people, for You have endowed them all with Your own image. May we, especially those of us who recognize You as the only true King, be always aware of that image in everyone we meet. May we select leaders who understand that governments are not the source of human rights, but are called upon to recognize and guard the rights You have intended from the beginning.
Forgive us, Lord, for our failures to see the people we meet, all of them, as worthy of our respect. We have given ourselves to thinking less of some people than we do of others simply because of their place of birth, their racial heritage, or even their particular sins, some of which we dislike more than others. Forgive us, we humbly pray, for unkind and destructive words, for evil thoughts, and sinful actions. Have mercy upon us, we pray, not for our deserving, but for the sake of Your Name. Cleanse us from all unrighteousness; remove our sins far from us through the mercies of Christ, who gave himself for us and for our salvation. Remind us then, that this is not only for our sins, but for the sins of the whole world.
Many people are hurting this day, O God; You hear their cries. Open our ears. Many people are hungry this day; You see their pain. Open our eyes. Many people are hopeless this day; You feel their despair. Open our hearts. Only then will our righteousness shine like the sun, our justice declare Your praise, and the world will become the place we want it to be.
Give us hunger for Your Word and thirst for Your truth, longing for Your righteousness and zeal for Your justice. Lift up the fallen, give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and love for each and every soul You encounter through us, the body of Jesus here on earth. Hear Your children as they pray until all is fulfilled,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the week of June 27, 2021 Hear our prayer, O Lord. Hear us as we pray in tears and sorrow, hear us as we pray in joy and laughter. Hear us, we pray, both in pain and in pleasure; for You are our Father in all the experiences of life, whether the one or the other. Give us confidence when all seems to be falling about us, and humility when we find the joys in life that You desire to provide us as Your children.
Our prayers therefore are of many kinds. We praise You for the power and wisdom with which the worlds were made, for the care with which You provide for our needs, and for the love which from our birth lies over and around us. We plead with You when hardship comes, sometimes from the force of the same natural world that gives us life, sometimes from the cruelty and thoughtlessness of other fallen people, and sometimes from our own wayward choices. We ask for mercy, we ask for wisdom, we ask for life’s provisions to be in good supply.
We are still learning to ask on behalf of other people that life be a better experience. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear what Your love observes when You look at the world. The distress, the pain, the hopelessness; the indignity, the belittling, the heartlessness--may we be moved with compassion, may we speak with prophetic voice, may we in word and even more in deed love our neighbors as ourselves.
We thank You for the faith of the Church through all the ages since Jesus bought it with His own blood and empowered it by His resurrection and ascension. For the martyrs we know of and for the millions we do not, we humbly give thanks, confident that they share in a reward You will show to us when Christ returns. Until that day, renew our minds, our spirits, and our hopes as we pray together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for Fathers Day and the week of June 20,2021 We do forget, Lord.
We forget many things, times, events, people, promises--but most of all we forget You. We forget it is You who has made us, we forget that this is our Father’s world, we forget that there is a God to whom we can turn in our anxiety, our pain, our confusion. We forget Your grace, Your mercy, and so we forget to live and love in kindness toward our families, our neighbors, and our enemies.
So once again we ask You to open our eyes, ears, and our minds to look for You. Restore to our memory that in asking we shall receive, in seeking we shall find, and in knocking we shall find an open door to that which is truly best for us and for the world. Forgive us, we pray, for continually striving and struggling to make the world we desire, and forgetting that all we see and hear are Yours. We confess our misspent time and energy, trying to fashion life in ways that do not honor You and do not show love of neighbor or forgiveness toward those who trespass against us. In Your great mercy, forgive us, we pray.
We pray for earthly fathers today, that their hearts may be turned toward their children. Be Thou their vision, the Lord of their thoughts and hearts; for then only shall the world be blessed with truth and healing. Then only shall wars end and swords be turned into plows. We pray for children who suffer unimaginably because of fathers who do not show the likeness of God in any way. Our hearts break when a world doesn’t want to know You as Father because of the image created by broken and hardened men. Send us Your truth and light; send us Your love anew. In praying this we also acknowledge that Your work in the world is accomplished by Your Holy Spirit at work in our lives. Give us open ears to hear Him speak and strong minds to carry out His direction.
Heal the sick. Feed the hungry. Give shelter to the homeless and rest from oppression for those without power or voice. Lord, in Your great love and mercy, hear us as we pray together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of June 13, 2021 Today, Our Father, we come before You to bring our praise, our thanks, ourselves before the One who alone is worthy of all we have to offer. We also come with our confusion, our fears, and our guilt, to the one who alone can dispel them with wisdom, light, and a lovingkindness we do not not possess.
We praise You for the beauty of the earth, the glories of the skies beyond that You have created; yet also for the fearful and wonderful way in which You have made us. We thank You for the minds that reflect upon the world You have made, for the hands that fashion the things we see into tools, and homes, and so much more. We present ourselves that You might teach us true wisdom, due humility, and righteous ways.
You, our Father, are the One we are to imitate in this world, even as Jesus, Son of God and Son of man showed the world how life is to be lived in obedience to You, in service to all the people he encountered, including the least and the lost of society. We confess that we follow his example only a part of the time, and then incompletely. We have not followed You with our whole heart, as Jesus did; we have taken for ourselves other patterns, other loves, and other ways. Lord, please hear from heaven as we confess our sins, seeking Your forgiveness as well as Your strength through the Holy Spirit to resist the temptations that so easily move us away from You. Forgive us, we humbly pray, for the foolishness of our ways, and our insistence upon walking in them. In Your mercy, redeem our desires, that we might learn to love what You love and turn our energy toward that which builds up, that which encourages, that which extends Your truth into the dark corners of our thoughts.
We pray for a nation and a world that has lost its way. We grieve over the loss of life by the hand of men who care not for You or for the people made in Your image and likeness. We are weakened by the loss of safety, being subject at any moment to the desires of those who seek only to kill and destroy, or to steal and plunder that which the work of our hands has provided. We grieve over the failure to do justice and love mercy in our world. Even in the midst of loss, lead us to comfort those who mourn, to guide those who have lost their way, then pray with and for those who suffer from afflictions of mind and body. May Your Spirit take us to those who need You most, and then do His work through our minds and bodies, given gladly to You.
Hear Your children in this place and around the world as they pray,
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of June 6, 2021 Our faith, O Lord, looks for You. We look for One who will provide, One who will sustain, and who will give hope, One who will make things fit together, One whose wisdom transcends our own and shows us the way to go. We look for One who will end injustice, One who will remove the dangers, and prevent the tragedies. We look for One who will make a better world for us. Your love, O God provides more than we shall ever desire. But we look in the wrong places, we look with unredeemed hearts, we look with selfish desires. We look with minds set on the immediate circumstance, on what eye can see and what ear can hear. Our faith, O Lord, does not look up to You to see You as You are, but only as we want You to be.
So hear us while we pray with open hearts, with open minds so that we may be transformed by the One we do not seek--the One who came to live in our place, who saw first hand the difficulties of life, the deceptions of human greed, the fears of human vulnerability. You came among us and felt all of these things and more, and it killed You. But it did not defeat You. Let us learn to live in You and share in the victory over sin and death and hell of every kind.
Forgive us our wanderings of mind and heart; for they have led us to do, to think, and to speak in ways that are unbecoming of those made in Your image and likeness. We have sinned and come short of the glory of our God. Have mercy upon us, we pray. Then send us into the world, not to make it our own, but to make it a place in which our neighbor can see the wisdom of Your way, can hear the call to turn from that which destroys and toward that which restores.
We pray for the poor and for open hands to provide what they need, not only for daily bread, but for dignity and hope. We pray for the sick of body and mind, asking for a wholeness even beyond what they seek for themselves. We pray for those battered and abused by people who do not value their own lives and therefore treat others as things. We pray for those we suffer under prejudice of many kinds, and we pray for those very prejudices to be exposed and rejected. All of these requests, and so much more, we bring each time we say together as one, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for Trinity Sunday and the Week of May 30, 2021
Father. Son. Holy Spirit. Three yet One, One in Three.
We come in this triune faith, understanding in part, wondering altogether at the mystery while worshiping the glory. Accept our praise, O God, and increase our wonder, our desire, our passion for You. May we seek understanding that increases our faith. For we know You in part, but we long to be made whole in that perfect dependence upon Your truth, Your ways, and Your love. You have created all things, and You sustain them by the power of Your Word. You reveal Yourself through the inspiration of a written word and the incarnation of the living word. In that Word made flesh You give to us all that we shall ever need to know Your heart, Your power, and Your desires for humankind. Through the Holy Spirit, you give us the wisdom and the strength to live as we were created to live--lovingly, humbly, and redemptively.
So often have we failed, O Lord. So easily are we drawn aside by that which entertains and dazzles; so thoughtlessly have we embraced that which does not truly satisfy, giving ourselves to useless causes and pursuits, while those who need Your love pass by us unnoticed. Therefore we humbly confess our sin. What we have thought, what we have spoken, and what we have done has not been done to Your glory, and we are sorry. In Your mercy, receive our confession and forgive our sin for the sake of Jesus, who died for us and for our salvation. Please speak Your word of pardon in our souls, that we might be freed to seek that which is true and good and beautiful; for in these things You are found.
Renew our thoughts, our plans, our steps as we engage a world that needs to know that You live and that Your way is love. Let us know the power of Your Holy Spirit at work within us to continue the work of Jesus, who came to heal, to forgive, and to announce the good news of a kingdom that is above this world and yet challenges the ways and shows the follies and deceptions of this present age. May the lost be found, the hopeless be restored, the hungering be fed, the mourning ones be given new and lasting comfort, and the persecuted be given release from their suffering. Restore us all in the unity for which Jesus prayed, one which reflects Your own triune wholeness, as we say together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for Pentecost Sunday and the Week of May 23, 2021 Come, Holy Spirit. We pray this many times, Lord, as we occasionally recognize the inadequacy of our strength, our wisdom for the needs we encounter. Life reminds us of our limitations and our past failures, and we long for help from another place, another realm beyond what we see, feel, and hear.
But that is not where You dwell. You are here, constantly present among us and in us when we gather in the name of Jesus, when we consciously follow Him as Lord. We need not invite You, as though we had a way to control Your arrival and departure, for You never leave nor forsake us. And so we ask instead for You to open our eyes, ears, and hearts to see, hear, and feel the world the way You do, and then to act in the power and wisdom You give us.
Let us ask, seek, and knock on Your door, not so that we ourselves might be fulfilled, but so that we might have something to offer those who come to us at inopportune times, when we least feel like answering the door. For You have already given us everything we need for life and godliness. Forgive us, we pray, for placing limits upon You, for relegating You to the little corners of life we call spiritual, while we go about the rest of our days as though You were irrelevant to what happens.
We confess our willful neglect of Your interest in all of what we see, hear, and do. Lord, have mercy upon us and heal us of our self-inflicted wounds. For they lead us to thoughts, words, and deeds that are displeasing in Your eyes, injurious to our souls, and hurtful to the people around us. In Your great mercy and for the sake of the name of Jesus, forgive us, we humbly pray. Speak to us that word of pardon even now, that we might know that in the name of Jesus we are forgiven, set free to live in healing and helpful ways in His name. Set our hearts on things above--things such as mercy, truth, love, faith, hope, all so sorely needed in this world. For we’ve seen yet again how devastating life can become when people do not know, have not seen or heard of Your love. Heal our land, O Lord! For our greatest enemies are not those outside political or geographic boundaries, but those inside who live in fear, in anger, and in confusion. Give to us such grace that it will overflow to the hurting ones and heal their broken hearts, restoring in them the knowledge of the image of God, and the hope of His Word.
Give to all mankind, we pray, a desire for what we pray for when we say together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Seventh Sunday of Easter and the Week of May 16, 2021 Hear us, Father, as we come in search of the true purpose for which we are made. Hear us, Christ, the Son, as we seek the one ruler who knows and is the truth. Hear us, Holy Spirit, as we find all wisdom of this world inadequate for our challenges.
We come today in the hope given to us by the ascension of the risen Jesus Christ to the place above all power in this world. For he now rules, not only over the death that binds us, but over the things by which death threatens us--sickness, disaster, injustice, poverty, abandonment, and more have been put under his feet, that we might also look beyond them; for nothing can ultimately separate us from his love. All praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ!
We confess that we allow our hope to grow dim when we hear of wars and rumors of wars, of diseases that threaten young and old, of discontent and outrage over injustices real and imagined, of story after story of human failing. Strengthen our faith by the hearing of your word and by the doing of the same. In your mercy, forgive us our sins of thought, word, and deed committed in moments of fear, anxiety, and unbridled desires. Your love is great; ours is insufficient without knowing yours more fully than we do.
Renew our confidence in your place and power as Lord over all. Teach us daily to replace all hope in political and cultural leaders with confidence in the ascended Christ. Then open our ears to his commandment to love one another, our hearts to his desire that we live in hope, and our hands to perform his acts of kindness toward one another, whether friend or foe. Let us be his instruments to heal the sick, release the captives, and announce that his reign has come among us.
For this your church has always prayed and shall continue to pray by saying together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Sixth Sunday of Easter and the Week of May 9, 2021 In a world that is ever seeking alternative pathways for living, O Lord, You are the Way. You show us in Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man, the road to salvation for ourselves and blessing to the world around.
In a world of constant deception, lies, and coverups, You are the Truth. Draw us into closer communion with You, that we might truly live as Your children in all our ways. In a world of entertainment, distraction, and dazzling sights and sounds, You are the Life, the deepest satisfaction we shall ever find; for You made us in Your own image; and You are our true home.
So teach us Your ways, we pray, that we might see and repent of the folly of our own. Fill us with the joy of the Spirit, that we might be saved from trappings of frivolous yet destructive activities that honor neither You, one another nor ourselves. Forgive us our sins--those thoughts, those words, those deeds that are born of our own thoughts in defiance of Yours. Have mercy upon us, we humbly plead, that we might hear and heed the Spirit of Life.
We give thanks for the lessons of love taught by mother this day. For those still living, those still learning, those who have lost their, we ask for Your protection, Your teaching, and Your grace. For the church, the mother of our faith, we ask for wisdom to face the challenges before her in days and in places she is not welcomed.
We pray for those who mourn this day and the next. Comfort them with the heavenly hope, so foolish to the world, yet given to us by Your Son, in whom we truly live. We pray for those who are ill, tired in body and mind because of chronic pain and weakness. Be the Healer of body, mind, and spirit, keeping them for the Day of Redemption, giving deeper faith for the greater hardship. We pray for the jobless and the poor, that the dignity and fulfillment of honest labor may be theirs. We pray for the addicted, whose minds have been trapped in deceptions and blinded by false visions.
We pray for peace among nations, asking that all world leaders might be humble enough to restrain the lust for power that drives many wars and rumors of wars. We pray for greater understanding within communities, where people of different races learn to treat each person with dignity and respect. And we pray for peace in homes where it is not known. When we pray for these needs we gain a greater vision of what Jesus wants his people to look for when they pray together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Fifth Sunday of Easter and the Week of May 2. 2021 Your heart, O God--the center, the source, the reason behind all that You do from the beginning of creation--this we need to know more completely day by day. Your heart, Your love overwhelms us, frightens us, draws us, confounds us, and pursues us. We long to be closer to it, yet we shrink back as we realize how far from it we actually live. May Your perfect love gently remove and cast away our fear.
You made us in this loving image, yet we continue to defy it by preferring self over service, wants over wisdom, and pleasure over personhood. You know our ways, sinful and destructive as they are; and You responded with Your love made flesh in Jesus of Nazareth, who came to know and experience all that draws us away from You. Yet he walked without sin the road of life given to all of us. He gave us the way to go, giving himself, then rising again by Your power to show us that indeed, nothing in the universe is stronger than Your love; nothing can separate us from it.
Accept our confessions, O Lord, of sins committed, of mercy denied, of grace withheld. With our minds, our words, and our actions we have sinned, doing what is evil in Your sight. We have rejected the way of love, and in so doing moved farther from Your heart. Have mercy upon us, O Christ, and forgive us our foolish and thoughtless sins. In true repentance, that which changes the way we think so we might act and speak faithfully, we turn again to You for refreshment of heads, hearts, and hands.
We pray for our world, our nation, our communities. Where there are signs of peace, we give thanks; where there is movement toward justice, we add our voices to encourage all who pursue fairness and equity. Where there is violence against innocent people, we pray for a stand against such evil. Where there is want, open our eyes to see, our ears to hear, our voices to speak, and our hands to extend healing and hope. Where the gospel of Christ is not known, may we take it and offer it and demonstrate its beauty.
Let us pray in confidence engendered by the risen Christ the words he taught, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Fourth Sunday of Easter and the Week of April 25, 2021 O God, the Father of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; of Peter, Paul, and John; of Augustine, Athanasius and Anselm; of Luther, Calvin, and Wesley; of Moody, Lewis, and King. We come to You because of the great cloud of witnesses, moved by You, O Holy Spirit, to come through You, crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ, that we might know who You are. And by knowing come to love You, and serve You by becoming living extensions of Your love.
We give thanks for all those who have carried You Word and Your work through the many generations of mankind. We are humbled at times by their example, encouraged by their faith and perseverance, and reminded that we, too, have a most meaningful task in teaching the faith, living the hope, and anticipating the kingdom in its fullness. Indeed, may all who come behind us find us faithful; may they know we are Christians by our love.
We humbly ask Your forgiveness for our forgetful ways. We forget the grace that saves us and act instead out of retribution, returning evil for evil; we forget the hope that is before us, and set meaningless goals before our eyes, allowing them to consume us; we forget to look at the stranger and alien as one who matters to You, and fear their presence among us. Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy, or we shall perish.
We thank You for the refreshing word that declares to us that if we confess these, our sins, You are faithful and more than just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Breathe upon each one that most precious declaration, that in the name of Christ we are forgiven.
Many are sick, O Lord, here among us and all around the world. Extend Your healing word and touch through voices and hands directed by Your Spirit. Many are sorrowing this day; reach to them through the understanding presence of those who care in the name of Jesus, the source of hope and life yet to come. Many are weary of carrying burdens too heavy to manage one day longer; send Your servants to lighten the load and point to the rest along the road. In all our strivings, may we continue walking toward the Light of the world and taking by the hand those who find it hard to leave the darkness. Teach us to pray truly, even as we say together the words Jesus taught us,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Third Sunday of Easter and the Week of April 18, 2021 O God, the Father of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; of Peter, Paul, and John; of Augustine, Athanasius and Anselm; of Luther, Calvin, and Wesley; of Moody, Lewis, and Graham. We come to You because of the great cloud of witnesses, moved by You, O Holy Spirit to come through You, crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ, that we might know who You are. And by knowing come to love You, serve You, and make You known in our turn to witness.
We give thanks for all those who have carried You Word and Your work through the many generations of mankind. We are humbled at times by their example, encouraged by their faith and perseverance, and reminded that we, too, have a most meaningful task in teaching the faith, living the hope, and anticipating the kingdom in its fullness. Indeed, may all who come behind us find us faithful.
We humbly ask Your forgiveness for our forgetful ways. We forget the grace that saves us and act instead out of retribution, returning evil for evil; we forget the hope that is before us, and set meaningless goals, allowing them to consume us; we forget to look at the stranger and alien as one who matters to You; instead, we fear their presence among us. Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy, or we shall perish.
We thank You for the refreshing word that declares to us that if we confess these, our sins, You are faithful and more than just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Breathe upon each one that most precious declaration, that in the name of Christ we are forgiven. Many are sick, O Lord, here among us and all around the world. Extend Your healing word and touch through voices and hands directed by Your Spirit. Many are sorrowing this day; reach to them through the understanding presence of those who care in the name of Jesus, the source of hope and life yet to come. Many are weary of carrying burdens too heavy to manage one day longer; send Your servants to lighten the load and provide rest along the road being traveled. In all our strivings, may we continue walking toward the Light of the world and taking by the hand those who find it hard to leave the darkness. Teach us to pray truly, even as we say together the words Jesus taught us,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Second Sunday of Easter and the Week of April 11, 2021 O God over All, we pause this morning to thank You, to praise You, to hear You, and to present ourselves before You in answer to Your invitation and in recognition of Your glory and splendor. A universe, a world, even life itself are complexities far beyond our minds. Causes, effects, simple and complex are all open before You, by whom all things are made and in whom all things hold together. We search the mysteries because You made us to do so that we might grow in our likeness to You and make things for the benefit of others.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Of all the wonders of the material world, the wonders of relationships among persons are the most besetting and confusing to us. Yet there, too, You are the pattern and the source of love and unity, perfect in harmony, giving and receiving in equal measure, fully devoted to and completely trusting in one another. How we long for this kind of relationship between and among persons in our lives, in our communities, in our nations. How we are torn by discord, moved by abuse, defrauded by greed, torn apart by war, terrorized by hatred, grieved by loss. We cringe, we cry, we groan, we lash out, we wither and we die. You love us still. You reached down with a Son, carried a cross, and conquered a tomb. Hallelujah! Christ is risen indeed!
Forgive us, we pray, for failing to trust You, even when proclaiming the rising of Jesus from the dead. We fear and we fall in thought, word, and deed. We trust in political power, in weapons to protect, in walls to divide, but not in the overwhelming power of Your love. Have mercy upon us, we pray, and renew our minds daily.
We pray for those forgotten in a hurried world--the sick, the poor, the homeless. We pray for the victims of greed and violence, those who are used as tools and not respected as persons. We pray for eyes that see better, and ears that hear with understanding, discerning the cries for help often hidden behind threats and rantings. For the risen Lord, who came to seek and to save that which is lost, now lives among us by the power of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of those who know Him. And so, grant that we might live as we pray when we say together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for Easter Sunday and the Week of April 4, 2021 Thank You, Father, for this day of celebration! In Your infinite wisdom You provided a way for us to be restored to You and Your promise of life.
Thank You, Lord Jesus the Christ, for walking among us, teaching us, and giving yourself for us and for our salvation.
Thank You, Holy Spirit, Lord and Giver of Life, for raising Jesus from the dead and then for joining us to him that we might share in his resurrection life!
Hallelujah! Christ is risen indeed. Show us evermore, day to day, moment by moment, how to live in that resurrection life; life that is not overcome by fear of failure, of circumstances, of hardship, of threats, or even of death itself. Show us, as we place our trust in You, that the power of the resurrection is at work even now among those who believe; give strength of mind and heart to those who want to believe; give ears to hear and eyes to see to those who refuse to believe.
Grant us Your grace to shed the darkness that still confounds us and clouds our vision. Give us repentant hearts for the times we choose darkness rather than light. Forgive our sins of careless, thoughtless words that hurt; remove from us the guilt of deeds performed for self-satisfaction at the expense of others; cleanse us of intentions that take not the love of God or of one another into sufficient account. Lord, take pity upon us, we pray, and forgive in Your great mercy.
Send anew Your Holy Spirit to live and dwell among us, that we may witness truly to the resurrection by showing redeeming love in all we do. May we show mercy rather than judgment in our words and our ways; may we love those who resist love, compassion for those who have so little, and grace for those who mistreat us. Teach us that true joy comes from our hope in the promise of Easter, and not in the way the world responds to us or provides tempting alternatives to us.
Hear the cries of the poor, we pray, the distress of the persecuted, and the desperation of those addicted to all manner of substances that only You can replace. Love all of these in Jesus’ name by the people You indwell. Hear us again as we pray with faith, hope and love,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of March 28, 2021 (The Sixth Sunday in Lent) When will it be enough, O God? How long will our prayers be unanswered? How deep must our pain and anger penetrate until we come to ourselves? How long until you hear? Such is our cry from the streets, from the gravesides, from the beds of affliction, and ultimately from the depths of our own hearts. Our strength fails, our wisdom falters, and our will recoils in the face of a world we cannot control. In the good, beautiful and wonderful world You made we think we have seen too much that is ugly, destructive, and painful.
You came to us, You spoke to us, and You invited us to a different life in Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God and the Son of Man. But we reject him as much today as did those among whom he walked and shared daily bread. For he invited us to love as he does, giving himself instead of fixing blame, accepting the injustice and turning it into redemption. He sought Your will and pursued it unto death that we might live. Thank You, Lord Jesus!
Forgive us, we pray, for thinking too small about the extent of Your grace. We wish it for ourselves, but not always for those who do not like us or look like us. Have mercy upon us, we humbly plead, for being quick to blame but slow to listen. We do not see the pain and despair until it breaks out in violence; give us eyes to truly see and hearts to heal. Our thoughts, words, and deeds are not always guided by the Spirit You provide for our guidance and care and for the sake of the world we experience. We ask Your pardon for the sake of Christ; we ask for the healing of the nations.
As we enter the week commemorating the passion of our Lord, move us to accept the cross You have for each of us, seeking Your will instead of our own, the wholeness of others over the desires of self. May the poor find good news, the sick healing, the distressed hope in the cross. And may we all see ourselves in need of Your salvation even as we pray, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of March 21, 2021 (The Fifth Sunday in Lent) O Father in heaven, if only we would know.
If only we would know the depth of Your love for us, we would not run so quickly away from it. We would receive gladly the invitations to worship as well as to walk daily at Your pace, and in paths of Your choosing.
If only we would know that the daily bread we consume, the places in which we enjoy it, and the means by which it is obtained are gifts from Your hands. Then we would open our hands to share more gladly.
If only we would know that the challenges we face can be opportunities to grow into what You want us to be. Then we might find joy in living day by day, doing all things through the One who gives us strength.
If only we would know that the suffering of Christ is Your answer to humanity’s searching for wholeness and value. For there You gave Yourself fully, at all cost, to make us clean and to give us freedom from the sinful ways we have chosen.
We are learning, Lord. Slowly, all too slowly, we are beginning to see You as You truly are. So we confess to You our inattentiveness to Your lessons of grace, to Your calls for repentance, and to Your wonders of mercy. Forgive us, we pray, for we have sinned. We have engaged in and dwelt upon thoughts that are not holy; we have spoken words that do not build up, but rather tear down; we have acted in ways that move others away from, rather than toward You. Have mercy upon us, and heal us, we humbly pray.
With Your servant David, we pray for a right spirit, renewed, refreshed, restored and engaged in Your world as purveyors of Your Spirit, as those whose presence and deeds speak of hope and healing, of joy and freedom to be all of what You made us to be as persons in Your image and likeness. Heal us, and then heal the broken ones through us, as Your Spirit within continues the work of Jesus until the day of His appearing comes at last; for this we pray together with Your body, the Church, saying . . .
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of March 14, 2021 (The Fourth Sunday in Lent) We thank You, O God of all, for Your invitation to worship. For only when we see ourselves in light of Your magnificence can we see ourselves in truth. We thank You for calling out to us to hear and follow You. For only when we recognize the wisdom that made all worlds can we rightly discern how we should live in this one.
To our great surprise and bewilderment the place we find You most clearly is in the cross of Jesus, the one in whom You took on our flesh, lived our joys and sorrows, and most amazingly died our death. You are the self giving God of incredible love. And we are made in Your image, made to love, to give.When we pause to measure our love by Yours, we are ashamed. For we do not prefer the needs and salvation of others over our own wants and desires. Forgive us, Lord, for our confused and selfish vision. Restore in us the image in which and for which we were made. Have mercy upon us for our betrayals of Your love and mercy. For we survey not the wondrous cross of Jesus nearly as much as the wonders we have created and after which we have run in futility. Cast out our sin and complete the work of restoring our rightful mind.
Holy Spirit, You who have come to us to abide in us and do Your work through us, we offer ourselves to see the world as You do, to love those we see as You do, and to seek their good. We are quick to recognize faults, even to see their needs, yet we know not what to do. Teach us to seek Your wisdom that we might truly be Your presence in a world of great longing and confusion. Let us learn how to weep with those who weep, to rejoice with those who rejoice, and to point each one to the One who loves us all and gives himself for the life of the world.
We pray for our leaders in homes, in the church, and in states and nations. We ask You to give them due humility and due strength for the tasks that are theirs. May they sense that they are in truth Your representatives in each role they fill. May they desire and find the wisdom needed for the responsibilities that are theirs. Then we shall find the peace that is so elusive to us.Guide the poor to provision, the sick to health, the haughty to submission, and the rebels to peace. For so You have taught us to pray by saying together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of March 7, 2021 (The Third Sunday in Lent) O God, we praise You this morning. Whatever our thoughts, our joys, our desires, our disappointments, and our shame, You are there, constant and unchanging in Your love for all of us. Come among us, we pray, and quiet the world that shouts to us at every turn. Let us hear the One Voice we need to hear in the midst of all that dazzles, confuses, advertises, upsets, and tempts us.
O Father who loves, O Son who shares himself, O Spirit who walks beside and before us, receive our worship, even as we wonder why we are here; all too often we allow our minds to be elsewhere than in Your presence. You know us; You made us; You see us. Let us learn to run to and not away from You. You love us; the world does not care.
In this Season of Lent, remind us anew of the extent of Your love. Let us not turn away from the suffering of Jesus, for if we do, we lose the depth of his passion, his fullness of his understanding of the pain and sorrow that life can bring. Without this we cannot find that home within the wilderness, that rest along the way when the days grow long and nights grow restless.
Forgive our sins, we humbly pray. The words of our mouths and meditations of our hearts are all too often unacceptable, even to our own best standards. They fail miserably before Your desires for us as Your children and as Your representatives. Lord, have mercy upon us, and renew our minds. Give us that pause before saying and doing, that we might show forth Your glory and Your heart to those among whom we live. Forgive us for turning too quickly from every sight and sound of those around us who suffer; teach us again how Jesus walked among us and how he desires to walk with us in a calloused world, where hearts are turned toward self and away from compassion.
Heal the sick and injured, we pray, even as we pause to silently speak their names to You. Bring hope to the despairing, work for the jobless, homes for the wandering ones. Humble the proud, lift up the fallen. And let Your Word be heard in every corner of the world, whether the halls of power or the haunts of powerless. Come to us, Lord Jesus, as we pray together, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of February 28, 2021 (The Second Sunday in Lent) Our God, our Father, our Hope, and our Security--we bow before You this day, knowing that we live in You and before You. You have chosen to create a world--a marvel-filled place, a beautiful place in which we might live, and we thank You. We see its wonders, we hear its sounds, and feel its delights, and smell the fragrance of life. It is not only good; it is very good. We cannot but praise its Maker.
We also know, however, another side to life in this place, so meticulously designed. We see hardship, we hear cries, we feel distress, and we smell decay. We hurt, we worry, we fear, and we die. And we recognize, in pain, that Your gift of a special world came with knowledge of how we should live in it. You told us to walk in this way and live, yet we chose our own way and find ourselves lost. In this another season of Lent, teach us anew. In Your mercy, show us our sin, our cherished yet deadly ways, that we might truly confess, repent, and be healed. Above all, let us not think that there is nothing amiss within us. Show us the way of Christ, who in His suffering revealed the thoughts and intentions of a wayward mankind, including our own hearts.
Forgive us, we pray, for finding faults in all others while excusing ourselves. Lord, have mercy upon us. Forgive us, O Father, for seeing Your children as hindrances to our own fulfillment, rather than as those we are called upon to love in Your Name. Father, have mercy upon us. Forgive us, we pray, for judging by outward appearance, by class, by race, by station in life, never being willing to listen to the heart of those we meet. Christ, You who died for all, have mercy upon us and forgive us our many sins.
We pray for the redemption in Christ to be the experience of our days. May we have eyes of faith to recognize Your healing work even now, to see it and promote it with our own thoughts, words, and deeds. Empowered by Your Holy Spirit, may we seek the good, provide Your blessing in places we walk daily.
And so we pray for the sick and injured. We pray for the young and the old, that guidance appropriate to their respective stages of life may be given in godly and caring ways. We pray for those broken and now breaking by the sins of others. We plead on behalf of those who hunger and thirst, both for food and water, as well as for righteousness and justice. We ask for wisdom for those confused and bewildered by life gone wrong. For this is what it means for us to pray as You taught your people to say,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven;Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of February 21, 2021 (The First Sunday in Lent) You, O Lord and Maker, have created a beautiful world. When we pause to see, to hear, to smell we are captured by wonder and filled with joy. How amazing it is that You have made us with senses suited for taking in the magnificence of the carefully crafted world around us. We praise You, God and King!
Yet even as we wonder, we also fear. We fear the storm, we fear the fire, we fear the shaking of that same beautiful world, knowing its immense power. Protect us, we pray. We fear even more what we, people made in Your image, nonetheless do to one another. We’ve made things from the resources provided, many of them to make life better, but some of them to express our rebellion against You and against one another. We live in fear of our fellow man, in anger over what has been done, and in sorrow over hopes torn apart. Lord, hear our cry.
You know this world, for You not only made it and continue to watch it, but You came into it. You, Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the Father, became intimately acquainted with grief, with pain, with disappointment and sadness. You, too, were subject to the misplaced anger and fear that grip us in a fallen world. As the season of Lent is upon us, let us dwell with You in Your sorrow, in Your passion for fallen mankind, without rushing prematurely to the triumph of Easter. For Your agony was real; it was where You identified with us fully, and declared to us most poignantly that You do understand our plight.
Forgive us, we pray, for not taking evil as seriously as You do. Your love overcame fear; our fear too often extinguishes our love. Have mercy upon us, we pray. Forgive us, O Lord, for thoughts, words, and deeds that display our preference for things that are passing away while neglecting that which is eternal. Cast out our sin, and fill us anew with faith, hope, and love.
Guide us, O Holy Spirit. Teach us to encourage every sign of Your working in the lives of those around us, to notice the things that are true, and good, and lovely, even when they are masked by doubt and despair. Help us to comfort those who sorrow, even when we cannot explain what is happening. Remove from us the pointing of the finger in blame, and replace it with an open hand and heart extended to the wounded, the lonely, the grieving, and the poor. For the prayer we offer is one we can help to answer as we say together with Your Holy Church, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of February 14, 2021
Transform us, O Lord, we pray.You alone--Designer, Creator, Author, and Example--know what our lives should be. You know our powers and possibilities, our problems and our pitfalls, our pride and our passions. You have made us in Your own image, that we might reflect Your glory in this world, acting as Your agents as we learn, discover, invent, teach, heal, overcome, and explore. Renew us in that image, we pray, that we might behold Your glory and spread it through our lives.
Wisdom, love, truth, goodness--they belong to You, and You have granted us the dignity of bearing them in a world still formless and void in many ways. For darkness still threatens, obscuring the beauty You intend for all of creation, and diminishing the joy You designed for all to experience, even the joy of eternal relationship as it is in You--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We have sinned, O God, our Father. We have not used Your gifts as they should be used; we have shunned Your word of truth and lived by our own desires, following the song of the adversary instead of music of Your Spirit. Have mercy upon us, O Lord we pray. We have participated in the deeds of darkness, rather than exposing them by the light of Your Son. We humbly confess our sins of thought, word, and deed. We pray for Your mercy as we confess before You. In the right time, speak to our hearts the assurance that if we confess our sins, You are faithful to Your word and will hear from heaven and remove our guilt through Jesus’ own sacrifice.
We pray for our world, brought ever closer through newer and faster means of communication. Hear the prayers of all nations, that peace might be known in our time. We pray for those broken in body, soul and mind, wherever they are found; for Your Spirit knows no boundary of nation, class, or race. Hear us as believers of all times and all nations have prayed together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of February 7, 2021 Send forth Your Word, O Father of all. Send forth Your Word of Truth in a world of deception and falsehood, for we have heard messages that lead us to death and despair. Send forth Your Word of Beauty, for we have seen things that ought not to be, and they impair our vision of the beauty of the earth, the glories of the skies, and the joys of human love. Send forth Your Word of Goodness, for evil threatens to undo us and remove our hope.
We praise You this day, for You have sent Your perfect Word in human flesh. And by Your Holy Spirit, that Word continues to call to us and even call through as as we yield our ways to Him. What an unexpected and life-giving wonder, that we might become Your sons and daughters, continuing the work and proclaiming the Word that alone is true, and good, and beautiful, and sharing Your promise that all shall be well.
Forgive us, we pray, for allowing the other messages, other ways, and other desires to capture our imaginations and guide our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. We have done this of our own will, though we are quick to point fingers and blame anything but our own stubborn wills. Forgive us for not steeping ourselves in the truth that sets us free. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, for the sake of Jesus, who bought us with His blood, that we might be seated with Him, ascended above all earthly power.
Give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to mend. Heal our broken bodies, wounded spirits, and troubled souls, we pray, not that we might go our own way again, but that we might proclaim the truth that the world hasn’t known and the promise it hasn’t heard. Speak to those in power, give hope to the oppressed, and conviction to those who hinder the freedom and dignity of men and women, girls and boys of every race and tongue.
Lead us, transform us, employ us, even while we pray together with the rest of Your Holy Church,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of January 31, 2021 Hear our prayer, O Lord.Perhaps the greatest single plea we have is just this, that You would hear from heaven and speak to our deepest needs, our most desperate longings, and our sometimes fading hopes. We want to be in light rather than darkness, in wealth rather than want, in hope rather than fear; we want to know Your Love as personal embrace rather than as sterile idea. You heard the cries of mankind and sent Jesus into the world that in Him we might see all that You are. Giving rather than demanding, offering rather than leaving us on our own to face a world of things we cannot understand. You sent Your Spirit to dwell among us and in us, that the ways and words and the love of Jesus might become our own. How full of grace and truth You are. Fill us with these even now, we pray. Remove from us, according to Your promise, the deeds of darkness hiding yet in the corners of our souls--hidden from ourselves, yet visible to You, and often to those with whom we live. Forgive us, we pray, of the willful blindness to our sins. Have mercy upon us, we humbly pray. Forgive us, we pray, of the preference for seeing the sins and not the needs of those around us, leaving us quick to judge and slow to heal. In Your great mercy, heal broken minds and hearts. Forgive our pride. Transform our desires, we pray. We pray for the poor, and we pray for those who withhold from them what they need. We pray for those suffering in body, including those with names now being spoken silently in our thoughts. We pray for those who fear other people, and pray for those who try to find their worth in belittling others. Lift up the fallen, heal the broken hearted; bring hope through the word of Your Son, wherever it is spoken. Humble the proud, and cleanse the imaginations of our hearts. Hear us as we pray together as Your Church has always prayed,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of January 24, 2021 We come to You, O God, that we might be made whole.
We come, O Father who made us in Your own image, to know and explore and enjoy the worlds You have made. We come to You, O Christ, who forgives our sins; we come to You, O Holy Spirit, who renews our lives and fills us with power, with purpose, and with hope.
We come because we have broken faith with You and with our fellow persons; we have lost our way. We see a world in which hatred has destroyed, where greed has corrupted, where lust has replaced love and the ways of conquest have threatened the ways of peace. We suffer under many a cloud and storm, and are dismayed and discouraged by what we see and hear. Our news speaks of evil, of dishonesty, of injustice, of suffering, and of death. We long to make things better but know not how. Lord God, come to our aid we plead.
We confess our own sins this day. We have blamed others without examining ourselves. Purify our hearts and renew our minds, for we have fallen short of the ways of Jesus. We have exalted political leaders, athletes, actors, even ourselves, while barely noticing what you have done in him. You made Yourself known to men and women by sending Jesus into the world, that in seeing Him we might see You, in hearing Him might hear Your own voice calling us from darkness to light. Forgive us, we pray, for preferring the ways of self over the ways of Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. Forgive us, we pray, for setting our sights on things desired in a fallen world, rather than on the kingdom He brings. Lord, have mercy upon us.
We ask that we might see with clearer vision the Christ who saves, and then see the world through his eyes. We ask that we might act and think with sights set firmly on those things that are true and right and good. We ask that Your Spirit would turn our heads toward the ones who need to know that You are love, that You came to save and not to condemn, and that it is in giving that we receive the greatest blessing of life--fellowship with Your Spirit. Comfort those who mourn; there are many. Lift up the fallen; they are all around us. Fill the hungry with good things; they look with bewildered eyes. Encourage those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness; they are hidden from our sights, yet they witness to Your presence in powerful ways. And may we live our expressed desires when we pray together, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of January 17, 2021 Lord, You know us. Inside and out, before and after our thoughts, words, and deeds. We are encouraged by the truth; we are frightened by the same truth. As we come before You, all of our past and present is with us, none of it hidden from You, even though we hide it from ourselves. In spite of our fears, our failings, our faults, and our forgetfulness, You call to us to come and worship as we are, not as we wish we would be. You know us; and yet You accept us as Your own children. How great is Your love and Your mercy! We ask for Your continuing grace; we ask for it in order to see our own unworthiness before going to declare the faults of others. We ask that we might learn in greater measure what it means to live in godliness.
We confess that we are slow to learn, yet quick to speak in our ignorance. We confess that we do not live as though mercy triumphs over judgment. We confess that we do not yet understand as we should the way of Jesus. Forgive our slowness of mind and of heart, we humbly pray. Have mercy upon us for the sake of that same Jesus, who gave himself for us and for our salvation. Open our eyes that we may see, our ears that we may hear, and our hearts that we may love even as he does. Give us patience with those who test us, wisdom for those who confound us, and grace for those who know not Your love.
We pray for Your Spirit to move in our world. We ask for knowledge for leaders, courage for decisions they must make, and insight into the consequences of what is said and done in places of power. We ask for peace that is honorable, the overturning of evil that is accomplished without great violence. We ask for freedom to speak truth and great perseverance for those even now suffering for speaking it and living it.
Be near to the broken-hearted, present with the despairing; humble the proud, disturb the close-fisted. And lead us to know and to do the work of Your Holy Spirit as we walk in the light in places that are darkened by greed, ignorance, and arrogance. Lead us to pray in that same Spirit, more fervently day by day, as You taught Your church to pray,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of January 10, 2021 O Lord, we need You.
We always have, though we seldom acknowledge it. How foolish to think that we can know life without its Author, build a world without its Architect, or do justice without the only Lawgiver. And so, before all else we humbly bow and ask You to teach us, convict us, correct us, and guide us. For the ways of purely human design have failed us, as they always have and always will.
We turn from praise for and allegiance to parties and policies; we turn toward praise for our Maker, Redeemer, and Sustainer. For You have loved us, as no human movement will ever do. You have sought us for ourselves and our worth, not just for our votes as a means to power. You continue to give to us, rather than take from us our dignity and our value. Above all, You give us a future and a hope that transcends the wishful thinking and empty promises of candidates.
Forgive our sins of thought, word, and deed, we pray. For we have thought of wrongly of those who are different from us; we have spoken harshly and unkindly of those we do not even know; we have acted as those who do not know the truth as we find it in Jesus, the One who revealed Your glory in human form. Have mercy upon us, O God.
May Your Holy Spirit be our only inspiration as we look for a better world, a better nation, a better community, starting with a better self. May our eyes be opened to see as Your own when they fix upon people who are broken and hopeless, tired and poor, sick and disabled, belittled and forgotten. May our ears be tuned to the cries of desperation, need, loneliness, abuse. Then may we engage the strength You give us to lift, to honor, to provide, to heal, to encourage as You direct. May we truly live and pray as You taught us when we say together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Second Sunday after Christmas, January 3, 2021 Thank You, Father, for calling to us again this day. Your voice comes to us in so many ways, each suited for an audience You know well. A shout in our pain, a whisper in our silence, a violent wind in our false security. You speak through beauty, but also through disaster; through joyful experience, but also through tragedy. Sometimes Your voice speaks peace, but sometimes it stirs us out of unwarranted confidence.
You speak to us most clearly in the Son who came as Your image made flesh. By him and by Him alone we hear of Your desires for us, of Your love toward us, and of our mistaken ideas and our wayward paths. Remove from us those hindrances that make it difficult to hear with clarity what You want us to know and to do. Forgive our resistance to the sounds of grace You provide, O God. We confess our sins of thought, word, and deed, brought forth out of hearts that prefer darkness to light. We humbly ask for mercy in our transgression. Even more, we ask for softened hearts that receive more obediently the ways of righteousness. Then shall we rightly receive Your words of peace. For the sake of Your Son, whose life, death, resurrection, and ascension give us hope, remove our sins far from us.
For the hurting and lonely ones around us we pray. For those in the cold of these winter days, we pray for warmth. For those cold in heart, whether in places of power or hidden from sight, we ask for the power of Your Word to break through by the melting of pain, abusive authority, long years of want. Make us indeed the instruments that allow Your redemptive voice to be heard in new and life changing ways. Send us to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice and to love each one in Your name. So guide us in the year before us to more fervently pray together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the First Sunday after Christmas, December 27, 2020 O God, Our Help in ages past and our Hope for years to come, we bow before You as the close of another year draws close. We come in gratefulness for Your protection, Your provision, and Your promise; we come in humility, knowing that we have not done all the good that we could have done. You alone are everlasting, wise, and able to do that which accords with Your purpose, regardless of opposition. You bring hope out of despair, light out of darkness, and spring out of the dead of winter’s chill.
We have known many experiences throughout the year nearly past. Some of them have brought great joy, others great sorrow; some have caused us to praise Your Name, others have led us to seek You more diligently. At times we wondered in awe, at others we have wondered where You are. In a world, in a nation, in a community, in a family, and in our own hearts, we have witnessed all manner of change about us; and we are reminded that we have not the power nor wisdom to run the world or control its course. You alone are God. Grant us the courage to let go of our illusions of power, that we might rest in Yours.
Forgive us, we pray, for testing Your grace, for defying Your will, and for planning as though You were not here. Have mercy upon us, for the sake of Your son, Jesus. Fix in us Your own dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, convicting us, guiding us, encouraging us, using us. We repent of relying on other sources for these things. Heal us, we humbly plead.
Some of us are weak, and tired, and poor; some have known the effects of age, of disease, of fragile bodies. We turn to You for hope, thanking You for the many ways in which You have given us reason to rejoice in spite of pain. We are in awe of the wisdom granted to men and women in the healing professions. Thank You. Continue Your healing work on behalf of those look to You for wholeness of body and spirit.
May the year before us be one in which we are aware of Your presence and Your hand in all things. May it be one during which we allow You to live through us on behalf of those we know and those we shall know. Open our eyes to behold the wonderful things that happen when we pray and believe and work in Your Name and Your power. Penetrate our conversations and our plans so that we will pray even more fervently with Your people,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Fourth Week of Advent, December 20, 2020 O Father who sent, O Son who came, O Holy Spirit who abides--come to us, we pray. It is Your love, Your wisdom, and Your way that make all things new. It is Your creative power that brings light into darkness, life into places of our world and of our lives that have been ceded over to death and despair. For Your coming in the person of Jesus, the One in whom your glory was revealed among us, we give our thanks and praise, even as we wonder how this could be. For the display of that glory as grace and truth, we bow our hearts and empty them so they may be filled and offered back to You for Your service.
We know that we have sinned, O God of holiness and truth. To think upon the life and ways of Jesus is to recognize our selfish impurity in thought, word, and deed. O, that we might truly repent and be made like him in our daily ways of life. Have mercy upon us as we seek to live in godly obedience to his example. Forgive our sin, we pray.
As a world acknowledges the Savior’s birth, may it find both conviction and promise. May the songs, so rich in truth yet blunted by familiarity speak in fresh tones to hardened hearts and troubled souls. Let heavenly choirs sound through human voices; may heaven ring and nature sing through instruments old and new, played by young and old. Bring Your peace to places torn by rancor and unrest, Your calm to places made tense by anger and accusation, Your grace to people harmed and belittled by the selfish lusts of others, and Your healing to our world of sickness of body, mind, and soul.
May we pause to wonder. May we rest beside the weary road. May we hope in the announcement of Your coming. Then shall we more confidently and joyfully pray with Your people yet again and until Your return, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. Prayer for the Third Week of Advent, December 13, 2020 It draws closer, Lord God. The day of Your coming is closer now than ever before. Stir our hearts, our souls, our minds, our strength to anticipate the day of Christ’s return. We look to You above the noise, above the excitement, above the gatherings that have come to fill our moments and our thoughts. We pause to be reminded of who he really is and what his coming to our world really means. So let us rest beside the weary road and hear Your messengers sing to us the songs we need to hear.
We praise You for Your care for all mankind. For the whole earth is Yours, and the people who dwell in it are all the concern of Your heart. We thank You for making Yourself known to us through the testimony of both Scripture and of those who have proclaimed it and trusted it through these many years. We thank You, Holy Spirit, for dwelling in and through the many lives that have heard and trusted the good news.
Open our eyes, our minds, our ears, and our hearts in these troubled and troubling days. We long for fear to be turned into hope, our sorrow to be turned into joy, our mourning to be turned into dancing. We chafe at limitations, we mutter against those who ask us to be careful and considerate; we ask to know how to express Your love in painful times.
Grant us the grace of repentance, we pray, that we might lay aside our ideas and our practices that misunderstand the nature of Christ’s reign. We too easily assume that You will fill our dreams and desires; we resist too strongly those of Your own heart. We wish not to be afflicted in our comfort, and so we do not hear Your voice calling us to do the works of Jesus--to give heed to the broken-hearted, the oppressed, the strangers and aliens. We prefer to receive for ourselves rather than to give to the poor and suffering. Forgive us, Lord, we pray; have mercy upon us, and heal our vision.
Show us again Your love as displayed in Jesus. Stir it in our souls that we would see what You see when You look at the world. Let us hear the desperation hidden under the boasting, the hurt behind the cold-hearted; give us ears to hear the plea of those afraid to speak, and eyes to see the vision of hope that so many are afraid to dream. Then shall we know what love is as it seeks the good, the true satisfaction of every need.
Hear us as we pray with Your people through all generations,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Second Week of Advent, December 6, 2020
We come to You, God our Father, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things beautiful to ear and eye. We come to You, Lord Christ, who indeed feels our sadness and shares our gladness; for You experienced them in Your coming to earth. We come to You, Holy Spirit, who takes the love of Father and Son and makes it live in our hearts and extend through our lives. All praise to You, Holy Trinity.
We live in a world longing for peace, yet seeking it with clouded vision, with wounded spirits, and with selfish desire. We know not what we truly need and for what we were truly created; therefore we war against one another, against our passions, and even against You. We sometimes seek Your gifts, but not Your heart, or Your promise but not Your way. Let us rest beside the weary road and hear anew the angels’ song announcing Your coming, even into this world of confusion and conflict.
Forgive our many sins, O Lord, we humbly pray. We confess them even now in shame and in silence before You, as You search our hearts and reveal to us the thoughts, words, and deeds of our lives that defy Your will. Have mercy upon us, we pray. Forgive us for nor living as sons and daughters of God who make peace. Remind us, painfully, of the times we rejected the good You set before us to do in Your stead. In Your mercy, renew us in purpose and in hope.
May we become the means by which you bring peace to our seemingly small portion of the world. May You come to those who hunger and thirst, who long for clothing and shelter, who seek dignity in work and respect in their relationships. Bring justice for the mistreated, peace for the troubled in spirit, and rest for the weary. In all of our ways, through even the longest of days, may we smile in the knowledge that the Prince of Peace will come in victory over every form of oppression.
Hear us as we pray with Your church of all ages, saying . . . Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the first Week of Advent, November 29, 2020 Come to us; abide with us. This, O Lord, is the true longing of every heart.
Take away the many veils that hide from view our deepest need, our truest desire. Come to us when we despair over wars and rumors of war, and bring peace to our souls. Come, stay with us when we are overwhelmed by the selfish desires of those who believe wealth alone will make them whole. Come, as we struggle against a sickness that kills and destroys. Come to those mistreated and abused by misused power and desire, and speak wholeness to their broken spirits. Come, correct us when we wander toward that which cannot satisfy. Come and abide, that we might hear Your voice and speak its hope to those who have lost a sense of worth.
O Hope of contrite heart, let us see Your coming in lowly form, showing us that victory in life comes from humility, raised by Your own unexpected power of love. You know our condition, You know our hearts, You know our needs, You know our fears and our dreams. Grant us that vision of Yourself that raises our sights to what is possible when we are united to You by the baptism of Your Spirit. Renew us in expectation above circumstance, in joy above pain, and in strength above weakness. Where men and women will receive You still, enter in.
Forgive us, we pray, for we are weak in hope but strong in fear. We have allowed our vision to be diverted from resurrection and ascension, captured instead by crosses alone. We find our hope in that which we can obtain on our own, trusting in the strength of our own wills to meet the needs of our souls. Lord, have mercy. Our misplaced trust has led us to sin in thought, word, and deed. We have done what we ought not to have done, and we have left undone the things we ought to have done. By Your mercy, forgive us our sins, and set us free from the law of sin and death.
We pray for the world around us, that its darkened streets may be made bright by the light of truth and love. We pray for a culture that has lost its way, denying that truth, beauty, and goodness are grounded only in our Creator, recognized through the Incarnate Word, and established by the working of the Holy Spirit. It is in You, the triune God that we renew our hope, even as we pray together, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for Christ the King, and the Week of November 22, 2020 “The Lord is King; let the people rejoice.” These words, O God, are the true cry of every heart. For You alone rule in true justice, with true human flourishing and wholeness in mind. We praise You for Your just and righteous reign over all things--For the order You give to creation,For Your rule over all the nations of the earth,For Your faithfulness to Your church,For Your care over our very ordinary lives.When You rule, all will prosper together in peace. We pray for that day; and we seek to live in its light even now, for Jesus has already shown us the way, and has ascended to his throne.
We see, we hear, and we inwardly sorrow over the evidence of other rulers and other ways than Your own. Justice is bought and sold, goods are accumulated, the needs of life are withheld from the poor and oppressed. Power is used for selfish ends, rather than to further the good of all; and the result is great suffering.
Teach us Your heart, that we might recognize Your ways. For in this world those ways are too easily confused with the interests of political dreams and parties. You have shown us what is good and what You desire--that we do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with You. We confess that we have not always made these ways our ways. For we have allowed them to be overshadowed by our own desires for selfish ends. We repent of our sins of thought, of word, and of deed. We ask for Your mercy to forgive our sin.
Remind us daily that our very ordinary lives can be pleasing to Christ, our king. Then fill us with Your Spirit of wisdom, that we might hear with discerning ears the claims and aspirations of those who lead and desire to lead. Guide us by Your Spirit of love when we come upon the weak and the forgotten ones, those who cannot serve the purposes of political power, yet are the ones You seek to renew and restore to dignity and hope. Work through our efforts by Your Spirit of power when we seek, feed, clothe, and heal those whom You love. Let us seek Your rule alone, that the world may know that Jesus is king, and that his way is the only true good. This we ask when we pray together as he taught us, saying
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of November 15, 2020 Lead us, O Lord, our God.
Lead to us to praise of Your glory, Your wisdom, Your love for all mankind. We see magnificent, astounding works of creation, of worlds near and far. How beautiful the works of Your creative mind! How intricately balanced are all the pieces, both great and small.
Lead us as the human race to discover those things that will help us to understand this little planet and the One who designed it. Lead us to delight in Your ways, as we learn more of Your love. For Your desires for us are not burdensome, but life-giving, not restrictive of our fulfillment, but the pathway to true freedom and thriving in this world.
Lead us, O Father, to be persons of hope when all others are in despair. Give us the calmness of soul and mind that witnesses to a better vision of what life should be. In spite of any and all human aspirations of power, show to all the world Your love as it is displayed in the people You indwell.
Forgive us, we pray, for adopting the pretensions and attitudes of earthly powers. Forgive us of gloating and of despairing alike when governments change hands by vote of the people. For You alone are worthy of our loyalty, and we owe it to You regardless of parties in power. Lord, have mercy. Forgive us, we humbly ask, for ignoring the good and the true in what we experienced in recent days. We have allowed others to be passed by because they did not belong to our party or our faith. Jesus, Redeemer of all mankind, have mercy upon us. Forgive us for spiteful, angry words and glances; for fixing blame on victims and heaping praise on those who oppress; for allowing deceit to cloud our view. Spirit of God, have mercy.
We pray for all who cannot see and for those who will not see. For those who are oppressed in ways that all can see but none can remove, for those bound by hatred and confusion. Jesus, Savior of the world, have mercy upon them. May sickness, blindness of eye and mind, deafness of ear and heart, be cast down in the name of Jesus. We pray for the healing of our nation, confused by a bitter and lying spirit and divided by differences real and imagined. Be Thou our vision, we pray.
May Your church rise up, even as it prays together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen
Prayer for the Week of November 8, 2020 Wise and Merciful Father, we come in worship and wonder this day. We worship because it’s all we can do when we recognize the magnificence of all creation, the splendor of all nature, and the intricate complexity of our own bodies and minds, woven together out of the dust of the earth. We wonder as we explore how innumerable pieces and forces function so beautifully and seamlessly together. And we explore every detail You have put in place, in hopes of learning and growing.
But we also wonder how things can still go so terribly wrong in this beautiful world. For now, we are subject to violence, to discord among people who should be united, to prejudice and suspicion toward anyone who appears different. We cry out in the face of a disease that does not seem to act in ways we can control. We grieve the loss of health and even of life itself for many, creating great sorrow and loneliness; we grieve the loss of many simple things that make life sweeter. We ask for Your help, we plead for Your wisdom in a world that so easily rejects truth for the sake of convenience and preference.
You know that world. You didn’t shake Your head in despair, however, but entered into it to show us the truth in Jesus, whose life and whose way spoke Your will, who suffered the consequences of sin for us and for our salvation. You raised him from the dead and offered to us life in him. Oh, that we may embrace Him, so that sin and death will not have dominion over us. May we hold fast to that life, so that we will follow You fearlessly, knowing we are forever secure in Your eternal plan for our true good.
We confess our own participation in the sin that diminishes true life. We have thought, spoken, and acted in ways that defy the truth as it is in Jesus. Have mercy upon us, and forgive our sin, we humbly pray. We have failed to think, speak, and do the good You have set before us. We ask You to forgive us and heal our damaged souls.
We pray for newly elected and reelected leaders, not because they have the answers to the problems that face us, but because they do not; we lift them up, not because they are the perfect ones to lead us, but because they are not. For no one can lead well unless You go before them. Unite us in prayer and in purpose as we seek the good of our land. Lead us, we pray, to see and to respond in Christlike ways to the world as we find it, not as we would wish it to be. Let us not be overcome by any evil, but rather overcome evil with good by the power of Your Spirit placed within us. Increase our faith as we truly seek for what we pray when we say together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of November 1, 2020 (All Saints Day)
Eternal God, our help in ages past and hope for years to come, receive our praise and hear our petitions, humbly yet boldly brought before You this day.
We praise You as Creator for a wondrous world and universe, for marvels yet to be discovered and for beauties already seen, heard, and felt. For minds that explore, for hands that build, for hearts to imagine, we offer our humble thanks. For all those who have gone before us, through whose work we have seen glimpses of Your glory, we bow in reverence to You and gratitude toward them. For art and artists, for language and writers, for wisdom and teachers, for order and builders, for love and those who display it to us, we humbly thank You, the One from whom all blessings flow.
Today we remember those who have taught us the faith we celebrate and by which we have come to know You. For those whose names are widely known and revered, for those whose lives were given in witness to the truth, and for those whose quiet faith and example are known only to the few, we are grateful.
We confess our failure to walk fully in the ways we have been given through Your Word. Like those before us, we have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Forgive us for thinking more of those we have loved in this world than of their God. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, for walking in the shadows rather than in the light, still fearful of the opinions of people more than we are fearless to live the truth. Let us forsake the thoughts, words, and deeds that cause distress to Your heart and hindrance to those around us. In Your mercy, hear our prayer of confession, and grant us Your pardon through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
We ask You to heal our broken hearts, our wounded spirits, and our troubled land. We ask for that victory over sin, that strength in trial, that wisdom in times of decision, that hope in our darkness Your Holy Spirit alone can provide. We ask that we will faithfully represent You each day to our neighbors, and that all who come behind us will find us faithful.
And we ask that You hear Your church as it continues to pray, saying . . .
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name; Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of October 25, 2020
Almighty Father, All-giving Son, Ever Present Holy Spirit, we come together to worship. We come together, joined with others who seek the way, the truth, and the life. In a world with more confusion than clarity, more pride than humility, and more destruction than redemption, draw us closer to You.
We thank You for Your grace and Your goodness; we are in great need of both. Thank You for the example of Christ our Lord, who displayed them so powerfully by coming among us and walking through a world like ours, where pride, power, and greed are a way of life. Grant us the faith to follow him, the hope to join him in victory over those ways, and the love to guide us day by day. Forgive our wandering hearts and minds, we pray. We love the wrong things and use our energies for the wrong purposes; we praise the wrong people, and seek the wrong rewards. We have not turned our eyes upon Jesus sufficiently. Have mercy upon us, O Lord. We have not ordered our thoughts, words, and deeds according to the grace which he freely gave us in his life, death, resurrection, and ascension. Forgive, we humbly pray.
Teach us this very day to love our neighbors as ourselves. We say it so frequently, yet practice it so sparingly. Show us the power of simple acts of love and kindness in a world that caters to the rich and famous and defers to the ideas of parties and politics. May we heed the Spirit, and not the call of the world from wherever it may come. May we display the love of Christ to the sick, the tired, the poor, the neglected; may redeemed people put down their weapons and pick up their fallen neighbors. May the image of God be more clearly seen in all people by eyes trained by faith, hope, and love. Hear from heaven and heal our land, O Lord, as we learn to believe and live more nearly as we pray, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of October 18, 2020 Hear us, Our Father, as we come at Your invitation to seek Your guidance, Your forgiveness, and Your strength for our lives.
You have provided a beautiful world to explore and to build as we continue to create and express Your own image planted within us. It presents us with challenges by which to grow, and delights over which to rejoice. You gave us one another so that we might learn the love which eternally flows within the perfect fellowship among Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. How blessed we are just to live in a place meticulously prepared within a vast cosmos, that we might share in Your fellowship. Thank You!
We as Your creatures, however, have taken Your gifts and used them for our own purposes. We have turned the world You gave us into a place that has become difficult, unjust, and threatening. We have gone astray and turned others to follow their own ways, forgetting to listen for Your ever present voice. Even so, You do not abandon us, but come to us as Friend in the person of Jesus. And what a friendship He continues to offer, promising never to leave nor forsake his own.
We have neglected this friendship. And as a result we are at risk of losing our temporal happiness and our eternal blessing. We do find ourselves weak, heavy laden, encumbered with a load of cares You did not intend for us to carry. We take our burdens and disappointments, our felt injustices and slights to the streets, to the already angry mob, to anyone who will listen, but not to You. How foolish we are; how sinful we prove ourselves to be. Lord, have mercy.
We have sinned in thought, word and deed, in neglect as well as in that which we have done. Hear our humble confession, and redeem us from our unwise, unjust, and unloving ways for the sake of the name we bear as followers of Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us and for our salvation.
Send us, refreshed by Your love and friendship, renewed by Your indwelling Spirit, to do Your work in this, our Father’s world. In a world of distrust and accusation, send us as instruments of peace. In a world of cruelty and violence, prepare us as purveyors of grace. In an environment of dread and fear, express in and through us the hope of a better way and a secure future. Where sickness and sorrow lead to self-destructive solutions, send us as healers of body, mind, and soul through him who loves us.
Let us each daily pray in our own way what Your children have always prayed when they say,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of October 11, 2020 You have told us, O Lord our God, to fix our thoughts on You. Only then shall we rightly see the world in which we live. It’s a beautiful place, yet a vulnerable place; It’s a wonder-filled place, yet a dangerous place. It’s an abiding place, yet not a perfected or permanent place. For You alone are our dwelling place forever.
We confess that we’ve tried to establish ourselves in that which is passing away. We know all things are fleeting, yet we grasp them more tightly rather than trust in the Eternal One who gives all things for our true good. Have mercy on us and forgive our misplaced confidence and hope. Because of our trust in other things, we have sinned in thought, word, and deed, both by what we have said and done and by our failure to do the good we know to do and to speak. We pray for the grace of Your forgiving love, undeserved yet offered in Christ, the Son who died to save, rose to conquer, and ascended to rule over the powers that beset us in this world. We give You thanks unending for such grace.
Shape our hearts after Your own, we pray. May we hear and heed the Spirit You have sent to be with us and in us as we look at the world not for what we may gain, but for what we might give in a healing, redeeming way. Where destruction by fire and flood has taken many things, replace them with renewed confidence in faith, hope, and love that abide forever. Many are suffering loss today; fill them with that which cannot be taken. Strengthen the hands of Your people to reach and to heal, to feed and to restore in Your holy Name. May our fingers point not to the faults of others, but to the love of our God and Father. May we be incited not to anger and outrage, but to good works and kind words. Then shall we experience the power of the Spirit to heal the sick, give hope to the poor, and freedom for the captive. And may we begin anew even this day when real faces, with real needs come before us. Move us to know how You want to answer us as we pray,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for Worldwide Communion Sunday and the Week of October 4, 2020 Today, O Lord, Your church around the world is called to remember.We come together separately in gatherings large and small, in buildings old and stately, new and bold, simple and inviting--and in some places, no building at all. Yet we gather around that which binds us together, making us one, wherever we are. The tables around which we present ourselves are similarly large and small, elaborate and modest, yet they hold the one thing in all creation that unifies--the body of Christ broken for our sake, and the blood of Jesus poured out for the many.
Unite us we pray, within the individual congregations that represent your presence before the communities in which they are found; unite us, we pray, with all congregations that acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, that the world may know that truth which alone can set it free. We confess our needless and harmful divisions and ask You to lead us in the difficult task of reconciliation with Christian brothers and sisters, wherever they may be found.
We confess our pride of tribe and nation, often denying that it is Christ alone who gives us worth, that it is He alone who is worthy of our worship and our very lives. Lord, have mercy upon us, and forgive our sins for the sake of His Name. We confess our corporate and individual sins of thought, word, and deed, asking for the grace that leads to true repentance.
Sanctify bread and cup, that we will remember in such a way as to renew the presence of the crucified, risen and ascended Lord within and among us. Sanctify the congregations that celebrate this sacrament, that they may become the presence and convey the power of Jesus in a badly broken and conflicted world. Sanctify each recipient, that each may know the freedom of forgiveness and the promise of life with hope and with purpose.
Then send those sanctified to minister grace and truth to the people who are searching, the souls that are not satisfied, the communities that cannot unite, the lonely ones who cannot believe that they matter, and the oppressed ones who cannot be freed from bonds of many kinds. Here us as we pray before the Jesus who stands among us,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of September 27, 2020 Lord of love, wisdom and justice, we come before You today. God of grace and of glory, we want to worship You rightly. Yet we hesitate and falter because we cannot see how all of these characteristics of Your nature fit together.
We have great difficulty because we fail to look more at our maker and less at ourselves and our challenges, both personally and as members of a society. Let Your Word be heard and Your Spirit be welcomed this day. We thank You too little, we follow You too distantly. We want Your blessing to fall on us and Your judgment to consume our enemies. How far we have fallen from the image of Your Son, who saw far more of human wickedness than we do, yet offered himself for those who hated, and lifted those who suffered. We seek Your mercy that triumphs over judgment.
We ask You to forgive our sins. We confess them before You, knowing that our thoughts, our words, and our deeds have not been patterned on Your own. In Your mercy, grant us not only fresh beginnings, but renewed spirits; not only forgiveness, but a thirst for righteousness.
Teach us how to walk in divisive times, among troubled spirits. Give us eyes that see beyond the outward acts and into the true needs; grant us ears that hear more than the shouts, and into the hurting lives. And give us the wisdom that is from Your heart, not from the pride of people or party, philosophy or creed. Use us to lift up the fallen and trampled ones, to bind the wounded, to open the blinded eyes, and to spread true hope as we live from day to day. Lead us to live as we pray when we say together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name; Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of September 20, 2020 Our needs, our cares, our hopes, and our fears are many, O Lord. Sometimes we bring them to You out of fear, sometimes out of desperation, out of anguish. We bring them with varying degrees of faith that You will truly hear and answer. Today we come because You are the source of all things good and beautiful, all things wise and wonderful. Because we see only in the dimmest of light at times, we ask for renewed vision of those things, for they are eternal and true. Let all else fade in their light; for then only shall we see rightly the things that cause us distress.
We also come to You because no one else understands like Jesus the ways that are dark and drear. He became one of us, so that we might come to one who experienced the good and the awful turns of life in a world made good, yet marked by the consequences of sin. Thank You, Lord Christ, for overcoming the world, not through power as we know it, but by the power of love. It is costly yet victorious, painful yet liberating. Grant us the courage to walk in its ways.
We know, our Father, that we have sinned in thought, word, and deed. Forgive us, we humbly pray, and cleanse us from all our unrighteousness through that same love of Jesus, displayed on the cross. For his sake, we ask that Your love might be made perfect in us. Forgive us our misplaced love, lost on things and movements and thrills to gratify self. Have mercy upon us, O Lord.
We pray for a world in great turmoil, as tensions increase and party rises up against party, as interests clash, and as words become stones; we pray not for the victory of candidates, but for the manifestation of the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, who shall reign forever and ever. May His Word spread throughout the earth and into the halls of every government, including our own in this land.
We pray for the poor and the oppressed, the suffering and the persecuted ones in this world. May the good news be heard among them and among their captors and tormentors, that all may live in peace and enjoy the fruit of their labor. Be near, we pray, to those sick in body and mind; bring the healing presence of Your Holy Spirit into their experience in this world and into their hopes for the world to come. And we pray for Your church, that we might know and embrace our calling as Your own body in this broken world. Here that church as it continues to pray together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of September 13, 2020 Holy God, Giver of Life, Eternal Hope--we come to You this day, aware of our need, our fears, and our weakness. We are impoverished with regard to love, clueless concerning the future, and helpless before the power of nature.
As our world is faced with fire, storm, and rampant disease, we still have turned neither thought nor ear toward You. As insults abound, as weapons increase, and as love is withheld, we choose destructive responses to our every need. Father, quiet our protesting mouths and open our reluctant hearts. Give eyes that see and ears that hear the truth. For indeed, all have sinned and come short of the glory of the One in whose image we have been made.
Thank You for Your Eternal Word, written for all generations that we might see, and Incarnate for us and for our salvation. Thank You for Your Spirit, who continues to call, send, and instruct. Oh, that we might hear, repent, and follow! For You have indeed provided all that we need for life and godliness, if we will but receive Your greatest gifts.
So we humbly ask that You forgive us our sins of thought, word, and deed; they are many. We repent of being more concerned with the sins of others than with our own, more anxious to point than to bow. Heal us by Your self giving love, O Son of God and Son of Man.
Walk among us as our mentor when we see the broken lives around us. Disease, addiction, betrayal, abuse are all around us, often disguised but never harmless. Show us what it is to love our neighbors as ourselves, even when they reject the very truth that would set them free. Expose the evil hiding behind all manner of disguise; honor the lowly with dignity, and the faltering with strength. Show us how we might participate in the renewal of all things, even as we pray together, saying . . .
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of September 6, 2020 God, Our Father, our Creator, our Sustainer, our Redeemer, our Hope. We come today with all of our varied experiences and emotions. We rejoice in new life, in new believers being brought into your family, whether here or anywhere else around this world you’ve given us. It is Your expressed desire that all will come to a knowledge of the Truth that sets us free to live in, to explore, to build this world in big ways and small. Thank you for all who are baptized into Christ around the world. May each one grow into the image of that head of the body.
We thank you for meaningful work to do in this world, using Your gifts of body and mind to create, to teach, to govern. We come also with fear and trepidation, with questions and confusions. We see the power of the natural world unfolding in places where life and livelihood are in great peril, and we wonder what can be done, realizing that even with all of our human accomplishments, we are so quickly overwhelmed by storms that arise. Turn us, first from our pride in what we can do without reference to You, but also from questions of why to questions of how we can love those who are affected.
We are indeed a people full of pride, sometimes in what we have done, as though we had no help, no gifts, no abilities with which to start. Sometimes our pride is in nation, as though we had built it ourselves; sometimes in race, implying that others are of less value, perhaps even worthy of little more than our arrogant derision. Father, forgive us, we pray. For even among Your people we see and hear evidence that we have not embraced Your vision of one holy nation and royal priesthood, comprised of every tongue and tribe. Have mercy upon us, and heal our hearts.
Forgive us, we humbly plead, for the words and deeds that brought disgrace to Your Name and hurt to the people around us. Remove from us the stain of words unsaid and deeds undone that You asked us to carry out. Great is the sin of our refusal. Heal our hearts and minds, we pray, that we would hear more clearly that voice inspiring us to redemptive action.
We pray for the sick and injured, silently offering their names to You even now. We pray for the lonely and forgotten ones, the oppressed and the captives. Come near, we pray, to those tempted and torn by addictions of the mind and the body; provide the hope of a better way and the strength to follow therein.And we pray that the world may hear Your Word proclaimed this day, with ears that hear so that we may all have eyes to see the true and living way. For this we pray together by saying,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of August 23, 2020 God of wisdom, power, and love we come before you in our ignorance, weakness, and apathy. The more we think we’ve learned, the more we claim to have accomplished, the more divided our world has become. Turn our minds, our hands, and our hearts toward our Creator that we might live honorably in His glorious creation.
We have learned how to use this marvelous world in astounding ways, ways that would have seemed like fantasy in times gone by. We have learned how to move around the earth and into the heavens; yet we have not learned how to move among the lowly and the suffering ones. We have learned how to talk to someone on the opposite side of the globe, yet we have not learned to listen to the cries of the poor and oppressed among us. We have learned how to study everything from the comfort of our homes, yet we have not learned to nourish our souls that we might turn knowledge into wisdom.
And so we confess our sins of thought, word, and deed; and we acknowledge as well our sins of inaction in the face of needs we might have met. Have mercy, O Lord, for our sin is great and needs a Savior even greater. Blessed be Jesus, Your Son and our Lord, who provides the healing of head, heart, and hands through His love. May we ever learn from Him that giving ourselves is the only way of victory over life and death in a broken and sinful world. Thank You for this answer to our every struggle.
Fill us anew with the Holy Spirit, that we might walk like Jesus. He alone leads the way to real solutions, for He is wisdom; he alone leads the way to justice, for He is the truth; he alone leads the way to real compassion, for He is Love. Make us wise toward every proposed solution of parties and politics. Help us to see persons rather than categories and needs rather than rhetoric. Give us greater and greater insight into the kingdom for which we pray when we say together,
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done one earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of August 16, 2020 We worship You, O God, because the Word is true. Before all time, You brought the world into being. Before humankind was made, the Son of God was in fellowship with the Father and the Spirit. Before sin entered our world, redemption was prepared. Before words enter our minds, we bow before You.
We look in awe at the beauty of Your creation; we study in wonder the mysteries of how it holds together, that we might create, heal, and feed both body and mind. Truly, both we and the world in which we live, are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Forgive us, we humbly pray, for thinking so much about our accomplishments and ourselves, and so little about our Maker and those made in His image. Our pride has led to sin and destruction in thought, word, and deed. Have mercy, O Lord, lest we die in ignorance and arrogance. Redeem us, we pray, in body, mind, and spirit by the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, the Son of God and Son of Man.
We ask for Your wisdom to be manifested in our work of this world. Discernment in politics, truth in reporting, understanding in research, compassion in our interactions with all who appear in our lives from day to day--may these become more and more prevalent. We pray for those impacted by the virus with which we have become all too familiar. For those infected, for those in fear, for those in danger because of duty, for those cast into loneliness, send your healing presence. O, send us Your hope!
In the meantime, continue to draw our attention to the things of the kingdom for which we pray when we say together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven,Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of August 9, 2020 Oh, God! Sometimes, Lord, this is the only prayer we can offer. We look around us and see a broken world everywhere we turn. We hear of wars, rumors of wars, and threats of war, and we feel helpless. We hear of the power of nature unleashed in different places, and we feel powerless. We hear doctors tell us that medicine in all forms has limits beyond which they cannot take us. And we cry out, perhaps in faith, perhaps in desperation, almost always in a mixture of both. Yet we pray because we must.
When we turn toward you, O God, heal first our unbelief. We believe in part, yet long to be made whole in the hope You do provide as You turn our thoughts, our desires, and our plans away from the temporary afflictions of this present age. Grant us a renewed vision of the world made truly whole by Your redemptive love, that we may walk in your ways toward a future hope that is better by far than we can imagine, the one which eye has not seen and ear has not heard. Forgive us, we pray, of our undue worry and fear over the troubles of this age. Forgive us for allowing the news of the day to rob us of the joy of walking by Your Holy Spirit within. Have mercy upon us, and heal our minds. Forgive us, we pray, for blindness to the plight of other people whom we could have aided or encouraged by word or deed, yet we walked by on the other side. Christ, have mercy. Forgive us, we pray, for the thought, the word, the deed that was offered in defiance of Your Truth and of the dignity of other persons made in Your own image. Father, have mercy upon us, and forgive us our sin.
We pray for those who mourn, here in our midst or wherever they may be found. Bring the comfort only Your Spirit can provide. We pray for the ill and the injured among our friends and among our enemies as well. We ask for hope for the despairing; we pray for strength to resist for the addicted; we ask for healing of broken relationships. We pray for a greater sharing in the ministry of reconciliation, so that the world may know that You have sent Your Christ to redeem the world. This we ask as we say together with Your church through all ages and places,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen
Prayer for the Week of August 2, 2020 Hear our prayer, O Faithful Father. As children long for their father’s approval and guidance, even while testing and defying his loving rule, we turn so quickly from what we know to be good for us. All the while we overlook the generous provision we have been granted, lovingly given that we might grow into maturity. Thank You.
Hear our prayer, O Saving Son. Sent from the Father, You came as one of us, that we might behold the Father’s glory living among men and women, girls and boys. Even as you took on the destructive weight of human sin, you walked steadfast to the Father’s words, and displayed how we, too, can have victory and hope in a world of discord. Thank You.
Hear our pray, O Sanctifying Spirit. Sent to continue the work of the Son, You set apart those who come in faith, that they might rise above every impediment that besets them, and do the work the Father has designed, walking according to His purpose. Thank You.
Holy Trinity, keep us ever focused more on You than on the world we see everyday. For without You, we do not know how to understand what takes place, how to discern the good from the evil, how to act in ways that heal rather than harm. May the love that forever binds Father, Son, and Spirit draw us toward unity of purpose, even with diversity of gifts, circumstances, and experiences. Together, may we display the glory of people redeemed and redeeming.
Grant us Your favor, we pray, as we acknowledge our failures, our sins of outright defiance and casual neglect. Forgive us, we pray, for the thoughts, words, and deeds that detract from Your glory being made known in our lives. Fill us with new vision for the poor and the outcast, new hearing for the cries of the oppressed, new hearts for the stranger and the alien. Teach us both the meaning and the call upon us when we pray together, saying . . .
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of July 26, 2020 God of summer and winter, of early years and later life, we worship You this day. You alone change not, remaining what You have been and will be, creating and calling to us, never failing in mercy for the fallen, hope for the despairing, or grace for the repentant ones.
We come to You for wisdom. It seems to escape us in a world with growing fears and escalating conflict. We have learned so much about the world you have made, yet so little about our own pride and its destructive ways. We build weapons and walls instead of homes harbors; we grow discord rather than harmony among people with differences.
You have shown us Your redemption in Jesus, Your Son and our Lord, and have given us the ministry of reconciliation. Jesus never fails; we do. We turn aside from the calling that is ours to bring Your hopeful and healing ways into the places and among the people we see every day. We decry the bickering and accusations talked about in the news, yet we point fingers and blame others in our own little worlds. Forgive us, O Lord, for not following Your ways.
You have set a great and marvelous future in front of us, guaranteed in the resurrection and ascension of Your Son. Yet we blame You for not building our own little vision of what would be good for us. Convict us of our prideful and foolish desires, and forgive our sins, we pray. We have seen others as hindrances rather than as opportunities to share Your love. Have mercy upon us, O Christ, who died for the very ungodly ones as much as for the faithful. Teach us Your ways.Teach us that faith once delivered to the saints, and teach to live in its light. Announce it to the world through the church, Your own body in this and every age until You come again. Keep that body ever faithful, ever searching the lost, ever stooping to the humble, ever proclaiming truth in a world of false hopes, false promises, and false teachings that lead to destruction. Keep us confident in Your Word, ever praising Your glory, ever mindful of Your presence.
And keep us ever praying as we say together, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of July 19, 2020 O God, our Father, who alone knows all things, humble us as we come before You today and as we venture into the world before us. You know the end from the beginning. You discern the truth from the clamoring, the truly good from the wishful ideas, the truly beautiful from the dazzling sights and sounds. Teach us, O Holy Lord. Speak to us that we may speak healing words and live faithful lives.
We thank You for Your grace, for Your patience with us. For we are slow to learn and quick to speak, patient with ourselves and ready to judge others. Show us again Your Son, who displayed Your ways in this world, where evil abides. He condemned sin, but not sinners, overwhelmed disease, but not the sick, condemned demons but not the possessed. We seek Your mercy for our sins of arrogant thoughts, hurtful words, and sinful deeds. Forgive us, we pray, through the incredible grace of Jesus, who gave himself for us.
We ask for wisdom to be given to doctors, nurses, scientists and others who seek the cure for the virus that has disrupted so much and destroyed so many. We ask for greater humility for those who will not see, and greater patience for those who will not set aside personal desires for the sake of neighbor and friend.
Lead us to ask less for You to walk with us and more for us to walk with You. Take us to those places where You long to go, among the weak and wounded, toward the lost and lonely, and with the overwhelmed and oppressed. For there our own strength is insufficient, but Your Spirit is always enough. So strengthen Your true church, the living body of the risen Lord. Correct it when it strays from the truth, move it when it sits in satisfaction, challenge it when it thinks more highly of itself than it ought to think, and lead it where it does not want to go. For this we pray, as we come before You saying together as one, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen
Prayer for the Week of July 12, 2020 Hear our prayer, O Lord, our God. For we come to You only in the name and by the merits of Your Son, our Savior, Jesus the Christ. It is by his gift that we have the promise of access to You, Author and Ruler of all things visible and invisible. You bid us to come that we might become wise, that we might do meaningful and creative work, that we might be renewed in hope.
You are the source of all that is true, good, and beautiful. Therefore, teach us Your ways that we might live, learn, work, and love in ways that enact Your desires in this place. We ask that You show us our own parts to play in moving the world from darkness to light in the name of Jesus.
We humbly seek Your forgiveness for our many sins of thought, word, and deed. We have not sought Your wisdom before planning and acting; we have not considered Your love for the stranger and the alien and the outcast and embraced that love as our own when we meet those people in our daily paths. Have mercy upon us, we pray; then teach us more fully who Jesus is, that we might become like him in all of our encounters. Fill us again with the Holy Spirit, whose guidance and strength can take us to places we did not think we could go, that we might do in Jesus’ name what we never thought we could do. Forgive us for making plans that include him only as an afterthought, if at all. How foolish we are. Make us wise unto salvation.
Hear the cries of the hungry and the homeless, both at home and abroad; move the ears and the hearts of Your people to answer. Answer the calls for justice of those who are oppressed; move our desires toward fairness in every situation we face. Expose the deceptions of people in power, both in business and in the halls of government; incline us continually toward the truth. Break the grip of addictions, the scourge of drugs and alcohol by which so many people are tempted to escape their pain, their loneliness, and their lack of purpose; cast forth anew through our words and our lives a vision of life lived in all its fullness through the Jesus, who gives it abundantly. Restore our vision, even as we pray with Your church around the world,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of July 5, 2020 God of Creation, we come before You both as creatures ourselves, made in Your Image and likeness, and as observers of what You have made. How beautifully You have fashioned from nothing a universe that becomes more awe inspiring with each new discovery! We praise You.
God of the nations, known by all, but acknowledged by few, You have placed in our hands the continuing mastery of things seen and unseen. Justice and truth, mercy and judgment stand above us, ever calling us to follow after as people who need one another to reach our potential. We bow before You.God of all persons, made to seek after You and present You to one another, You came to us by the marvelous incarnation, perfectly exemplified life as intended, suffered for us the cost of our refusal to live as You designed, and redeemed us for Your glory. We humbly and gratefully learn of You in Jesus.
As we pause to celebrate the birth of this nation, we thank You for its freedom and for its promise. We have been blessed, and we are grateful. But all is not well with us. We ask You to heal our land. It has become full of pride in its own strength. It has not lived to its own stated belief in the equality of all people. It has placed wealth over fairness, safety over sacrifice, silence over truth, and self above neighbor. Those who claim You as Savior and hope have not extended Your love to all persons, too often holding for themselves the riches of Your grace.Forgive our sins, O Lord; they are many. We confess them before You. And as we look to You for mercy, whisper in our ear and stamp upon our heart Your promise to forgive and Your call to do likewise to those who offend us in thought, word, and deed. Remind us that judgment is Yours and justice, mercy, and humility are ours to walk in.
Guide us to those in need of Your love and kindness. Speak words of hope and worth to the ones living under the weight of all manner of injustice. Assure us that Your promise is true, that we might declare good news in a world of uncertainty. Hear us as we pray together as Your children, citizens of Your kingdom, saying . . .
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of June 28, 2020 You, O God, are alone to be worshiped. You, our Maker and Sustainer, the One in whom all things hold together, are to be honored and praised by the whole world. We pause this day to bring our humble thanks and our sense of wonder; yet we also bring our pain and our sense of loss, our confusions and our fears.
We know You to be Lord of all, calling nations into being and giving them the right and the mandate to rule in justice. When they follow Your ways You bless them; when they become arrogant and full of pride You bring them down. At this time we are mindful of our own nation, celebrating its birth, and affirming its best aspirations to be a place that honors the rights and dignity of all people, for You have endowed them all with Your own image. May we, especially those of us who recognize You as the only true King, be always aware of that image in everyone we meet. May we select leaders who understand that governments are not the source of human rights, but are called upon to recognize and guard the rights only You have intended from the beginning.
Forgive us, Lord, for for our failures to see the people we meet, all of them, as worthy of our respect. We have given ourselves to thinking less of some people than others simply because of their place of birth, their racial heritage, or even their particular sins, some of which we dislike more than others. Forgive us, we humbly pray, for unkind and destructive words, for evil thoughts, and sinful actions. Have mercy upon us, we pray, not for our deserving, but for the sake of Your Name. Cleanse us from all unrighteousness; remove our sins far from us through the mercies of Christ, who gave himself for us and for our salvation. Remind us then, that his life and death is not only for our sins, but for the sins of the whole world.
Many people are hurting this day, O God; You hear their cries. Open our ears. Many people are hungry this day; You see their pain. Open our eyes. May people are hopeless this day; You feel their despair. Open our hearts. Only then will our righteousness shine like the sun, our justice declare Your praise, and the world will become the place we want it to be.Give us hunger for Your Word and thirst for Your truth, longing for Your righteousness and zeal for Your justice. Lift up the fallen, give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and love for each and every soul You encounter through us, the body of Jesus here on earth. Hear Your children as they pray until all is fulfilled,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of June 21, 2020 God, our Father, we need You. We need to from whence we came, to Whom we belong, and in whose image and likeness we are made.Christ, our Savior, we need You. We need the grace You have provided to redeem us from the destructive ways we have chosen.Holy Spirit, we need You. We need Your presence to instruct, to correct, to guide, and to love.Holy God, Eternally three in one and one in three, teach us Your way. Then instruct us and equip us to walk in it, committed thereto in order to reject the many false ways of life that confront us and confront the world, to our own great loss. We grieve at the tragedies that overtake Your children with alarming frequency. Fires and floods, winds and waves; murder and mayhem, apathy and assault; viruses and disease, greed and oppression--so much that leads us to wonder if You are there or if You care. Yet You displayed Your love in taking this frail and failing flesh, subject to all of these things upon Yourself in order to come among us and beside us. You did this in Jesus and then in all of us by that Holy Spirit, that we might be redeemed and then become the means of Your presence in the midst of a troubled world. Forgive our many sins, we pray, for the sake of that savior, and for the sake of the world You long to renew. Where our ears have been closed to the cries of others; where our eyes have turned away from the hurting ones; where our desires have been separated from our true destiny, Father, hear from heaven as we confess our wrongful ways. Have mercy upon us, we pray. Where we have been unwilling to speak of hope in Christ, please have mercy upon us as we confess our pride and self-sufficiency. Lord, have mercy, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Where we have looked upon anyone with prejudged conclusions, seeing anyone without considering the image of God stamped upon them, remind us how far our heart remains from Yours. Send light into the darkness, we pray. Send Your children to the despairing, the hurting, the hopeless. Strengthen those who face true persecution for Your Name’s sake, and open the eyes of those before whom they bear witness. Bring peace to the lands and the homes torn by violence. Dwell in us and through us for the redemption of the world and for the displaying of Your kingdom, for so Your church continues to pray until the day of Your coming by saying, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Week of June 14, 2020. Today, Our Father, we come before You to bring our praise, our thanks, ourselves before the One who alone is worthy of all we have to offer. We also come with our confusion, our fears, and our guilt, to the One who alone can dispel them with wisdom, light, and lovingkindness that we do not not possess on our own. We praise You for the beauty of the earth, the glories of the skies beyond, and for the fearful and wonderful way in which You have made us. We thank You for the minds that reflect upon the world You have made, for the hands that fashion the things we see into tools, and homes, and so much more. We present ourselves that You might teach us true wisdom, due humility, and righteous ways. You, our Father, are the One we are to imitate in this world, even as Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man showed the world how life is to be lived in obedience to You, in service to all the people he encountered, including the least and the lost of society. We confess that we follow his example only a part of the time, and then incompletely. We have not followed You with our whole heart, as Jesus did; we have taken for ourselves other patterns, other loves, and ways. Lord, please hear from heaven as we confess our sins, seeking Your forgiveness. Grant us the assurance of faith to receive the words of Jesus, “Your sins are forgiven.” We also ask for Your strength through the Holy Spirit to resist the temptations that so easily move us from away from You. Forgive us, we humbly pray, for the foolishness of our ways, and our insistence upon walking in them. In Your mercy, redeem our desires, that we might learn to love what You love and turn our energy toward that which builds up, that which encourages, that which extends Your truth into the dark corners of our thoughts. We pray for a nation that has lost its way. We grieve over the loss of life by the hand of men who care not for You or for the people made in Your image and likeness. We are weakened by the loss of safety, being subject at any moment to the desires of those who seek only to kill and destroy, or to steal and plunder that which the work of our hands has provided. Even in the midst of loss, lead us to comfort those who mourn, to guide those who have lost their way, to pray with and for those who suffer from afflictions of mind and body. May Your Spirit take us to those who need You most, and then do His work through our minds and bodies, given gladly to You. We ask for ears to hear, eyes to see, and hearts to ponder the cries, the suffering, and injustice so prevalent in this land--and in our own thoughts. Hear Your children in this place and around the world as they pray, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for Trinity Sunday, June 7, 2020.
Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Perfect unity, Blessed Trinity. We worship You this day, finding ourselves in need of direction, of sound judgment, and of grace. That unity of being seems so far removed from our experience with one another in this world, particularly in recent days.
We cry out, “Save us, O God!” without pausing to remember that You have already done all that is needed for our salvation, for our unity. You sent both a cure for our selfishness and an example for our love, a release from our bondage to sinful ways, and a pathway to wholeness. You sent Jesus to teach us love, not just in word but in deed. It is not You who will not save; it is we who refuse to embrace Your Word made flesh and Your Spirit to guide our flesh in all our ways.
Forgive us, we humbly pray, for our many sins. For we have not thought as we should; we have not spoken words of hope and kindness; we have not acted in obedience to Your law of love. Grant us the grace of true repentance, that we might judge ourselves rather than our neighbors, our fellowship rather than those who differ from us. Have mercy upon us, we pray.
Place before us the image of Your triune holiness, where perfection of love is to be found. Then remind us that this is the God in whose image we are made, and this is the pattern into which we are joined by Your Spirit through the merits of Christ alone. And so we seek justice, we seek truth, we seek mercy that triumphs over judgment. We seek humility that serves, kindness that heals, and love that binds people in heart and mind. We seek Your kingdom in the midst of chaos, and so we continue to pray,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for Pentecost Sunday, May 31 Holy Father, we praise Your Name; Awesome Lord, we bow before You; Living Presence, we give ourselves to You.
On this Day of Pentecost, when long ago the Holy Spirit came to abide in and through the church and those who are part of that very body of Christ, we bow to remember and renew. We remember His coming, made ready by the mighty work of Jesus, the Son, in his life, death, resurrection, and ascension. We renew the commitment of our lives to His purpose, empowered by that Spirit’s indwelling gift. And so we worship, not to make claims upon You or to induce Your favor, for You have given far more than we can ever fully receive. We worship out of gratitude and in deepest humility for the favor already granted, for hope already secured, and the way being prepared daily in which to walk. Thereby may we increasingly taste and see that You are good!
We wonder at times why You would grant us such abundant grace. For we know ourselves, if only will we honestly look inside. When we look at Jesus, the very Word made flesh, we see our failures in our daily lives. His ways have not been our ways; his thoughts have not been our thoughts, and we are ashamed. We look at His sacrifice, and realize that His desires have not been the pattern of our own. And so, Lord, grant that we honestly see and repent of our selfish and foolish ways. Have mercy upon us for the sins of thought, word, and deed that hinder us from the abundant life. Have mercy upon us and forgive us, we pray, for neglecting the good and loving works You have prepared for us to do. Renew a right spirit within us, and take not Your Holy Spirit from us.
For a world steeped in violence and increasing fear, we pray. Perhaps the day is drawing near on which You return in power and glory, to judge the world in righteousness, and bring Your kingdom fully and finally to sight. If so, prepare us for works of endurance and hope; set in our hearts the desire and in our bodies the power to declare the good news through word and deed. Demonstrate in us the ways of that kingdom, where the blind will see, the lame will walk, and the bodies racked with pain and disease will dance to the music of Your Spirit; where justice is not a word but a way of life, where people march by love, not by allegiance to party or clan; where evil is exposed, no matter the banner under which it hides.
Bring down the kingdom of darkness, with its hateful, calloused, and calculating attack on people made in Your image. Bring down the reign of greed that sells the needy for a pair of shoes, and makes the necessities of life too costly for the poor to obtain. Bring down the world of chemical dependence and the ruthless minds that feed upon it. Bring down the selling of lust that enslaves the minds of many, and the very bodies and souls of those abused. In such a time we live, into such a world You send us. Let us not shrink from the task, but rather pray more fervently together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Seventh Sunday of Easter, May 24 Our Father, how wonderful are Your works and Your ways. Our Savior, Jesus the Christ, how righteous and gracious is Your reign. Holy Spirit, how precious is Your presence and how needed is Your power. Holy God, slow to anger and full of mercy, teach us Your will. Open our eyes to what You have done in creation, what You have provided in redemption, and what You design for us to do as Your ambassadors in a broken world. That You would enlist us in the work of restoration is an amazing and exciting call upon us. Thank You, Lord! Made in Your image, redeemed by Your love, sent by Your Spirit we rejoice in You today.
We confess that we have given our strength to other purposes, our thoughts to other plans, and our will to other desires. O Lord, have mercy upon us, and forgive us our short-sighted and selfish ways. We confess that we have spoken in ways that have been harmful and foolish; we have acted in a manner that destroys rather than builds; we have desired the satisfaction of the body at the expense of the spirit. In Your mercy, for the sake of Christ, forgive us our sin, we humbly plead. Give to us the spirit of true repentance, that we might turn from such ways and not return to them again.
We grieve for a lost world, a disjointed culture, and a wayward humanity. We feel powerless before a threat to life and health. We struggle to know how to respond to the rule of men and women when it challenges the rule of our true Lord. We do know that You call us to mourn and weep with those who suffer terrible loss. And we know that You call us to be purveyors of hope to those in despair, and expressions of grace when life grows hard and we feel offended. Strengthen us for the tasks we do have, that we might not be drawn aside by issues that are not ours to bear.
We plead for our Christian brothers and sisters in places where persecution is a fact of life. May their continued witness be blessed and their tormentors be overcome by love. Comfort those who mourn the loss of fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters. May their witness not be in vain; let the ones around them see and know that faith, not violence and hatred, is the victory people truly seek.
Guide our paths in the days in front of us, teaching us daily to desire the kingdom over which Jesus rules. And so we pray, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation; but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen
Prayer for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, May 17 Our Lord, our Guide, our Protector, in humility we thank You for calling us into Your presence again this day. We are grateful for life, aware of its beauty and possibilities on one hand, and of its hardships and brevity on the other. We see, we hear, we touch; we sense the design of Your creation, declared to be very good. We also note the places where Your work has been left for us to do. Equip us, we pray, with rightful minds that think and pattern after Your own example. In a world full of bickering and rancor, of accusations and untruth, of positioning and callousness, turn our thoughts to the only One who is the way, the truth, the life. Let us not be caught up in the pettiness and of the day, with its emphasis on all that is wrong with those of other opinions; rather, send us as ministers of reconciliation; for we have been reconciled to You in spite of our initial hostility toward Your will, Your ways, and even Your love. You’ve given us new hearts; continue the work of molding them into copies of Yours, we pray. We ask yet again in shame that You forgive our sins. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, for our wayward thoughts and our thoughtless actions; remove our transgressions from us, not the guilt alone, but the very desire to act contrary to Your will. Renew a right spirit within us. Forgive us, we pray, for misrepresenting You in our lives. The world needs to see and hear a new and better way, yet we have acted too much out of the old nature of self. Hear our repentant hearts and forgive us our debts, we pray. Among us are those who mourn; comfort their hearts and restore their joy in Your time. Among us are those who are sick, some to greater degrees than others, but all in need of Your healing touch; we ask that You provide it. Among us also are those with great concern for loved ones who seem headed toward destruction of body or soul; help them to bring their burdens before You and leave them there. Among us are those who have been greatly disappointed by the turns of life; lift those spirits to see that what is yet ahead is far more to be desired than anything that is lost in this world. Send us then, we pray, to be among the hurting and lost ones in redemptive ways, speaking words Your Spirit provides, and acting with power that we do not possess in ourselves. Remind us to fix our eyes upon the kingdom we anticipate, bringing its ways of peace and brotherhood into the places we now live and serve. Hear Your church around the world as it prays together, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Fifth Sunday of Easter (Mothers Day), May 10 Gracious and loving are You, O God; holy and righteous are Your ways. You have made Yourself known in countless ways, if only we will look and see, hear and perceive. You even created the human race to bear Your image as witness to each succeeding generation. Male and female, together as one, neither capable of expressing Your likeness without the other, each showing something unique about who You are, and how You love and care for us all. Today people have set aside as a day to honor mothers. Your creative intent for them is both holy and beautiful; and we thank You for each one of them who has given herself to represent Your nurturing love to her children, that they may see and know You are not far away, but are to be found in the simplest, most natural ways of life. Bless each one today. Give them wisdom, gentleness, compassion, and endurance. Today we also pray for those who will become mothers in the future. It is sometimes a bewildering world in which to raise children, a place in which the role is not celebrated or encouraged, where children are not valued as they ought to be, nor taught as they need to be. Give courage to love rightly, discerning the difference between cost and value, between love and license, and between direction and control. Forgive us, we pray, for the ways in which we have devalued Your order for living as men and women. We lust, we long, we seek our own desires instead of that which honors You and one another. In Your mercy, forgive us our sins. We chase after other gods, seek other joys, and chase after other dreams than those You have told us are good. We humbly confess and repent of our unrighteousness. Lord, have mercy upon us. Set before us Your open word of truth, inviting us afresh to hear and perceive, to see and understand, that we may be healed of our wayward desires. Teach us anew to seek first the kingdom of God and Your righteousness, trusting that all things truly needful will be added to us from Your loving hand. We pray for the widows and the orphans, whether made so through war, sickness, or abandonment. Show Your compassionate heart to each of them through godly people who hear Your prophetic word to care for them in Your place. We pray for a peace that political theories cannot provide, that an end to the wars that plague us would come quickly. We pray for our leaders, both in our native land and in the world at large; may they know the judgment that belongs to You alone. And we pray for our spiritual mother, the church of Jesus, the bride of Christ. Give her wisdom and honor, humility and courage, faithfulness and submission to the truth. Hear her even now as she prays in the way You taught us, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, May 3 It is You, our God, Who established the heavens and the earth, setting marvels in the sky and mysteries in seas. No matter how far we gaze or how deeply we explore, wonders abound, and our minds are drawn to search and understand what You have made. It is You, our Guide, Who also set forth the way in which we should go, that it may go well with us in our days upon the earth. But rather than exploring these ways and enjoying life according to Your design, we have sought our own path and brought many a sorrow upon ourselves and upon those with whom we share this life. How foolish we have been. How great a toll it has taken on our relationships, our prospects, and our health. We ask for Your forgiveness, our Father, for the sins we have committed in thought, word, and deed, knowing full well that we have not made Your ways to be ours. Lord, have mercy upon us as we confess our transgressions. We have failed to think, speak, and act in times when we might have done so to the benefit of other people, leaving undone those deeds of redemptive witness You called us to bear. In Your mercy, O Lord, please forgive our unrighteousness. Cleanse our minds and spirits that we would see and do the things we ought with such joy that there be no time or thought given to those things we ought not to think, say, or do. Fill us instead with the knowledge and love of Christ, that we might be pleasing in Your sight, pointing a waiting world toward the One who loved us and gave Himself for us. We ask You today to be near to the broken-hearted, present to the alien and stranger, and sustaining for the sick, the injured, and the aged. We ask for encouragement to those weary in well-doing, wondering how much more they can handle. We ask for courage for those who risk self on behalf of others, and for grace to abound in those who are criticized for making hard decisions. And we ask for clear vision, that we might see and judge our own ways rightly, learning thereby to participate in what You are doing to redeem this world. Set our sights on things above that we might see things here and now rightly. Hear us as we pray together with Your church of the ages, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for the Third Sunday of Easter, April 26 Our God, our Maker, our Savior--we come this morning because You have displayed before us and before the world Your wisdom and Your love. You, our God, have made all things, visible and invisible, both the material things we see and discover as well as the laws by which they hold together a vast and beautiful cosmos. You, our Lord and King, set the boundaries within which we search and discover, and within which learn we learn the good. You, our Savior, Jesus Christ, the Son, redeem us from our foolish insistence on doing things that display our rebellious hearts. Great are You, and glorious are Your works. We offer humble thanks for the work of Christ on our behalf; it is he alone who saves all who live by faith. We celebrate our baptism into his death and into his life, and into the power of Your Holy Spirit, that we might live pleasingly before You and redemptively toward the world around us. Great are You, Lord, and glorious is Your salvation. With repentant hearts we confess our sins before You this day. For speaking foolishly and hurtfully before considering our words, Father, forgive us and take away our sin. For setting our minds too firmly on the things below and too loosely on the things above, where Christ is seated, we plead for Your mercy; Father, forgive us and renew our minds by Your Spirit. For our willful failure to seek the lost and heal the broken, we sorrowfully remember the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf, when we ourselves were helpless. Have mercy upon us, we humbly pray; restore our sight. We pray for a world divided. Rich and poor, neighbor and foreigner, black and white, male and female, republican and democrat, young and old, You made us to be One and have given to us the ministry of reconciliation through Christ. Send us, O Lord, to do the works of love and forgiveness, of restoration and renewal of all things, the very works for which You gave us Your Spirit. We pray for the broken-hearted this morning. The day on which all tears shall be dried is not yet upon us. Until it is, may we weep with those who weep, with tears that make way for hope. And may we encourage with smiles and laughter that take up the joys we have known and store them for the day of restoration of all things. We pray for those whose minds are given to finding ways to overcome a sickness that has destroyed bodies, made weary the healers, and caused fear and panic around the world. Reveal to us how we might encourage those whose strength is gone, whose hopes have faded, and whose minds have been numbed by painful loss. Our hearts have been broken, yet we look for Your salvation to come. Until that day, hear the prayer of Your people, as they say together, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy willbe done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive usour debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen
Prayer for the Second Sunday of Easter, April 19 You, Our God, reign over all the earth--and far, far beyond all that we see and imagine. As Creator, all things belong to You. Our times, indeed all times, are in Your hands. When You spoke the word the heavens were made; when You became the Word made flesh You redeemed humanity; when You rose from the dead as living Lord, You opened the door to life everlasting. Now it is Your love that reigns over us. We praise You, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We long to see the world we know renewed in hope, restored in virtue, and returned to confidence that all things indeed are Yours. Today, however, we see a world that has placed its confidence in the princes of the earth and in the products and knowledge we create ourselves. There is no fear of God in the land, and everyone does what is right in his or her own eyes. And we are in turmoil. We cannot agree, we cannot get along, even in the face of a threat to life and health. Forgive us, our Father, we pray, for being swept along with the ways and hopes and fears of the world. We have not been sufficiently vigilant regarding our hearts, our souls, or our minds. Our thoughts have not been Your thoughts regarding how to use our time, our resources, and our love. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, we pray, and heal us. Forgive our great and terrible sins, especially those that seem small in our own eyes. Redeem us anew from captivity to the false hopes and dreams that abound in this world. Lead us by Your Spirit to cast aside the things that hinder us from living freely before You and hopefully before the lost people we encounter every day. May we be the ones whose feet go to places where good news will be spoken and received. Today we pray for our communities, beginning right here. We pray that drugs, alcoholic addiction, domestic violence, and disrespect among neighbors would be met and conquered by the love of Christ. Spread that love though the words and deeds of Your people. In our present turmoil, we pray for the sick, that Your Holy Spirit would touch bodies and minds in the name of Jesus. We pray for those hungering and thirsting, both for food and water and also for Your own presence. Feed them, we pray, by the hands of those You indwell. We pray for the grieving ones, that Your comfort and Your promise would be wrapped around them. For the battered and broken, we pray for Samaritans who put the needs of the neglected ones above their own. And we thank you for those who serve as Your answers to all of these pleas, selflessly serving that friends and strangers alike may find life renewed. Refresh them, we pray. Hear the prayers of people around this earth, hoping for health, longing for wisdom, panting for peace, and looking for the day when our faith shall become sight. Hear us once again, as we pray together, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name; Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer for The Day of Resurrection. Today, Our Father, we celebrate Your power, Your love, and Your hope. For all the wonders You have made, all the wisdom that orders the universe in its incredible expanse, we offer our inadequate words of praise. For the beauty of the earth, the glories of the skies we pause to wonder and give thanks. Yet this day it is the redemptive hope You provide in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead that causes us to sing, to rejoice, and to speak our hope. May the words of messengers long ago fall fresh and new, powerful and transforming upon our spirits today--why seek the living among the dead? Why seek for comfort, for guidance, for security, for joy, for meaning, and purpose where only death is found? You call us not to follow a code, but a living Christ, who knows the joys and sorrows, the pains and afflictions of this world, and has defeated them. This day we ask for resurrection hope to surround us and then to penetrate our thinking about the rest of our lives in this present age. This day we seek the life and the power of the resurrection for our daily tasks. We seek a return to tables with gathered family and friends; we long to return to the world we knew, witnessing to Your love for all mankind. We long for health and wholeness, realizing like never before how precious those gifts are. But we long for them with greater hope because of what this day is all about--life from the dead, hope from the despair, brightness from the gloom, joy from the sorrows we’ve known. Forgive us, O God, our many sins of word, thought, and deed. We truly are sorrowful and plead for Your grace. Lord, have mercy. Forgive us, we humbly pray, for our frequent failures to speak, to think, and to do those things we ought. We seek the true repentance that turns toward our fellow humanity with sufficient love to speak, think, and do as we should. Bring hope to the needy, health to the broken in body and soul; bring comfort to the mourning ones, encouragement to those who face loss of many kinds. Prepare us to see with Your eyes, hear with Your ears, and touch with Your hands those who need Your love. Make this day of resurrection hope the beginning of new life for someone. Guide Your church, here and throughout our nation and the whole world. For You care for all, Christ died for all, and the Holy Spirit seeks all to come and be healed. Hear us as we pray together,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
April 5, 2020 O God, our Father, we come to You this day as children with wondering yet weary eyes. We wonder about the world we see, and we wonder about the things we cannot see. We long to see beautiful things in each of these, for that is why You made them; yet we are wearied in seeing much sickness and pain.
O Christ, our Savior, we come to You this day as seekers and as sinners with saddened hearts. The beauty we long for has been marred by the sins of others, and our ability to see rightly has been marred by our own. Save us, we pray, through Your grace.
O Holy Spirit, our Guide and Strength, we come to You as interns, learning the ways and the practices of a new and better way to live, to love, and to invest our lives for mankind’s benefit and for Your own glory. And we find the learning especially difficult when it is most desperately needed.
O Holy God, ever three and ever One, unite Your people and those who long to be Yours through the cross of Christ and the sacrifice Jesus gave there on our behalf.
Forgive us our sins, we pray, for they are many. Lord, have mercy. Forgive us especially for thinking our sins to be trivial matters. When we tend to think of them as barely worth mentioning, point us anew to the cross of Christ, where all the sins, both great and small in our eyes, must be born by him there. Father, have mercy upon us. Forgive us, we humbly pray, for the irritations we feel when our desires are unmet, even while we fail to ask what Yours might be. Heal us, we pray, and clear our vision.
Lord, we long to gather together again to sing Your praise, to share in the hearing and doing of Your word. We want to give and receive the embrace of brotherly love, share the tears of both joy and sorrow, and look upon the brothers and sisters of faith by whom You bless us. We want to gather again at Your table. We long to serve one another, to reach to the suffering in Your name. Hasten the return of these gifts, made all the more precious in their absence.
And so we plead for a cure, for new means of prevention. We ask for strength for the healers and helpers, wisdom for the researchers and responders, patience for the directors and decision makers. We ask for calm among the crowds, courage among the suffering, and comfort upon those facing great loss. Send us, freshly renewed by Your Spirit, into the very world that frightens and confuses and causes great pain. Speak Your word this day, as we listen, and as we present ourselves before You, ever praying as we go,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
March 29, 2020 You, O Lord, have invited us to come to You in humility, in worship, and in prayer, that we might also find fellowship with You --Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, perfect in unity and purpose. You invite us, knowing even better than we ourselves the fears, the hesitations, the frustrations, and the irritations of our hearts and of our minds. How gracious You are, receiving the prayers of those who either secretly or openly question Your rule. You, before whom all hearts are open and all thoughts are known, are waiting for us. So teach us anew how to pray as we ought, with honesty, repentance, and faith. Forgive our dishonesty before You and before one another, O God of Truth. Have mercy upon us. We confess our distrust of Your will for us, leading to envy, selfishness, and pride. Have mercy upon us and forgive us our sins, we pray. May our thoughts, words, and deeds be open to us as they are to You, that we might turn from our sin and be saved. Today we pray for those facing the last enemy, death itself. Our prayer is for both those whose lives in this world are coming to an end and for those whose own lives are so connected to them that the loss seems unbearable. For those whose love can no longer be returned; for those who longed for the love of one who has gone without granting it; for those who have closed their hearts to love for fear of rejection, we plead for Your mercy and for Your powerful love to be a fresh and overwhelming presence. For this that sacred head was wounded, that precious life of Jesus was given. Extend his resurrected presence to darkened places both here and wherever the human heart is broken, wherever people are in bondage to the fear of this enemy. We are the more keenly aware of death in these troubling days of a rampant virus that knows few boundaries. We fear not only the disease and its attacks on the body, but the aftermath of our seemingly futile efforts to stop it. For many of us, life will never be the same as it was. Speak to us, Lord, into our ears, our hearts, our minds, and our spirits the words You have always given to Your people: Fear not. Walk with us, we pray. Walk with those who are caring for the sick and dying. Walk with those who research for a cure. Walk with those who otherwise walk alone. Walk with those who are worried. Walk with those who no longer have work. Walk with those who must establish policies. Walk with those who must teach and explain. Walk with those who care for children, even while fearing themselves. Walk with those who choose to spread joy and hope in the midst of sorrow and despair. Walk with those who bring good news. Walk with those who find new ways to move ahead, wiser than before. Walk with those who are finding salvation out of destruction. Heal the sick, we pray. Give sight to those who are blinded by the world and its deceit, as well as by failing eyes. Give strength to the weak, and soaring wings to those under the weight of so many cares and tasks and expectations. Speak hope to those in despair--a hope that will not disappoint, but is fixed in the certainty of an ascended Lord who now sits enthroned above all the powers and pretensions of this world. Seat us again with Him as we pray together, . . . Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us, not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. March 22, 2020 Eternal Father, Saving Son, Abiding Holy Spirit hear our prayer. We come before You broken, bewildered, and humbled.
We have been reminded that we are not immortal, we are not omnipotent, we are not omniscient. Those traits are Yours and Yours alone. Even as we are humbled, may we seek in these days our Maker and Redeemer first of all. And then may we ask of You the wisdom, the grace, and the resolve to work together for the healing of the world.
Our prayer is for those who are sick from a disease we did not know, and for all who suffer from attacks on the body from within.
Our prayer is for those whose loved ones have died, taken so quickly with plans and hopes gone with them.
Our prayer is for those who fear and cannot go about their tasks from day to day.
Our prayer is for those who place their own health and their very lives at risk to care for the sick and dying.
Our prayer is for those who must maintain order among restless and worried people, whether at the store or on the streets.
Our prayer is for those who must lead and coordinate the provision and distribution of needed supplies.
Our prayer is for those who only criticize and scoff.
Our prayer is for each of us, that we might display grace, courage, wisdom, and love.
Forgive us, Our Father, for sins of body, mind, and spirit; we have not thought, spoken, and acted at all times as Your children, images of Yourself. Have mercy upon us for the sake of Your Son, who lived among us that we might live in union with You and with one another.
And so we join Your church through many ages, many struggles, many victories, many sorrows, yet always in faith as we pray,
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us, not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
March 15, 2020 Everlasting Father, ever faithful Son, ever present Holy Spirit, we worship You. Holy Trinity of love and power, we bow before You in our need, some of which we know, yet much of which we do not even recognize. We come this day more aware of our want than we were before, more fearful than we might have been, seeking faith to see and receive the provisions of Your hand.You know what lies before us, You care about the dangers around us, You are more than able to lead us through our distress. Your faithfulness is not in question; ours is being tested.
We pray for a world in danger from a sickness of the body that we do not sufficiently understand. For those who are ill, we pray for health. For those who may become ill, we pray for help. For those who love and care for the sick ones, we pray for patience and calm, for strength of spirit and soundness of mind. For those who have already lost someone they loved, we pray for comfort and strength to go on. For all of these, we pray for the light of the world to show a way forward that will lead to new hope, new faith, and new power to live in this world with an assurance of the world to come, where Jesus reigns completely.
While we bring before You our confusion and our anxiety, we also pause to give You thanks. We thank You for life and a beautiful place in which to live it. We thank You for the health and strength we have enjoyed. We thank You for gifts that express Your heart, gifts that include the healing of body and soul. For doctors, nurses, researchers, pharmacists, and all who have invested their minds and labor to healing our diseases, we are thankful. For those who create policies by which we can live together in the face of danger, we are grateful. For those in these roles who pause to pray, even in the face of scoffing disbelief, we are thankful and ask that you give like resolve to each of us in our own places. May we be seen as those whose confidence is in You above all else.
We pray for the sickness of soul that continues to grip the world as a whole, as it seeks to live without knowledge of its Maker and even less of its Savior. Shine upon us once more, O Lord. For the sickness of soul remaining in each of us, we confess our need for healing in our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. Have mercy upon us, we pray, and forgive our sins. Be our healer, our teacher, our companion, and our hope, as we pray together saying, Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us, not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.