May 29, 2022 Prayers of Church & Community - Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

God of glory, and God of grace, we give thanks for your ceaseless mercy and your boundless

love … your goodness beyond all comprehension … your goodness judges us in our pride, and heals us in our sorrow … your goodness reveals the dark side of our soul … your goodness leads us to Christ, to the light of all light, to the hope of the ages, that we might serve the high purpose of peace, and follow the tides of truth.

We pray for our nation, dear God … remembering those who have fought and died in the service of nation … and those who have returned with injury of body and soul … remind us, dear God, that war is costly beyond measure - especially so for the children. We pledge ourselves again, O God, to seek peace in all regards … to shun violence … call out the lies of power, and lift up the truths of Christ.

We pray for our politicians and preachers - may they offer good counsel, tell the truth, point the way to sanity and salvation, confront our prejudice, reveal our proclivities to harm and to hurt, and show us the better way.

O LORD our God, we pray for the families of the teachers and children killed in the Texas tragedy … those hospitalized and in need of healing … those providing care for them, and the generations to come, who will always remember the day of horror, and carry within their souls the pain of great loss.

Help our nation, O God, to face the truth about gun violence … speak to our hearts forcefully; remind us that things can be done, must be done, to right the wrongs, and create a better future. 

We pray for our families and our friends … we pray for safety in travel and wellbeing in health … we pray for our communities … for our elected officials … those who serve the public good … police officers, fire fighters.

Bless us in this place, O LORD, that we might be the salt of the earth and the light of the world …  help us, we pray, sort out our own dreams, measure the rainbows we follow, that our lives be grounded in truth, compassion, and the common good. Help us, O God, to live in the love of Christ, in the light of his words and with the purpose of his work.

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. 

May 22, 2022 Prayers of Church & Community - Westminster Presbyterian Church Pasadena

Almighty God, creator of the heavens and the earth, we give thanks for this moment of worship, some respite and diversion from the stresses and strains of the day … a place wherein we take a breath, breath in deeply the goodness of your love, the hope of your mercy, the guidance of your Holy Spirit.

We pray today for our nation - beset with violence of the worst kind, the death of innocent people, death prompted by terrible politics and twisted religion. 

O LORD, have mercy upon our land - give us women and men of strong conscience, leaders devoted to the proposition that all are created equal - and none shall be left behind.

We pray, as well, for the land of Ukraine … for all of Europe, for NATO, for Russia … may the hostilities be brought to a just and fair end … may peace be restored … may the rebuilding begin … may life and liberty be returned.

We pray for our families today … 

We pray for those in need of healing and hope …

We pray our church …

Refresh us, we pray, with the good news of Christ … not simply for our ease, but rather for our purpose - that we might face today with faith, tomorrow with peace and hope … whatever the challenge may be, O God - to right a wrong, to encourage a friend, to face down a lie, to lift up the truth.

This day, O God, is yours … in the coming and going of worship … in song and prayer, with tithes and offerings … in just such a day, O LORD, we learn of the six days to come - six days to labor and do all that we must. Until we gather again in the household of praise, in the great rhythm of work and rest … O God, keep us safe and sound, in mind and body, heart and soul.

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. 

May 15, 2022, Prayers of Church & Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena

With gladness of heart, O God, we gather together in this sacred place, a place hallowed by the praise and prayers of the saints and sinners who have walked in pathways of faith long

before we were here.

And we would do no less than they have done, O God … in their footsteps, we follow the Christ, sing your praise and rejoice in your provisioning love, a love that finds a way through the wilderness, a way to the Promised Land, a way of hope, peace, consolation and comfort, challenge and guidance. Your faithfulness to your church, to your people, is the bedrock of our faithful, our trust, our hope.

We pray today for the families and friends of those killed and injured in Buffalo … comfort them in their misery, in their loss and grief … help our nation, O God, to face the deeps of hatred in our nation’s story, a hatred embraced in the hearts of many, exploited by scheming politicians and careless preachers - bless, O LORD, the peace-makers, the truth-tellers … expand, we pray, the realms of knowledge and understanding … give to our leaders wisdom and vision, and the courage, O God, to act wisely, and purposefully, in our quest for better days.

We pray for our loved ones, O God … their health and wellbeing … watch over them, we pray … guide their footsteps and guard their souls.

We pray today for the Presbyterian Church throughout the land … and across the world … women and men of good conscience, girls and boys with joy in their hearts and hope for the future.

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. 

May 8, 2022 "Prayer of Church & Community" Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena

Eternal Father, always our Mother - you created us in your image, we all share in the gifts and

energy of your divine being, your infinite diversity - our diversity - rich with color and gender, culture and race - O God, we give thanks!

We pray this day for our nation - for those who wear the mantle of leadership - our President and Vice President, members of Congress, the Supreme Court … all who hold office and serve the public trust, all across the land, school boards and city councils, governors and sheriffs - may your Holy Spirit, O God, the Spirit of Truth, grant wisdom of judgment, courage of heart, a vibrant patriotism, a new devotion to our founding documents and the quest for our better angels.

We pray for the nations of the world, O God - our hearts are distressed by the present and mounting dangers of war … we pray that good sense will prevail, peace be won … ancient hatreds be softened by the hopes of a brighter future. 

We pray for our families and friends … some who suffer in mind and body, some who grieve the death of loved ones, who search for their purpose, lost in fear and sadness. We pray, too, for those in the heights of life, to whom success and privilege have come - of whom much is required, because much has been given. 

We pray for the lost and for the found, the blind and the sighted, the poor and the rich, those with power and those without … we pray for our church here on Lake Avenue, for people of faith around the world -  help us all, we pray, to build bridges of understanding, to be generous in mind and deed, to welcome all, to celebrate the diversity of your creation. Giving thanks constantly, striving to love with all that we are, and all that we hope to be.

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. 

May 1, 2022 "Prayers of the People" Westminster Presbyterian Church Pasadena

Eternal God, you have made the world with all of its beauty and all of its power … you have given us a place in its story. Guide us, we pray, that we might be the caretakers of beauty, and humbled before the powers of earth and universe. We’re mindful of our mistakes, O God - the harm we do the earth, and to one another … here and now, we vow anew to resist the

instincts of greed and to promote the impulse of love.

In the name of our LORD Jesus Christ, we give thanks for your ceaseless grace and endless mercy … we are grateful to receive the gifts of life … from the moment of our birth to the end of our days … the best of times, the worst of times, your faithfulness sustains our faith; your hope, our hope; your love, our love.

We pray for loved one and friends … we pray with deep assurance; the assurance that our prayers are heard in the halls of heaven, and well received in your heart … that every prayer, O God, is honored, every prayer is answered … prayers of faith, and prayers of panic … prayers of hope, and prayers of despair … prayers noble and wise, prayers shallow and selfish … all kinds of prayers, Dear God, and all kinds of people, in all kinds of places and times … you are the God of mercy, and always the God of Hope … the God who hears every prayer.

For our church family, O God, we give thanks … for those who’ve gone this way before us, with song and good cheer, giving in every way they could, to build this sanctuary, speak peace to the community, fund ministries and mission around the world. We are eternally in their debt, Dear God, and pay it forward for generations still to come.

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.