Prayers of the Church, 3.27.11

To you, O Lord, we lift up our eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, until he has mercy upon us.

Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us.

We ask, Father, that you give us the hearts of servants, people who give freely of ourselves. Give us hearts that welcome each other in the Lord as is fitting for the saints. Give us hearts to help others in whatever way they may require for we are all focused on the same goal, all working toward a common mission: sharing the love of Jesus Christ with all those in need, near and far.

Humble us, Father. Take the ambition that we may feel for the things of this world and focus it instead on service toward you. Help us revel in the success of others. Help us bloom where we’re planted, rooted firm in the knowledge that our desires for greatness are normal, but spiritually immature and misguided. Instead, keep us ever mindful that we who would be first must be last.

Thank you, Lord, for the steadfast work of those who risk their livelihoods for the gospel. Comfort and strengthen them with the knowledge and faith that you will provide for them, as you provide for all of us. Give them -- and us -- hearts like Priscilla and Aquila, hearts full of love for you and your commandments.

Forgive of us our sins, O God, for they are many. Hear our words of penitence. Rejoice with us, Father, in the blessings of life that you provide. We come to you in the silence.


There is no room in your kingdom for enemies. Bless those who we might call enemies and give us the gifts of understanding, tolerance, and love so that we might love our friends and enemies, alike.

We rejoice with Milligan College as they move forward in their mission to send educated Christians into the world to serve your kingdom. We ask your blessings on the school’s leadership, and especially on their president-elect and our brother, Bill Greer.

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

Prayers of the Church, 3.13.11

Our souls magnify the Lord, and our spirits rejoice in God our Savior, for you have looked with favor on the lowliness of your servants. Surely from now on all generations will call us blessed.

Give us the devotion to respond to your favor, O Lord.

Give us the faith of Mary, Father. Give us the faith of the young girl, the young girl who was called upon by you, whose world was turned upside down when you chose her to be our Lord’s earthly mother. Give us the faith to say, “Here am I, Lord”.

Give us the courage of the midwives, who stood up to the Pharaoh; who loved and feared you. When evil is before us, give us the courage to stand up, to act, to respond with love, a love that may not always be easy to manifest. Give us the courage to say no to oppression, give us the courage to say no to injustice, give us the courage to turn our backs on the world’s approval. Give us the courage, Lord, to faithfully follow your word, regardless of the cost.

Give us the compassion of the Christ, who called upon his followers to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to visit to the sick, to comfort the lonely. Give us the compassion, the dedication, and the love to minister to the least of these.

Bless our enemies, Father. It is not enough for us to say “We love you, God”, when we do not love our neighbors. It is not enough to say, “We love you, God”, when we do not love our enemies. Give us a love so deep that we, from our hearts, bless our enemies. Give us a love so deep that we “put on Christ” for all those in our lives regardless of the state of our relationships.

Steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord. In the silence hear us rejoice because of your grace. In the silence, hear our prayers as we come to you and share our pain.


Evil surrounds us on this earth, Father. We pray for those whose lives have been devastated by the recent tsunami. We also pray for those whose lives are just as desperate and upon whom the world’s light has never shined.

Lord, please bless the Interfaith Hospitality Network. We pray that you help the mission in its efforts to keep families together while they are being taught how to succeed and overcome adversity. We thank you for the selfless service of the staff and volunteers and ask that you bless their spirits and their efforts.

And now, O God, we pray together as our savior, Jesus Christ, taught us to pray:

Prayers of the Church, 3.6.11

Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of the enemy because the Lord our God goes with us. You, O God, will never fail or forsake us.

You, O Lord, are our helper – Your help surrounds us in the scriptures, the lessons of Jesus and his disciples. Your help surrounds us in the Christian servants with whom we worship, serve, and live. Your help surrounds us in the form of your spirit, a spirit that never forsakes us.

Many of us, Father, have spent countless days and hours learning to be good Christians. Some of us have spent practically our entire lives learning the love of Jesus Christ. We know the words.

We know what to say and we know what to do. Our failing so often comes when we are called to put our Christian knowledge into action.

God, make us Christian people of action. When we see a need among our friends and family, give us the inclination, give us the wherewithal to act, to support, to assist.

Inside our families, among our friends, inside this congregation, we must think and act like a body, knowing that we are all your creation, all your children. Then we must act with hospitality to strangers, not just friends. Help us be a blessing to all those who come into our lives, individually and collectively.

You are the Lord of our enemies. Bless them, Father, and help us bless them, too, with our thoughts, words, and actions.

You, O Lord, are our rock and our strength – Give us the strength to stand fast against the lure of the world. Give us the strength to be content with what possessions we have, and to not covet what eludes us whether it be wealth, power, influence, physical beauty, fame.

Help us stand solid in our efforts to overcome weakness, to overcome our sin. Forgive us when we call on you to save us from the sins we wish to waive, the sins we wish to ignore.

You, O Lord, are our light – Your spirit shines on our path; guides us on our way. But so often you do not reveal the entire path, but a few steps. Give us the spiritual maturity, give us the faith, to follow you when we can only see a step or two in front of us for we know that you will care for us.

In the silence, hear our prayers of penitence, our words of praise for your help, strength, light:


We pray your blessings on Higher Ministries, Lord. Guide them as they support healthy church leadership, leadership which can help their congregations be a blessing to their communities.

And now, WE can say with confidence “The Lord is our shepherd. We will not be afraid. With the same confidence, we pray as Jesus taught us to pray: