Sunday, August 28, 2011

Prayer for Proper 17A/Ordinary 22A/Pentecost +11

Oh God, you who are the great I am,
Who appeared to Moses in a burning bush;
Make yourself known to us today.
Guide us as you guided the Israelites to the Promised Land.
You know our sufferings in life, our misery, and our stressors;
Deliver us as well.
Hear our cry for those in the wake of the hurricane Irene,
and for those who have already been effected by her strong winds.
Hear our plea for relief for those who in other parts of our country and world
who have been experiencing major drought, for those living in famine.
Hear our prayer for those who have faced devastation and loss of life
from all the recent earthquakes that have occurred around the world.
Hear our request for liberation for those who are oppressed, under attack,
Held captive, and fear for their lives and wellbeing.
God of our ancestors,
We pray for healing and rehabilitation those in our midst who are ill,
facing surgeries, or recovering from surgeries.
We pray for strength, courage and comfort for those facing death,
those who have had loved ones to die.
Lord of community,
You have transformed us to be your people,
By showing us how to love as your son, Jesus loved;
By giving us your hope;
By filling us with patience to endure and persevere through the hard times;
By teaching us to welcome the strangers,
By pouring your grace into us so that we become generous to those in need;
By giving us your joy, we can rejoice with those who rejoice;
By weeping for your friend Lazarus, we can weep with those who weep;
By forgiving us, we can forgive others;
By feeding us, we can feed the hungry;
By filling up our inner thirst, we can give the cup of cold water to those who thirst; and
By your power to overcome evil, we can also overcome evil with good.
We do all these things to glorify you and to bring your kingdom here on earth.
And so as children of God we pray now the prayer Jesus taught his disciples….

cross posted at revgalblogpals

Painting of Moses and the burning bush by Chagall


Sunday, August 21, 2011

Prayer for Sunday Proper 16A/Ordinary 21A/Pentecost +10

Lord God,
We come to you in humble awe of who you are.
We worship you this morning with songs and voice and now with prayers.
We adore you with our love, praises and thanksgiving.
We thank you for all you are doing in and through your church.
Churches that were once dying are now alive and growing.
Churches that had become unhealthy are now healthy again.
Churches that had become turned inward are now turned outward.
Churches that were inhospitable that have become inviting and hospitable.
Lord God,
We thank you for what you are doing in our own lives.
Growing us to be mature in our faith.
Growing us to be more like Jesus.
Growing us to be loving of others and especially the unloved.

And Lord we come bringing our petitions for those in need.
We now pray for those in our midst who need healing, in the hospital, home recovering, in rehabilitation, those waiting for results of tests.
We pray for those who are grieving today may they be comforted, re-find their way, be strengthened and encouraged.
We pray for those who are in financial distress, facing foreclosure, loss of job, long-term unemployment. May their prayers be heard, jobs found, ease of finances, and the ability to pay their bills.

And Lord we come brining our prayers for our communities, our countries and the nations,
It feels as if we live in tumultuous times everywhere.
Everywhere the economies are in dire straits, bringing other problems with it.
There is rioting, protests, fighting, in every country even our own.
There are famines, food scarcities, medical supplies shortages, high unemployment, the list could go on.
It appears that sometimes the nation’s leaders seem helpless or powerless.
Lord we need you to intervene in our world to put right the wrong, to guide our leaders, to relieve the suffering and pain and to offer real hope to the world.

Lord, we believe that if it had not been for you bringing the Israelites out of captivity from Egypt, they would have been destroyed.
We believe our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
We believe that we all are one body of Christ working in this world, in ministry to this world.
We believe that on the rock you are building your church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

You gave us the keys of the kingdom of heaven to have complete and free access to God's kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven.
Let us then be your church in this world.



cross posted at revgalblogpals

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Prayer for Proper 15A/Ordinary 20A/Pentecost +9

God of our days and lives,
Teach us to live our lives to the fullest,
Teach us to take joy in the many blessings you have showered us with,
Teach us to love one another as those in the early church did,
Teach us to be the church to those who are in need around us.

God of our comings and goings,
Help us to order our work, our play, and our time around you.
Help us to find time to spend with our families, our loved ones and our friends.
Help us to rest and relax as needed.
Help us to spend time in prayer and meditation with you.

God of our world,
Remind us to not turn our backs on those dying from the famines.
Remind us to not turn our eyes away from the rioting that is occurring.
Remind us to not turn our hearts away from those sold into slavery and into the sex trade.
Remind us to not turn our minds away from those who are still recovering from earthquakes.

God of our churches,
Strengthen us to maintain justice.
Strengthen us to do what is right in your eyes.
Strengthen us to be the voice for those who are not able to speak for themselves.
Strengthen us to be your church in this world.
Amen.

Saturday, August 06, 2011

Prayer for Proper 14A/Ordinary 19A/Pentecost +8

Lord we come to you with our prayers
For friends, family, those in need near and far
We pray for those who are hurting,
that their pain may be relieved.
We pray for those whose relationships are broken,
That there may be forgiveness.
We pray for those who are sick,
That there may be healing.
We pray for those who are weak,
That they may be strengthened.

We pray for wisdom and guidance for the leaders of our country.
We pray for relief from debt, joblessness, and recession
We pray for our business leaders that are able to lead the
Way out of this recession and provide jobs.
We pray for those whose lives have been turned upside down,
With not only losing their jobs, but losing their homes,
their means of providing for their families, that they may find their way out of their pits.
We pray that their faith may be strengthened and that they find their hope in you.

We pray for the people of the world,
Who live in places where the economy is much worse,
may their lives be turned around for the better.
We pray for those who are experiencing famine like East Africa,
May their hunger and physical needs be resolved.
We pray for those who are living in conflict,
May peace be brought about.
We pray for Christians who are being persecuted
Around the world, that they may know your presence and strength of faith.

Lord we all have our spiritual struggles, our pits we have been in, and storms of life, and yet we recognize that you are evermore faithful to hear us and reach out to us to pull us up and out to higher ground. Lord, hear our cries for ourselves, for others near and far. Pour your courage into us, strengthen our faith, and be present to us.
Amen.