12.11.22 Prayers of Church & Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena

With adoration and gratitude, O God, we lay before you our prayers of the day: you are a most generous God, working tirelessly to sustain the world you love, to guide the creature you endowed with remarkable abilities.

You forgive us that we might always have a way forward … you lead us our tomorrows … and along the way, you are the companion, the Good Shepherd.

We pray for our President and Vice President … we pray for our Senators and House Members, we pray for the judges of the land.

We pray for the leaders of industry, particularly our railroads … we pray for the women and men who assemble the trains, their hands upon the throttles, the switches, the lights and the gates … who make it all happen. We pray for them, their unions, and those who make the decisions …  

Bless and keep our loved ones, we pray … our children and grandchildren, our parents and grandparents … extended families and co-workers … all the people through whom we find our identity and purpose.

In this Season of Advent, dear God, we rehearse the great themes of our faith: grateful for the love of Christ, born anew in our hearts.

In the name of our LORD Jesus Christ who taught us to pray, saying:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. 

10.30.22 Prayers of Church & Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

Give us your ears, O God, to hear the blood of Abel crying from the earth … to hear the lament of the lost … the cry of the frightened … give us your ears, O God, to hear the sounds angels singing in the highest of heavens, and the sounds of life all around us … every word of hope, every song of peace … give us your ears, we pray, to hear the whole song of the earth … the sweet refrains of love, and the laments of loss.

Holy is your name, O God … worthy of our praise and our prayers … for you are the God of hope, the God of peace and the God love … you hear every prayer in every tongue … you answer every prayer with tender regard and mercy. 

With faith, hope, and love, O God, we worship you in this place of peace and welcome … we set aside the cares and worries of the day … we lay down our burdens at the foot of the cross … we tarry with Christ in that darkness, to find the light of love … 

With the saints of old, we join in the chorus of hope … that our lives count for great things … that every prayer we utter spins this world a bit closer to you … 

In these moments of prayer and contemplation, we pray for those in distress … and especially we pray for Ukraine and the powers that be, that the present conflict escalate no further, that wise heads and thoughtful hearts would find a just peace.

We pray the youth of our nation … that we’ll do well by them … with good schools and safe neighborhoods … with plenty of family support and social wisdom. Remind us, O God, that we are all sisters and brothers of one another, that the welfare of one is the welfare of all … do not let us slide, we pray, into sectarian camps and social constructs hedged by walls and suspicion. For we are of Christ, O God. The Christ of the world, and not the Christ of the few.

All of this, in the name of our LORD Jesus Christ who taught us to pray, saying:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. 

10.23.22 Prayers of Church & Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

Eternal God, to you we belong … forever and a day …

You are the God of tender words, to assure us of your mercy, to help us with your grace …

O LORD our God, your hand is upon our nation, in this season of elections … voices clamoring for our attention, our money, our vote … help us, we pray, to think carefully, to weigh and ponder the claims and counter-claims … help us, we pray, to think of Christ … to consider carefully the values we hold in his name … clear our eyes that we might see your goodness at work in all things … and hear your voice amid all the clamor.

O LORD our God, there are some who would impose a restrictive Christianity upon this nation - give them the grace of second thought, heal their wounds, sooth their fearful souls with Amazing Grace - the grace that sets us free. 

We give thanks that Christ is universal … the Christ of all humanity, in all the matters of faith and prayer … your presence, O God, in the Mosque, your presence in the Temple, your presence in the Synagog … your presence everywhere … in every tear and every sigh … in every moment of love, and in the wretched hatreds so common to the human story … you are there, too … in the smallest notes of tenderness, to the largest moments of history, where freedom rings and liberty shines.

We pray for family and friends, O God … for healing, hope, and guidance … see us all through the days and nights of life … until our appointed end is met, and like all who have trod these weary and wonderful roads before us, to be gathered up in your everlasting arms.

Bless Westminster Presbyterian Church, dear God … we are grateful to be here, and we promise, with heart and soul, mind and body, to be faithful to your son, Jesus Christ, our blessed LORD and Savior … in his light, we see light … in his mercy, we gain hope … in his grace, we discover healing and fresh purpose.

Watch over us now in the remains of the day … see us through to the night, and grant us sleep … should it be your will, O God, awaken us anew for the morrow … for the week ahead, and the work awaiting - love to be given, love to be received.

In the name of our LORD Jesus Christ who taught us to pray, saying:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. 

10.16.22 Prayers of Church & Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

Eternal God, in these moments of worship and wonder, help us set aside our concerns and ambitions, to focus on Christ and the faith of the church; to recalibrate our souls and learn anew of your kingdom; to ponder the eternal questions that lift the human journey - from the pursuit of self, to the quest for your justice and peace … and in our faithfulness, O LORD, in our determination to serve Christ, unfold for us, we pray, the pathways of our life, that we might truly know ourselves, and discover the riches of your kingdom, treasures that neither moth nor rust consume, nor thief break in and steal.

We pray for our world, especially those lands torn by war … we pray for the earth and the animals, the water and the air … they all suffer the predations of human greed and willful power, the smoke and fire of war, that burns the eye, and clouds the soul.

We pray for Iran, and the winds of freedom … all around the world, O God, women are crying out for justice … “Hail Mary, full of grace” we can say, to give thanks for the voices of women. 

We pray for our nation, O God - help us sort out the gold from the dross, the lies from the truth … that which is of death, and that which is of life.

We pray for colleges and universities … may they remain places of safety, for mind and body … where science is honored, truth pursued, books read, liberal arts celebrated … as students discover the deeps of life, and learn the basic skills of communication and thought - gifts for the common good - these students are the tomorrow of our nation, O God, and we pray for them, one and for all.

We pray for Pastor Harlan Redmond and Interwoven … we pray for our San Gabriel Presbytery, for Wendy Tajima and Ally Lee … we pray for our churches and pastors, elders and deacons, boards of trustees, administrators and musicians …  

For loved ones, we pray - parents, children, grammas and grampas, all who have loved us, those whom we love … keep watch over them … keep them safe and sound, in mind, body, heart, and soul. Grant to them, we pray, fullness of days, life well-lived.  

All of this, in the name of our LORD Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray, saying:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. 

10.9.22 Prayers of Church & Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

Eternal God, you have given us the light of Christ, that we might find our way through a

difficult and troubling world … you have given us the Ancient Text, the traditions of faith … you have given us women and men of great conscience and depth of soul … you have given us instincts to recognize the truth when it comes our way … you have given us the church, a witness to the light of Christ … you have given us so very much, O God, that we might fulfill the hope of Christ, for us to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth.

Help us, we pray, to keep a steady pace … when we’re tired, O LORD, give us rest and peace of mind … give us keen eyes to see the truth in the midst of all the noise … the courage to call a lie a lie … the faith to believe in Christ all the more … to love deeply and profoundly, to be of a good mind, and a generous heart.

We are mindful this day of our world … like it or not, dear God, we’re all connected now, in ways that our forebears couldn’t have imagined … save us, O God, from nostalgia - keep us looking ahead … with a firm hand on the plow, following Christ where’er he would lead … even to the ends of the earth.

O LORD our God, we pray for the people of Ukraine and Russia - and especially the children … and for the earth, O LORD, the soil and the water … and all of its creatures, great and small. Help our world-leaders find ways to a just peace, and a hopeful future.

We pray for the victims of the recent hurricane … all who’ve suffered loss and dislocation … we pray for the mechanisms of government, O God, that our resources will be well-used to ease the pain and rebuild what has been lost.

We pray for our families, and our friends … we pray for their wellbeing … grant to them, and to all of us, our daily bread, deliverance from evil, and forgiveness of sins.

In the name of our LORD Jesus Christ who taught us to pray, saying:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. 

10.2.22 Prayers of Church & Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

Eternal God, you have given us the light of Christ, that we might find our way through a difficult and troubling world … that we might: face the day with courage … bear patiently the trials of life … serve Christ as best we can, trusting that our efforts are important to you … that you are pleased when we try to follow Christ … pleased, when we pray and seek the truth … pleased, when we look upon our world with kindly eyes and generous hearts … pleased, when we reach for the highest of human dreams, and stand with our better angels …

We pray, O God, for those who have lost so much in the recent hurricane … we give thanks for the resources of our nation - the Coast Guard, FEMA, government agencies, and rescue workers wading through the waters … help us, O God, to join hands and hearts in the recovery effort, to be one nation in mercy and charity.

We pray for those near and dear to us, our families, our friends … we pray, as well, for the whole world … even as people of good conscience and faith are in prayer with us … because your Holy Spirit moves across the face of the earth, touching every heart with love and hope and peace … for such is your glory, O God .. such is your goodness … such is your covenantal presence in the whole of creation … at work in all things for good.

Day-by-day, O LORD, create within us hearts of gratitude … to give thanks for the good things of life, remind us to pause now and then and count our blessings … to walk on the sunny side of the street … and when we’re in the valley of shadows, O God, speak tenderly to our soul … when life lays heavy upon us, when fears take hold and courage wavers, hold our hands, and comfort us with your Holy Spirit.

Remind us, O God, there is nothing in life or in death that can separate us from your great love in Christ Jesus our LORD. Here and now, then and there, we belong to you.

In the name of our LORD Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray, saying:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. 

9.25.22 Prayers of Church & Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

Eternal God, always our father, forever our mother … source of light, wellspring of love … alpha and omega, the beginning and the end … 

All glory, laud, and honor to you, dear God … our praise, thanksgiving, and hope … in the company of Christ, led by your Holy Spirit, we are your people, in this place, and for these times.

We take up our cross of care and service, with gratitude and with reluctance … bless our gratitude and deepen it, we pray … manage our reluctance that it not win the day.

In such times, O God, times of uncertainty … competing narratives, truth and lies commingled, power worshipped, glitz and glamour overwhelming our capacities to think.

By your Holy Spirit, dear God, help us to maintain our balance … keep up our spiritual health and that of our bodies … give to us , we pray, the discernment of the Prophets, the passion of Moses, the wisdom of Solomon, and the focus of Christ.

We pray for our Food Pantry … giving thanks that we can make a difference for people who are food insecure … for whom life is difficult and sometimes dangerous.

We pray for our communities, O LORD, our government leaders, our schools and teachers, our police forces and firefighters … a host of people who protect and guide us … public servants for the common good.

We pray for loved ones, dear God … keep them safe in their comings and goings … where there is illness, provide relief and healing … where there is death, grant the comfort of Christ … where there is despair, O God, grant the light of hope … where there is conflict and anger, give refreshment of spirit, and a new determination to build a better world.

Help us, O God, to fulfill our purpose, in this life, and for the life to come … to be servants of love, to create hope and peace, to seek what’s best in the human story, and that which is eternally true, and forever good.

In the name of our LORD Jesus Christ who taught us to pray, saying:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. 

9.18.22 Prayers of Church & Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

God of light and God of hope.

We gather in this place and by our computers and TV … you bind us together, O God, in one great fellowship of faith, the church of Jesus Christ … 

We give thanks, O God, for those who came before us … they tackled their problems with faith, hope, and love … they did their best … they made mistakes and learned from their errors … they got on their knees and prayed with tears … they paved the way, they paid the way … they built a church, and raised a tower … they did their best, dear God, and to that purpose, we set ourselves, as well …

Equip us with your Holy Spirit … shape our souls toward the image of Christ … there is much in ourselves that needs adjustment … we’re not innocent in the ways of life, nor are we without fault. Deliver us, we pray, from all that deceives … the allurements of cheap trade and easy gain … the enslavement of the Immediate and the Now, and our neglect of the future.

We pray for our loved ones, O God … we pray for our church and spiritual houses of faith all around the land and across the world … we pray for our nation, and the nations of the world … especially where war rages, hunger threatens, poverty engulfs, dictators bluster, inept politicians play loose and free with the truth … help us, dear God, to seek the truth, to reach for love, to learn the Gospel, to be evermore faithful in the things of Christ.

Bless us now, we pray, in the remains of the day … give us rest for mind and body, courage of spirit and soul … help us count our days to be wise in our living … to be mindful of our mortality and the reality of eternity. Help us, we pray, to count our blessings to see what you have done … to reach high for faith, hope, and love … grace, mercy, and peace.

In the name of our LORD Jesus Christ who taught us to pray, saying:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. 

9.11.22 Prayers of Church & Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

Eternal God, we are here for some terribly important reasons …

We’re here, O God, to find that which is true … that which fulfills the longing of the soul,

creates the virtues of faith and polishes the skills of living.

We’re here, O God, to pursue that which is worthy of our humanity … to learn and grow in the grace of Christ, to explore the never-ending realms of faith … to discover new dimensions of our humanity, and what it means to be followers of Christ.

We’re here, O God, to learn of self-love, the kind of self-love that makes sense, and is wholesome and right … the kind of self-love, dear God, that has plenty room for the lives and needs of others, and plenty of energy to love them creatively… to help and to heal, to lift up and restore, to open doors of opportunity, to repair the roads of hope and peace, roads often destroyed by human folly and social failure … roads barred to the many, and open only to the few … we’re here, O God, to change ourselves, so we can change the world …  

For the world, we pray … especially for the people of Great Briton, and the family of Queen Elizabeth, and her son, King Charles III … bless them, one and all … and all the nations of the world, diverse and unique, friend or foe, frightened or frightening … let the bells of peace ring loud and clear.

And for our nation, dear God - on this day of remembrance … 9/11, 2001 … of those who lost loved ones, bless their broken hearts; dry their tears; provide mercy and hope.

And may our leaders be faithful to their vows of public service … may they point us always toward wisdom … may their words inspire us to give more of ourselves to the tasks at hand … may we all find within ourselves the better angels of faith, hope, and love.

In the name of our LORD Jesus Christ who taught us to pray, saying:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. 

9.4.22 Prayers of Church & Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena

In the turn of the seasons, O God, we see the drama of life … from one era to another … from beginning to end, and then, again … from generation to generation, O God … and for the time being, here we are, O LORD, help us, we pray, to be loving and kind … 

In the hard places of life, O God, when mortality presses in upon us, when life takes a turn to sorrow, when our losses mount up, and our gains diminish, help us, we pray, to seek your council, to find consolation in the good things that remain, to be patient in tribulation, to trust your goodness in all moments of life, to work with all our might for the better world … to use our talents in the time and place where we find ourselves … to bring joy to another by hearing their story … to plant a garden, make some soup … craft a poem, paint a portrait, build a birdhouse, tell a joke, join a reading group, read more Scripture, pray more deliberately and pray more mindfully … O God of work and rest, help us to rest in Christ that we can work well in our world.

We pray for our nation … give us leaders to reflect the best in our story - and honestly admit the worst of it … help us we pray to cherish the best, and to challenge the worst … to never cease working for the better day, for liberty and justice for all.

We pray for the people of Ukraine, O God … we pray for the earth, water, and air of that lovely land … for the animals and the people … so much suffering, sorrow, and loss … we pray for a just resolve, the end of armed conflict, and peace at the last.

We pray for Westminster Presbyterian Church … grateful the Tower still stands … 

We pray for our families and friends, our neighbors and co-workers … keep them safe and sound in their comings and going … help us all, dear God, to live with compassion, kindness and constancy.

In the name of our LORD Jesus Christ who taught us to pray, saying:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. 

8.28.22 Prayers of Church & Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

Holy God, LORD of all time, we give thanks for the waters of baptism … the promise of life, the goodness of Christ your Son … the Holy Spirit, O God, the giver of life, who guides and guards our soul … from the first breath taken, to the last breath given … from here to eternity, world without end.

Holy God, LORD of all time, we give thanks for what has been … for all the saints who have trod the pathways of life … who gave of themselves, with forethought and patience … who bore the cross of Christ, with courage and wisdom, who have set before us examples of faith, hope, and love. Help us, O God, to be worthy of them of their work.

Holy God, LORD of all time, we give thanks for what is … for all the saints who lift high the banner of Christ, who rejoice in the name of Christ, who engage in the deep struggles of life, who seek your glorious kingdom, O God, who care for the earth, and strive for the welfare of the nations. Help us, O God, to be worthy of this work.

Holy God, LORD of all time, we give thanks for what shall be … for all the saints not yet born, those who will receive the waters of baptism, and take up the yoke of Christ … who will walk in the ways of faith, hope, and love … to be the church of Jesus Christ, for generations and generations to come. Help us, O God, to lay before them a brave and creative example of Christian goodness and human purpose, that they might light to us with gratitude.

All of this, in the name of our LORD Jesus Christ who taught us to pray, saying:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. 

8.21.22 Prayers of Church & Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

From a child’s cry of delight, O God, to the vast reaches of the universe, your love is evident, your guiding hand is felt, your purpose of creation, goodness and beauty, is manifest and commanding … 

Holy is your name, and great is your praise … may we in this place have the heart of praise, the mind of thankfulness, the power to see beyond the moment, to see through the times, and the distress of the present … to see your glory in all things, dear God, to be moved in soul and mind by your grace, to find our own world of time and concern being expanded, developed, transformed, and made new … that we might be the salt of the earth and the light of the world … ambassadors of Christ, servants of love.

We give thanks for our families … for those who gave life to us, for those who have sustained us in our daily walk, and continue to provide home and shelter, grace and love … for friends where there is no family … for your faithfulness when human bonds have failed us … for we, O God, are often given to fatigue and frustration, and love fails and goes awry. Heal our wounds and dry our tears … hold our hands and comfort our souls.

We give thanks for your Holy Spirit at work in the trends and times of this world, no matter how broken and busted things become … your Spirit continues to create anew the hopes and dreams of goodness, tranquility, and transformation … 

You are the ever-present God, and never for a moment is our world without your mercy … in all our strivings for progress and development, and in such times when your judgment lays heavy upon us, a judgment never unto death, but unto life, a judgment nevertheless for the cruelties of our heart, the selfishness of the ego, for systems and governments that serve the god of mammon, rather than you, the Eternal God of Everlasting Mercy.

Help us, we pray, as your people to point the way to justice and peace, to be the prophetic voice of truth … to lift up the cross of Christ, unmask the lies, proclaim the gospel, call the wayward to repentance, and seek further the ways of love, that the world might see our good works and give praise to you, O LORD our God.

Bless our church, we pray … we give thanks for those who preceded us, who laid the cornerstone here upon the Cornerstone of Christ … those who sang of your glory and preached of your kingdom. Help us to remain faithful to their vision, and help us to transcend it, to find new ways of ministry, new avenues of service, new angles to see what needs to be done. Give us patience and give us perseverance. Grant us grace, that we might be gracious unto one another, being a church of welcome and affirmation.

Bless us, we pray, in the remains of the day … give us peace and give us hope … give us strength and give us rest … give us, we pray, our daily bread.

In the name of our LORD Jesus Christ who taught us to pray, saying:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. 

8.14.22 Prayers of Church & Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

O Thou who art the voice of creation, your word gives life to all … your love is woven into the fabric of time … your hand moves the spheres … you know the countless millions who have lived, and now live, and will live, upon this green and lovely earth; you know them all, one-by-one, two-by-two … for all of life is from your heart, dear God, and your heart abides in all … 

On this good and happy day, O God, we ordain and install the elders, whom you have called and gifted, whom you have known from before the foundation of time, whom you have raised up for this moment, and for the tasks of being the church … 

We pray for them and their families, dear God … strengthen their spirits and stir their souls … with the glory of our LORD Jesus Christ … the wonders of creation, the power of the covenant, and the mystery of Good Friday’s cross … 

To each of them, O LORD, and to all of us, O LORD, the daily bread of mercy and peace … the daily bread of life and love … the daily bread of goodness and grace … for mind and body, heart and soul, now and forever more.

We pray for our loved ones, O God … shelter them in times of storm, and grant them strength for the journey … provide for them as needed, we pray, whatever is needed to live good and productive lives … we pray for their safety and well-being, in mind, body, heart, and soul … how we love them and long for their welfare.

We pray today for those in dire need … for whom life has lost its pleasure … who walk upon pathways of darkness, unsure of their way, crying for help.

We pray for families who have lost loved ones by suicide … families beset with unanswerable questions and painful memories … who search their souls for answers, where there are no answers at all … but only loneliness and sorrow, regret and anxious thoughts … 

O God of mercy and hope, speak tenderly to their broken hearts, we pray … remind us all that those who have taken their own life are safe in your everlasting arms … you hold not against anyone the great hurt that drove them to the extreme … you are the God of infinite mercy, and profound understanding … you know the dark pathways of life, you’re there with all of us, and especially with those who cannot any longer endure the hardships of their journey, who can no longer say “No” to death … we commend them, dear God, to your everlasting care, for the peace you bestow upon all your creatures, great and small, in the bright hallways of eternity.

All of this, in the name of our LORD Jesus Christ who taught us to pray, saying:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. 

8.7.22 Prayers of Church & Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

O Thou of a thousand tongues and dialects, you hear ever prayer, every moan and groan of every soul … every sob and every curse … you know how hard it is to be human, to make the journey every day - you know how dusty we all are, O God, made by your hands from the dust of the earth, the very dust you created, and you filled us with the breath of life … you know full well how frail is our character, how fragile our hold on things … you know how strong we can be, how gifted we are, and capable, O God, capable of great things. You know us through and through.

You are the God of a mercy … a kindness beyond all kindness … a love greater than all love … a welcome-home kind of a God … a God of open arms and bright smiles … for the lost and the weary … the broken and the defeated … the lonely and the lovelorn … those at the top of their game, and those who’ve lost the whole deal … 

Grant to us this day, we pray, the fire of your Holy Spirit … cleanse our thoughts and purify our souls … that we might hear the Good News of Christ our LORD … who gives us peace with eternity, and sees us through the days and nights of our distress, our hopes and dreams … your Christ, O God, who celebrates our victories and consoles us in our defeat … who encourages us to take one more step, to walk as fast as we can, to even run when possible, to finish the race set before us, and if we can’t run or walk any further, if one more step is impossible, to sit down beside us, until we catch our breath … to hold us in the arms of mercy … such is your great love.

Be with us, we pray, in the daily tasks of work and play … in the throes of our career, in the days of retirement, in the challenges of school … the thrill of first love or the love of many years … in the vigor of our youth, in the frailty of age … in every stage of life, O God, all along the way …

Be with our loved ones, we pray; shelter them in the care of your mercy … be with our nation in these days of trial and travail … bless those who govern; bless them with the wisdom of the ages and the compassion of angels … help us all, we pray, to work for the common good, to look upon our neighbors with kindness … to build the better world, to care for the Garden, to honor your holy creation, and all its creatures, great and small.

In the name of our LORD Jesus Christ who taught us to pray, saying:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. 

7.31.22 Prayers of Church & Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

LORD God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, give us the eyes of faith … that we might see the glories of your love, the wonders of your creation, the beauty of humanity, and it’s sorrows and pains, too … 

Give us the eyes of faith, we pray, to see the world as you might see it … in all of its goodness, and with all of its sin … to see the glory of those who love, and the horror of those who hate … 

To see with the eyes of Christ, to see with the heart and the soul … to see your love within all things, your love moving hard and fast to set right what has gone wrong, to heal what has been broken, to restore what has been lost … a great love, O LORD, a boundless, fascinating love, repairing the broken wall, laying the foundation of a new world, charting a course to hope and peace … your great love, O God, at work in all things … 

Be with us, we pray, to comfort us in our distress and pain, and to compel us to live in the Larger World … 

Forgive us, O God, if we have used faith to shield ourselves from the sorrows of life … forgive us, O God, if have used the gospel to avoid seeing the need for engagement and sacrifice … forgive us, O God, if have pledged ourselves to follow Christ, but have gone our own way, instead, to serve our own interests. Forgive us, O God, we pray.

Strengthen us with the Holy Spirit … that we might love all the more … that we might give thanks with our entire being, heart, soul, mind and body … to give thanks for the blessings of life, and the opportunities of serving Christ, to be his ambassadors, to share his love, to create the world for which he gave his life.

Be with us, we pray … guard and guide our loved one - our families, our friends … guard and guide our towns and cities, we pray … guard and guide communities of faith - whatever their creed, or how they say it - may the quest for truth never cease, may the effort to live in the Larger World never be set aside, may the love we all desire, may the peace we want, be given away in order to be found … for in the sharing, all is made new, in the giving, we receive … in the building up of others, we ourselves are made new … as you have given unto us in Christ.

Who taught us to pray, saying:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. 

7.24.22 Prayers of Church & Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church Pasadena, CA

Eternal Light, Everlasting Goodness, clear our minds, we pray, of the distractions and worries of the day … that we might be focused upon you … attentive to the gospel of our LORD Jesus Christ … sensitive to the moving of the Holy Spirit … ready to be engaged for the tasks of life, with all that we are, and all that we hope to be.

Strengthen our resolve, we pray, to be just in our thoughts and our deeds … to do the right thing … love in the face of hate, speak truth where lies abound … seek kindness and mercy … to think things through in the light of Christ, to be reasonable and patient … ready to lift up the fallen, help the discouraged, walk with the lonely, cherish the quiet ones, seek out those in the shadows …

Dear God, quite our fears, we pray … it’s easy for us to get lost in bewilderment and panic … to lose our bearings, lose our way … help us, we pray, to abide in Christ, trust his words … be at peace with our life, even as we strive for better days. 

Wash our wounds, we pray; heal our sorrows, comfort us in our distress, walk with us upon the lonely roads we so often have to travel.

We lift up to you, or LORD, our families and friends … our neighbors and co-workers … help us to be present to them, mindful of their needs and sorrows … ready to offer the helping hand.

We pray, O God, for people of faith everywhere - mosques, synagogues, temples, and churches - wherever the truth is sought, wherever love is practiced, wherever the earth is honored, wherever your name, your many names, are hallowed.

We pray for our nation, O God: we pray for our President and Vice President; we pray for our Senators and Representatives; we pray for the Supreme Court and courts throughout the land. We pray for our school boards and teachers; we pray for city councils, mayors, sheriffs, police and fire fighters … we pray for the comfortable and those living on the streets … may those of privilege and power see the humanity in those who are weak and broken … may we all strive for justice … to preserve and purify the American Dream, and seek the highest ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Help us all, O God, to live the Golden Rule, to give freely as been freely given to us … 

All of this, in the name of our LORD Jesus Christ who taught us to pray, saying:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. 

7.17.22 Prayers of Church & Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

O God of love, O God of peace, Make wars throughout the world to cease; The wrath of the nations now restrain. Give peace, O God, give peace again.

Holy God, Eternal Light, all that is good, and all that is right, impress upon our hearts, we pray, the work and wonder of Christ the LORD … touch our hearts, O God, with your Holy Spirit, revive our faith, deepen our understanding … broaden our minds … help us, we pray, to explore our humanity, to grow in grace, to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth.

Whom shall we trust but Thee, O LORD? Where rest - but on thy faithful word? None ever called on Thee in vain. Give peace, O God, give peace again.

Holy God, Eternal Light, we’re grateful for this place of worship, this time of prayer and praise … the familiar faces of friends and family, to make new friends and chart a new course … to search our souls, consider our lives… to sit at the feet of Jesus, and learn the things that count.

For we are the people whom you have brought to this time and place, dear God. You have called us in Christ, and in Christ, we reply, with all that we are … we are yours, O God … to you we belong … in body and soul, in life and in death. We are yours, O God.

In the name of our LORD Jesus Christ who taught us to pray, saying:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. 

7.10.22 Prayer of Church & Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

 For this world, O God … we give our thanks … the world you’ve created … a world in

motion, fast and slow, teeming with life … taking shape in the blink of an eye, or a snail’s march across a few million years … a world leaving and arriving, evolving in shape and form … full of color, noise, energy, and power … O LORD our God, great is your name, and greatly to be praised … for you are the LORD of color and sound, the LORD of the snail and the LORD of the gull … the LORD of the seven seas and the highest of mountains … the LORD of every creature, great and small … the LORD of all souls, the LORD of heaven and earth, the LORD of times past, the ever-present moment, and a future striving to be born.

O LORD our God, give us, we pray, a deep and abiding sense of your glory, a reverence for life … to see your hand in the shapes and shades of the land, the miracles of love and birth, the cycles of time … the first breath taken and the last breath drawn … dust to dust, earth to earth, ashes to ashes … O LORD our God … it all belongs to you … a universe billions of lightyears in expanse and expanding … every moment, every heartbeat, every kiss, and every song. 

Help us we pray to live as well as we can … with love and patience, kindness and mercy, wisdom and expectation, goodness and decency … to feel the winds of the afternoon and the softness of a child’s hand.

Eternal God, help us, to find solutions to humanity’s distress … to find leaders who will speak the truth and point the way to a generous world of welcome.

Watch over each us, we pray, in the remains of the day; guide and guard our loved ones; grant them fullness of life, and an abundance of love.

We thank you for our church, for the bread and drink of the LORD’s Table … for all that has been, all that is, and all that shall be … for you are at work, O God, in all things, for good … with a love that never dies.

Help us, we pray, to be utterly faithful to Christ … in our toil and in our rest, in our families and in our communities … in the words we speak, and the dreams we have.

In the name of our LORD Jesus Christ who taught us to pray, saying:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen. 

7.3.22 Prayers of Church & Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

 

With grateful hearts, O God, we gather together … here in this place of hope and peace, and across the digital world - bound together in the great fellowship of Christ.

Here and everywhere, O God, your presence beckons and confirms, invites and ordains, calls and sends … your living, vital, presence, O God, gives life to the world … and with joy, dear God, we greet you in this day of national celebration, praying for our nation’s wellbeing, that more of what we could be, will become all the more, and what we are, more often than we can admit, will become less.

Holy God, we’re mindful of the dead in San Antonio - mothers and fathers, daughters and sons - people seeking a better life, trying their best … dead in the heat of a Texas summer.

The dead are safe in your everlasting arms, O God, but may their memory haunt us, may their plight compel us, may their dreams lead us, to wiser policies and a richer kindness. The very word, immigrant, dear God, has been vilified and used to inflame and infuriate. Help us, we pray, to move beyond such childish behavior, to achieve a more human, and more humane, way of seeing life around us. Not in fear, but in faith, O God … not with anger, but with understanding … not with smallness of mind, but with stillness of heart - to love and to welcome … to share what we have, knowing full well, dear God, that in the sharing of life, life, and more life, accrues.

Holy God, we celebrate our nation’s story today - a story of goodness and hope, AND a story of greed and violence … we tell both stories, O God - because your truth demands of us the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. We will not shy away from the details, holy God, nor shirk our duties to build the better day.

Give us, we pray, leaders strong in character and conviction, generous of mind and heart, morally sound and spiritually grounded, faithful to the oath of office, knowing the difference between right and wrong. 

Bless our nation with your love … guide each of us, we pray, to be loyal to Christ and faithful to our nation.

In the name of our LORD Jesus Christ who taught us to pray, saying:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.