Prayers of the Church, 7.18.10

Great and wondrous are you, most high of most high. It is you who have made us and not we ourselves. We are your people and the sheep of your pastures. Your blessings rain down upon us every day of our lives and we dwell with you and among you as your children.

Among your many gifts, Lord, you have blessed us with the greatest gift that anyone or any group could ever possess: the grace that comes only through the blood of the Lamb. Of all the creatures on the earth, we are the richest because of your great gift. Just as you have blessed us, so you expect us to bless those around us, friend or foe, beloved or scorned because they are your creations and you care for all of them.

Even though you have forgiven us and blessed us repeatedly, even though you command us to love one another, we often do not regard those around us with even an iota of the same grace.

Idiot! Worthless! Slacker! Disappointment! How easy it is to cover those we hate AND those we love with such hurtful, despicable monikers. The words can slip off our tongues before we even know what we’ve said. Even when we realize what we’ve done, we often leave it to those we hurt to “get over it”.

You put us on this earth to bless others in the name of the risen king. You put us on this earth to serve others with our whole beings. How can we accomplish your wishes if we cannot control our tongues?

Just as we can so easily wound those around us, at times we seem so easily insulted and hurt, almost as if we’re waiting to be offended. Then, once offended, we open our bag of excuses and allow the body of Jesus Christ to be damaged because of our sensitivities, our pettiness, our self-righteousness.

We so easily forget the sufferings of our Savior, our beloved Lord: He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

If the pure and blameless savior could endure the brutality that the sinful world had to offer, how can we not clothes ourselves with at least a little thicker skins, and choose to give the benefit of the doubt to those with whom we live, work, and worship?

Help us, Father, to cover those around us with blessings instead of heaping them with curses. Help us be mature Christians, people who look at the good in others, instead of looking to be insulted or put upon.

Bless our enemies, Lord. Forgive us when our curses are the reason they are against us. Help us to restore relationships instead of burning bridges with our negative words and deeds.

In the Silence, Oh God, allow us to repent of the curses, insults, and harshness we have cast upon the people around us. Help us redouble our efforts to bless, encourage and lift up those with whom we live. Too, Father, we bring our supplications for relief from our afflictions. Remove from us what you will and help us to cheerfully bear the ones which remain.


Praise be to you, Lord, for loving us in spite of our weaknesses and blemishes. We lift up our faces in thanksgiving.

Now we ask that you bless the Ghana Christian Mission and its leaders, Enoch and Lydia Nyador. We thank you for their ministry and ask that you bring them health and keep them well so they can continue to do your work among the people around them.

And now, we pray together as Jesus Christ taught us to pray: `

Prayers of the Church, 7.11.10

God of all time, you bring light to your earth, warmth to all of your creation. All that happens and does not happen is under your control. When life goes well for your people, you are often forgotten amidst celebration of the peoples’ perceived greatness. When life is harsh, when times are bad, your people often wonder where you are and why you have forsaken them. That is when your people call on you to intervene and to save them. No matter what humans choose to believe or at what time they choose to believe it, you are a constant on this planet; you impact all your children’s lives.

God of the Old Testament, creator of heaven and earth—when your children cried out to you, you always heard them and often chose to deliver them. When your people angered you, you did not hesitate to punish them; you did not hesitate to make them pay for their transgressions even unto death. You called upon them to make sacrifices to you, to make atonement for their sins. You called upon them to live righteous lives and to worship you, yet they failed time and again. Still you never turned away from your chosen ones.

God of the New Testament, ageless and enduring -- your people loved you, but they still strayed. As far as they had progressed over many generations, they continued to sin against each other and against you. Even when they worshipped, they often misplaced their adoration to you with the love of idols, the love of the law, the love of being your chosen. Yet, because of your endless love for your people, instead of striking them down as in the days of old, instead of turning them to stone, instead of calling forth floods or pestilence, you brought forth the Messiah, the Savior who had been prophesied.

Praise be to you, most gracious God, for the deliverance that you provided to your people in the sacrifice of your only Son. Praise be to you, Oh Lord, for the salvation that is found through the Light of the world. Thank you for the cleansing of sins. Thank you for the promise of heaven. Thank you for the opportunity that your people have to share the Good News to all who will hear so that they, too, can experience the life that is only found in blood of the Lamb.

Help your children use what you have taught them over the ages to bless their enemies. Further, Lord, it is your children’s plea that you bless their enemies, too, just as they have received your favor.

In the silence, hear your peoples’ words of adoration and thanksgiving just as prayers of intercession and deliverance are laid at your feet.


Father of all nations, unite your people in the cause of the Christ. Unite your children in lives of worship, obedience and service. Specifically, Lord, blessings are sought for the Salvation Army. Guide their leaders, staff, volunteers, and supporters. Provide for them during these times of want, just as you provide for those the Salvation Army serves.

And now, your people, your loving children join together in the prayer of the ages:

Prayers of the Church, 7.4.10

O God, you are our God; we seek you, our souls thirst for you; our flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So we have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, our lips will praise you. So we will bless you as long as we live; we will lift up our hands and call on your name. Our souls are satisfied as with a rich feast, and our mouths praise you with joyful lips for you have been our help, and in the shadow of your wings we sing for joy. Our souls cling to you; your right hand upholds us. We are your good and faithful servants.

We love you, Lord, with our whole hearts. We praise your name. We worship you. We follow your precepts. We serve. We share. We give.

And we sometimes stand in the way of those who seek to unite and reunite with you, putting our conditions on a salvation that is so perfect as to make it almost more than we can understand.

Sometimes our brothers and sisters have strayed, while we have stayed steadfast. We witness sins, we witness faithless living, we witness actions totally in contrast to your word: flawed, flawed people who were once in our midst, and who now wish to be reunited with us and more importantly, with you.

Your love is so vast and deep that you celebrate every soul that comes to you. How can we do less? How can we fail to celebrate whenever any soul searches for you whether in the form we find pleasing or not? You find it pleasing to have your children returned to you, your babies reconciled to you. Why else would you sacrifice your most beloved, Jesus Christ?

Let us not conditionally accept our brothers and sisters back while we wait to see if they will fall again...for they will, just as we will. Instead, let us joyfully, honestly throw open our gates, throw open our doors to welcome in anyone who calls you Father, anyone who asks forgiveness, anyone who wishes to be reunited with you.

You invite us to the party. You invite us to celebrate the victory of every soul reunited with you. Help us show that joy to the world around us so others may see at least a glimpse of your promise.

Bless our enemies. They are many. We may proclaim that we value all your creation. Help it be truly that way in our hearts.

And now, in the silence, let us praise your name for a grace so deep that it has room for all who ask, while at the same time we bring to you our pain, sorrow, fear, and hunger.


Bless be your kingdom, Oh Lord, a kingdom that has room for all who proclaim you Lord.

We pray your blessings on Milligan College, Lord, the staff, faculty, and administration, as they work to teach and develop educated Christians. Bless the students as they use the basin and the towel to serve your kingdom.

And now, we pray together, as a united family, the words that Jesus taught us to pray: