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:

Prayers of the Church, 5.30.10

The LORD is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples.
Let them praise your great and awesome name. Holy is he!
Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity.
You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
Extol the LORD our God; worship at his footstool. Holy is he!

We are your creation, made in your likeness. Your plans, your grand designs, were perfection. Yet you loved your people so much that you gave them…you gave us, the ability to think, choose, and decide for ourselves, what to believe in and how to act. You gave us the gift and responsibility of free will.

In our weakness and in our sin, we moved away from you and your teachings. In our weakness and in our sin, we let evil take root in our lives.

Even as ugly and vile as we, your children, became, you never stopped loving us. So great was your love that you gave us the chance to be reconciled with you. You offered atonement. You offered the chance of salvation from our inequities and you were willing to sacrifice what you loved most…for us.

Your son cried out on the cross, as the sins of the world rained down upon him, as the sins of the world engulfed him, as the sins of the world buried him.


By the blood of the Lamb, you cleanse us.
By the blood of the Lamb, you make us righteous.
By the blood of the Lamb, you return us to you, purified and whole.

Forgive us when we turn to the wisdom of the world. Forgive us when we don’t think we need reconciling. Forgive us when we think we can overcome wickedness and evil by our sheer will or even extreme goodness. We don’t have the strength.

Instead, God, shine the light of goodness on us, and help us work to bring your peace, fullness, and abundance to all of creation. Show us the way.

Bless our enemies, Lord, those who despise us, but even more, those whom we despise. Give us the maturity to seek reconciliation.

In the silence, Lord, hear our words of penitence, hear our words of joy. In the silence, Father, hear our cries of pain and sadness. Hear our words of wonder and thanksgiving at the grace you shower upon us.


Father, we ask your blessing on Higher Ministries. Guide them as they provide counseling and support for ministers, their families, and the churches they serve. Thank you, Lord, that you healed their founder and our brother, John Marr, in his recent battle with leukemia.

And now, we pray together as Jesus, our atonement, taught us to pray:

Prayers of the Church, 3.14.10

Come, let us return to the Lord.

Loving God, your appearing is as sure as the dawn; you will come to us like the showers, like the spring rains that water the earth. Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes away early. You do not desire mere sacrifice from us, but mercy. You desire mercy.

Come, let us return to the Lord.

We so often speak grandly about our righteousness, when, instead of being filled with the Holy Spirit, we are content to offer mindless sacrifices. Reject our attempts to just “get by” as Christians. Reject our efforts to sit around the table of the Lord, crowding out our enemies, those who we do not see fit to be filled with your blessings. You call us to share our possessions with those in need. You call us to share our time and talents to bring the Good News to life in the lives of others. You call us to share the sacrifice of our Lord with the wretched, the dispossessed, the downtrodden, and build them up in the spirit of the living God.

Come, let us return to the Lord.

When we fail to be loyal to one another, we break your covenants. When we fail to share your blessings, we break your covenants. When we ignore those who are suffering, we break your covenants.

Come, let us return to the Lord.

Forgive us when we throw money at a problem instead of getting involved, instead of making ourselves vulnerable to the needs of others, instead of going out on a limb and sharing your love with the lost.

Come, let us return to the Lord.

Strengthen us against the lures of Satan who tempts us to gather for ourselves at the cost of others. Engender in us the love of family and let us see that the family we must love is your entire world, your entire kingdom.

Open our arms to strangers, open our arms to those who are searching, open our arms to those who are different. Open our arms just as Jesus welcomes us sinners around his table. The table is large. It has room for all who are hungry, for all who wish to serve.

Now, we take a moment to silently share our prayers of thanksgiving and joy while we also lay at your feet our prayers of repentance and loss. Hear us, Lord.


We ask your special blessings today, Father, on Agape Women's Services. Bless their efforts as they provide Biblical counsel and support to women facing crisis pregnancies. Bless their efforts as they offer training on how to be good parents.

And now, we pray together, as a family, the prayer that Jesus, the savior of all, taught us to pray:

Prayers of the Church, 2.28.10

Hear our prayers, O Lord. Give ear to our supplications in your faithfulness; answer us in your righteousness. Do not enter into judgment with your servants, for no one living is righteous before you.

We thank you for the gift that is the priesthood of all believers, for in this belief you give us freedom…freedom to serve and freedom to share. With our freedom -- our privilege -- comes responsibility.

Give us the maturity and the desire to embrace the privilege of being active Christians. Help us understand the gravity of our positions as your envoys. Give us the strength to stand fast in the face of personal and community adversity, in the face of evil. Remove the fear, the timidity, the self-consciousness that keep us from acting in your name.

Give our leaders the confidence and humility to share the priesthood of the church throughout the Christian community. Show them ways to teach, to enlighten, and to mentor those servants who are willing to take more active roles in Christian service.

Individually, we are weak and frail, but when we act as a body of believers, we glorify you more than we ever could alone. Strengthen us with a sense of community. Strengthen us with a sense of kinship. Help us to look to our brothers and sisters on our right and on our left and revel in the knowledge that we all serve the risen King, that we all have the same goals of furthering your kingdom on earth, and that we are much stronger when we work together.

Bless our enemies, Lord. Give us the interest and the insight to understand the rifts between us so we may learn to work, live, and serve together, under the banner of the risen King.

Forgive us our sins, Father, for they are many. Thank you for the grace that washes them away and makes us whole again, in your name.

The needs of our world and the challenges of your children are often more than we can bear alone. Yet, there is so much for which to be joyful, so much for which to be thankful. We take, but a moment of silence, to share some of the concerns as well as the joys that are in our hearts.


We pray your blessings on those around our world who suffer and continue to suffer from natural disasters like in Haiti, in Chile, and even in our own country. We ask that you motivate us to help as we can and that you give those who are afflicted the peace that only you can provide.

We bring before you now, God, the Ghana Christian Mission and its leaders, Enoch & Lydia Nyador. Bless their medical and physical needs, as well as their mission of sharing the gospel and providing medical care to the Ghanaian people around them.

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

Prayers of the Church, 1.31.10

Glory be to you, Lord God, Father of all. You are our King. You are our Father. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea roar and all that fills it. Let the fields exult and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord. For great is the Lord and great is his love for all his children.

God of light -- through your great love for humanity, you give us all free will. You give us the opportunity and ability to choose. We have chosen to follow you. Let us exalt in this decision. Allow others to see the joy we experience as we learn, grow, and bloom in the faith. Let our light shine before others so that they may see the love that you have for us and how much we love you.

God of action -- Turn the love we have for you into deeds. Let us be bold in the name of Jesus. When we see opportunities to serve, give us the desire, the maturity and the faith to stand up and be counted. Give our words of comfort and support the strength of our actions, providing us the power to push manmade roadblocks out of our way, put Satan’s call to self behind us, and strike out in faith as we change lives in the name of your son, Jesus, who never shrank away from his calling.

God of humility -- As we work to do your will, help us ensure the focus of our efforts is firmly on you. Fortify our control so that our own egos and humanly love of self remain in check. Give us holy pride, not the earthly pride that so fits us like a glove. Let us herald your greatness and love as we share your blessings with those in need. Allow all our works to glorify you and your kingdom.

Glory be to you, Lord God, Father of all.

Bless our enemies, Father. Remove the chasms that separate us, Lord, and unite us through the grace of the Father, unite us through the light of the Son, unite us through the Spirit of love.

In the silence, dear God, let us speak our requests and then be silent, listening for your guidance and hearing your call.


We ask your blessings of safety, community, and love on Warren and Julie Veal and their family as they serve you with the Missionary Aviation Fellowship in Mozambique. Strengthen them as they work to actively serve you and serve others in the name of risen Lord.

And now we pray together as Jesus, light of the world, taught us to pray: