Prayers of the Church, 9.28.08

God of light, you bring us the seasons so that we may know your glory, so that we may feel the warmth of the sun on our backs and experience the pallet of colors that is autumn; we marvel at our mountains and at the sky; we marvel at your creation. You bring us the sun and the rain and we know it falls on the just and the unjust, the happy and the sad, the healthy and the ailing. Your love falls on all of us.

Great minds and talented hands are given by you. The minds you give us to dream, to design, the hands to create, to build…we are surrounded here by wood and metal created by your inspiration; we pray to you inside this structure built to glorify you, a house of prayer for all nations where we, your people do pray.

We confess that, like the money changers, we have strayed from your designs. We have put the love of things before your calling. We have put the love of things before the service of others. We have put the love of things before our love for you. Forgive us for forgetting your teachings; forgive us for our greed, our selfishness, our love of self over others.

Thank you for Your Son – for His strength and passion, His righteous anger. We thank you also for the strength of grace given freely to us through the Christ.

Lord, there are ideals and causes worth fighting for…and against. We ask your strength to stand up, to hold fast, to persevere against evil in the name of Your kingdom.

Bless those organizations that care for those in need like World Vision, Christian Children’s Fund, Samaritan’s Purse, Salvation Army, Haven of Mercy, and for secular organizations as well – the Red Cross, CARE, doctors without borders. Bless the sacrifices of their workers and volunteers, of their administrators and their donors.
Bless our enemies, Father. When we want to ignore, think ill, or do even worse to those who oppose us, give us the strength and desire to love, to help, to serve even those we once despised.

Lord, in the silence, hear the requests and praises that we bring to your throne:


The world revolves around wealth, good money and bad. We wrap ourselves up in happiness and fear based on what takes place with money and to money. People will suffer because of money woes…some of us only with discomfort while with others suffering may be much greater. There are those who will go hungry because there’s not enough money to go around. Some will even die. Focus our hearts on serving you and not coin and paper…focus us on those in real material and spiritual need.

And now we pray together as Jesus taught us to pray: