Prayers of the Church, 9.6.09

Loving and gracious God, we fall down before you, in awe and wonder. We are in awe of your omnipotence. We wonder at your limitless forgiveness. We try to contemplate the deep meaning of Jesus’ sacrifice, how it continues to change the world. We struggle with our response to your many blessings and work to serve you every day.

Teach us, O Lord, the way of your statutes. Fill us with your Holy Spirit. Give us the gifts of discernment and wisdom as we seek to comprehend your will for us, not just on the surface, but deep in our hearts and minds. Help us translate your desires into real, concrete actions, for surely the Gospel is not an earthly story written to guide us to our own selfish gain, but instead a challenging road map of truth for us to follow.

Give us understanding that we may live as you would have us live, sharing your love with the wretched, the dispossessed, the cast-off people of the world. As we meet their physical and mental needs, Lord, let us share the Good News, so they all will know that you are Lord and it is you who provides for them.

Lead us in the path of your commandments, working to live right lives, lives pleasing to you. Lead us especially, as we strive to follow our commandment from Jesus: to love one another as he loves us.

Turn our hearts toward you and away from vanities, O God. The world calls to us. On the surface it’s so beautiful and it plays to our pride and our ego…pressing us, pushing us to the notion of us as the center of the universe. On our own, we cannot resist its allure. We are too weak; we are too immature. Lift us up out of the muck and land us firmly on the rock, the rock that is your truth. Turn our hearts toward the selfless nature of the Gospel.

Bless our enemies, Father. Give us strength as your servants, to bridge chasms, to reach out in the name of Jesus, and share with your love with everyone…the love that can turn enemy into brother.

Father, you open your arms and beckon to us; we run to you, eager to share our joys as well as our sorrows. In the silence, Lord, hear us as we lay before you what is in our hearts and on our minds.


Praise be to you, gracious God, and to your son, the risen savior.

We ask your blessings, Lord, on Philokalia Ministries and the Headen Family as they work to express your love to outcasts of our societies. Not only do the Headens preach the gospel, but they share your unconditional love with HIV patients, helping them understand they have a home in your kingdom and helping them remain productive members of their community even as their health and strength slip away in the ravages of their disease. Strengthen the Headens and members of the ministry as they share your love in the midst of death.

Now, loving Father, we pray together as Jesus, the Christ, taught us to pray:

Prayers of the Church, 8.9.09

Wonderful God, we rise up and cry in a loud voice, “Hosannah, The day of the Lord is here. Now is the day of Salvation!”

In the silence, Father, hear our prayers of joy that you saw fit to send your son, Jesus Christ, to earth to initiate your plan of redemption.


God of forgiveness: You see us totally; you see us naked; and try as we might to hide from you, you see us ugly. You hear us beg for forgiveness because of so many transgressions, so many shortcomings. You could so rightly turn away from us. We plead for you to turn your face toward us. “Don’t abandon us to our own devices. We will surely perish.” We sin against you, yet you choose to clothe us in your righteousness. Because you love us so very much, you cannot stand to have us apart from you. Regardless of our actions, you remain ever faithful.

God of reconciliation: we are a new creation; reconciled to you through the Christ. We are clean, we are pure, washed in the blood of the lamb. And we have been given a mission, a ministry: to be Christ-like ambassadors; to share the message of reconciliation to all the world. Prepare our hearts, Lord, prepare our minds. Help us as we work to spread the Good News of salvation to all your children.

God of grace: bless our enemies. Your grace covers us all who call you Father. Blessed be God, the Father.

We live by faith, not by sight. We have died and risen because of the empty cross and we join with the rest of your kingdom on earth to live a life of faith and participation in the work of Jesus.

We ask your abundant blessings on the Interfaith Hospitality Network and its staff. In particular, we lift up Brian Rosecrans, the director. Strengthen IHN and its support churches as they strive to serve their guests who are experiencing difficult times. Bless the families who come to IHN and let them see Jesus in the faces of the IHN servants.

Now, we pray together as Jesus Christ, the Messiah, taught us to pray:

Prayers of the Church, 8.2.09

Praise be to the God of goodness and mercy, the one true God who loves us and cares for us despite our failings, despite our weakness. Praise be to the God of grace who showers us with forgiveness and never forsakes us no matter the circumstance.

We thank you so much for your great love, Lord, because we so often fail you, the God we call Father. We live with the illusion that we have control of the world around us. You have given us the responsibility to care for your world, but in our failed reasoning, we have determined this planet belongs to us and that we can do as we will with it. We see ourselves as great, as creators. Our civilizations have evolved at an ever increasing pace and we think we are at the helm. We do not see fit to acknowledge you; instead, we pat ourselves on the back and crow about how wonderful we are.

How wonderful…the words are so hollow, so empty. Without you we can be the vilest creatures. We have murdered, raped, pillaged, lied, cheated, coveted. Our ability to perpetuate evil knows no bounds. Many times we have committed these sins in your name which is nothing less than pure abomination.

In our meager attempts to “control” our world, we often point our fingers at those who we see falter, failing to realize we are mired in the same transgressions. There is no friend or enemy when it comes to sin. Give us merciful and empathetic spirits. Give us the strength, God, to recognize our sins and work steadfastly to live lives in the image of Jesus Christ, never flagging in our efforts to be the Christians you intend us to be.

We humans have made such a mess of your world. When we do experience moments of clarity regarding our mistakes, we often make matter worse by our ineffectual efforts to untangle the many messes we have made. One solution begets another mess and the cycle continues. Praise be to the God who is ultimately in charge of this world and can protect it from the likes of us.

Regardless of our weakness, regardless of our failings, we live in hope because of the risen savior. We live by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us. Because of this great love, we have hope. Praise be to the God of hope.

In the silence, we repent of our sins to you. We ask your help in leaving them behind and moving forward in faith and service.


We ask your blessings, merciful God, on the Veals: Warren, Julie, and their family as they serve with Missionary Aviation Fellowship in Mozambique. Thank you for their strong faith and devotion to you and your kingdom as they serve the indigenous people and tribes by providing transportation and assistance to other missionaries as well as supporting medical efforts, community development, training development, and disaster relief. Be with the MAF missionary pilots and their families. Keep them safe and help them feel our love and backing as they do your will in a very remote part of the world.

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

Prayers of the Church, 7.19.09

Today is the day which the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it! You, Lord God, formed us from the dust of the ground and breathed life into our nostrils. You saw fit to place us humans on this earth and you called it good. You surrounded us with such great beauty. You created all the majesty before us, from the highest mountain to the deepest sea. You continue your creation as we may behold, but often do not notice. Your kingdom reflects the exuberance of life and joy that we imagine you must feel as you look upon that which you hold so dear.

Thanks be to you Father, that not only did you choose to create the world, but you also chose to save the world.

Thanks be to you, Father, for our savior, Jesus Christ. The invisible image of God, the firstborn of all creation, the head of the body. In him all things in heaven and on earth were created and through him you were pleased to reconcile yourself with all things…with us…through the peace manifested in the blood of the cross. There is no other name under heaven by which to be saved.

We fall on our faces before you in worship and adoration…for your great love and faithfulness.

As we contemplate the purpose of your creation, we cannot but help to ponder the purpose of our being on this earth. We are your children, most certainly, but we are also your tools, your servants. We are undeservedly privileged to be servants of the king. We are grateful, but we cannot sit back and enjoy the great privilege in a vacuum…because with great privilege comes great responsibility. You set heavenly tasks before us: that all may know and worship you...that your kingdom on earth reflects your love…as we await the Savior’s return. Thankfully you do not leave us alone in these endeavors…you love your kingdom and us too much to create a world such as this and then just walk away.

In the silence, Lord, help us contemplate the enormity of your creation as we try to fathom the depth of your love.


You created us, Father, and you created those we call our enemies. You did not make us enemies, Lord; we did that ourselves. Bless our enemies and bless us…that your love will overcome the chasm that is between us and we can live like you intend.

We ask your blessings, Lord, on Philokalia Ministries and the Headen Family as they work to express your love to outcasts of our societies. Not only do the Headens preach the gospel, but they share your unconditional love with HIV patients, helping them understand they have a home in your kingdom and helping them remain productive members of their community even as their health and strength slip away in the ravages of their disease. Strengthen the Headens and members of the ministry as they share your love in the midst of death.

And now we pray together as the firstborn of all creation, Jesus Christ, taught us to pray:

Prayers of the Church, 7.12.09

As the deer long for flowing streams, so our souls long for you, O God. Our souls thirst for you, the living God. When shall we behold your face? We search for you, yet we don’t see. We look so hard, but we are focused on ourselves and the details of our lives and how you fit into them instead of how we fit into your kingdom. We can’t see the forest from the trees and even when we step back, we still see only trees. Our vision and our minds are polluted with all the clutter and minutia of our lives turned inward. Frustration and emptiness surround us.

We want to belong to something bigger and better than our current situations. We want our lives to mean something, to matter. Still, because we are focused on ourselves, we bounce around trying to decide what’s right for us, what true for us. We search and we pray to every god we can count, ever longing, ever seeking. First money is the answer, then self-indulgences, then fame. Everything we try eventually fails us and leaves us empty…still wanting, still searching.

But you, gentle God, never falter, never waiver. You continue to love us and wait patiently for our eyes to open, for our minds to grasp your presence. You send your servants to immerse us in your word, to help get our minds right, to teach us your love. As we begin to listen, as we begin to see…you are here, right in front of us all the time. You surround us with your beauty, true beauty; with your love, true love the only things that can completely satisfy us.

We experience you manifested in the life of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for the world and we have hope. We have hope in the word of the Lord. We have hope in the pierced hands and the torn side. We have hope in the empty tomb. We have hope in the risen savior.

-- Praise be to you, O God, for your steadfast love and goodness. --

In the silence, Father, hear our prayers of hope; amidst all our troubles and pain and joy and thanksgiving, hear our hope:


Bless our enemies, Father. Bless them and let them see you. Forgive us when we fail to show your love through us.

Bless our brothers and sisters in the Salvation Army. Lord, these people, the workers and volunteers, walk in the footsteps of Jesus, serving those whose lives are often so desperate. We raise them and those they serve before you. Strengthen and guide them as they do your will and care for your children.

And now we pray as the light of the world, the risen Savior, taught us to pray:

Prayers of the Church 7.5.09

You, O Lord, are God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who executes justice for the orphan and widow and who loves the strangers. The heaven of the heavens belongs to you, the earth and all that is in it. You are our praise, wondrous God, and have done great and majestic things for us. You have called us out of darkness and into your marvelous light. We fear you, Lord and you alone will we worship, to you we hold fast.

You bless us and bless us again. Our Father, you have sent us a living stone, Jesus Christ. Though rejected by mortals, he is chosen and precious in your sight. He is our cornerstone; he is our redeemer.

We are yours, God’s own people. Through the light of the Messiah, you have called us out of darkness and into your marvelous light.

Though you call us your chosen, let us not suppose for ourselves any sense of lofty existence…because when you called us, you called us to a life of service. You handed us the basin and the towel and put us to work. You said to us, “though you are my children, this is not about you; it is about my kingdom.”

Father, you called us to be a holy priesthood, to be your offering…an extension of the savior, your emissaries on earth. Help us to respond according to your call. Through us, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to you.

Precious God, when we begin to forget our place as your servants, put into our minds the Son of Man, washing the feet of your people, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, sacrificing and bleeding for the wretched of the world…for us.

Our enemies deserve your love no less than we do. Bless them and turn their eyes, along with ours, toward you.

In the silence, help us contemplate your great gifts, your great love, and our responsibility to you:


Father, not only have you blessed us by making us your own, but while we are on this earth, you have allowed us to live in a wonderful land, one of hope and promise, one that is build on human freedom and opportunity. Bless our leaders and those who work for the common good. Give them wisdom and discernment and true humility.

In all this, we still know our only true freedom is the salvation offered through the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And now, we pray together as the Prince of Peace taught us to pray:

Prayers of the Church 6.7.09

God of hope, God of grace, God of the risen savior, smile down upon us. You have given us life, you have given us minds and bodies, you have given us resources with which to worship you and serve your kingdom. For these great gifts, we thank you.

Have mercy on us, Father, because so many times we have not used your gifts in the ways you have intended. We have sinned against you. We have focused on ourselves. We have turned our backs on our neighbors, on our own brothers and sisters. Sometimes we have lifted our hands against them and sometimes we have just stood by and watched as they suffered and we did nothing.

We cry in agony before you because we know our own iniquities. We can call them by name. We have wrapped our arms around them and made them our own. We have often so ingrained them in our lives that we convince ourselves our transgressions are good, they are justified, they are proper.

As we stand before you, we know we have no excuses. We have done what is evil in your sight and know that you are justified in any judgment we receive. We cry out in agony waiting for our punishment. We plead, do not cast us away from your presence and do not take your Holy Spirit from us.

And you hear our cries, Father. Amidst all of our weakness, selfishness and greed, you placed the empty cross. You have not turned your back upon us. Washing us with the blood of the lamb, you have blotted out our iniquities. Through your abundant mercy, Lord, you have set us free.

Put a new and right spirit within us, O God. Sustain it in us so that we may experience you more closely and better understand you and how we can serve you more fully.

Teach us wisdom, Father, so that we may know when our weakness approaches, so that we may cloak ourselves in your word and draw close to you, our refuge and our salvation.

Bless our enemies, Lord, and let them see your mercy through the expressions of our Christian hearts.

In the silence, most gracious God, hear our sinful confessions and our heartfelt thanks for your forgiveness.


God of light, we ask your blessings on Milligan College and the servants they are educating to spread the gospel in word and deed. Bless them as they begin their capital campaign this fall and always as they seek to do your will.

And now we pray together as Jesus, the lamb of God, taught us to pray: