prayer for Fifth Sunday of Lent

Merciful God,
Have mercy on our souls,
according to your unwavering love;
according to your abundant mercy
wipe away our sins and the guilt we have carried for so long.

Instead write on our hearts your love
Your boundaries for our lives
Your salvation that sets us free from our sins.
To live the abundant life you have for each of us.

Lord we would see Jesus,
We would love Jesus,
We would follow Jesus
We would serve Jesus.

Lord,
Create in us clean hearts,
Renew your spirit within us.
Do not turn us away from your presence,
do not take your holy spirit from us.
Restore to us the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in us a willing spirit.
Write on our hearts, your love O God,
Amen

cross posted at revgalblogpals and preaching to the choir

Prayer for the Fourth Sunday of Lent

Gracious and Compassionate God,
As we journey through our time of Lent
Our time in deserts and low places
Our time on the mountains and high places
We continue to seek you.

We need you more than ever
in our busyness
our loneliness
our sadness
our depression
our anger
our happiness
our joy
our excitement

We need
your presence
your compassion
your grace
your comfort
your renewal
your healing
your peace
your joy
your love
your salvation

Lord we are
reminded that
all this is embodied
in your son Jesus
in his life
his death
and his resurrection

and that all
this was freely given
that we may have
abundant life
eternal life
fullness of life
freed lives
loved lives
loving lives
grace giving lives

Come Lord
pour your mercy and grace and love and salvation over us
And for these gifts from you we are grateful. Amen

cross posted at revgalblogpals and preaching to the choir

Prayer for Third Sunday of lent

Creator God, we listen as the heavens declare your glory,
We seek to likewise sing of you r glory.

And yet sometimes our word s fall short.
Our very actions cause us to fall on our face.

Lord even if we appear foolish to the world
Let us proclaim Christ crucified.

May we burn with zeal for you,
That we let nothing get in our way of telling others out Jesus

Lord let your presence be in us, around us
breathing new life into us,
so that we may do this work you have called us to

Now let the words of our mouths
and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable to you,
O LORD, our rock and our redeemer.

Prayer for Second Sunday in Lent

Oh, God of love, power and faithfulness,
We journey with your son,
ever closer to Jerusalem,
to his cross his true destiny.

We hear his words
“Take up your cross and follow me,”
but we aren’t sure if it’s the crosses of this life,
or the actual cross of death.

We hear his words,
“deny your self,”
and wonder which self it is;
the self we put on for others,
or the self centered self
that wants it all for ourselves?

Whichever it is,
it seems like Jesus
sure is asking a lot of us
and we aren’t sure we can do this.

God we will need your holy spirit
to be able to do this.
God we will need your grace and mercy
to be able to do this.

We remember
that you empowered your disciples,
the early Christians
and others who decided to follow you,
we believe that you will do likewise for us. Amen.

cross posted at revgalblogpals and preaching to the choir

Prayer for the First Sunday in Lent

God,
As we take this journey
That draws us ever closer to you
Walk with us
Sustain us,
Nurture us.

God, as we go through
The wilderness of lent and of our lives,
Send your manna to us,
give us wisdom to turn from temptation
And your grace to turn to.

God, as we walk through the pot holes of life,
The valleys, the pits of life,
Guide us with your hand
Keep our feet steady,
And our vision on you.

God, whether we choose to give up something for lent
Or do something positive,
Let us not do it out of obligation
Or the tyranny of oughtness,
But out of love for you.

Keep us in your paths of love, mercy and grace.
Lord help us to remember we are not alone
but that we are walking with our fellow/sister travelers . Amen