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

 Prayers of Church & Community, September 24, 2023

Westminster Presbyterian Church

With grateful hearts, O God, we seek sanctuary in this place of peace and hope … safety, amid the turmoil and trials of life … we pray for the healing of our souls, that we might more clearly see Christ, more profoundly love this world, more ably take up our responsibilities, more faithfully abide in your goodness and peace.

O LORD, we pray:

For the Rev. Wendy Tajima, our Presbytery of San Gabriel, the Synod of Southern California and Hawaii, and the whole of the Presbyterian Church across the land and throughout the world.

Dear God, we pray:

For ruling and teaching elders, for deacons and trustees … directors of music and office staff … those who clean and trim, repair and paint, and keep things going … all whom you have called, dear God, to whom you have given life.

O LORD, we pray: 

For the churches of Altadena and Pasadena … and surrounding communities … St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Mark’s Episcopal, Altadena Community Church … and houses of worship everywhere … temples, mosques, and synagogues … all sacred spaces, dear God - concert halls and libraries, book stores and coffee shops - a waiting room in a doctor’s office … or stuck in traffic on the 405 - your Spirit, O God, meets us in the strangest of places.

O LORD, our God, we pray:

For Options Preschool and all it’s students and families … for Villa Esperanza, and all its clients … for Westminster Center and those who seek its guidance.

Holy Spirit, we pray:

For our Search Committee and the work of finding a new minister.

Holy God of light, light eternal, light invincible … the light of Christ - in this time and place, within our hearts and minds, and in all the nooks and crannies of history, in the tick of a clock, a page turned on a calendar … you are here … your light shines eternal.

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. 

9.17.23 Prayers of Church and Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

 Prayers of Church & Community, date

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Holy God, we gather here with gratitude for the good that is ours … the material good of a free land … the spiritual good of Christ … the goodness of love woven into the fabric of our lives … from the day we were born, so many have blessed us - people of kindness and care … teachers to teach, ministers to preach … family and friends … social networks … reaching all the way back to the dawn of creation, and stretching ahead to the consummation of time.

We pray for the nation of Libya … the loss of life there is staggering … we pray for the nation of Morocco, and the hard work of rebuilding … we pray for Ukraine and Russia, and for all the agents and agencies of peace … we pray for our Central American neighbors … we pray for Mexico and Canada … Taiwan and China, the Koreas … 

Help us, we pray, to be global citizens, to pay attention to the world, to the suffering wrought by human failure and the forces of earth, wind, fire and water.

Your Christ, O God, did not run from the heart of the matter, but walked toward it, with courage and strength, trepidation and dread  … he still calls us, dear God, and we hear his voice, to follow where’re he lead, even to the ends of the earth.

Help us, we pray, to live into Christ all the more … 

We continue to pray for the writers and actors on strike … we pray for the UAW and America’s autoworkers … we pray for the studios, for the CEOs and boards of directors … help us, dear God, to find the middle ground, the reasonable center, where justice lives.

We pray for our families, dear God, those close to us, our flesh and blood, our kith and kin, who shelter beneath our roof and share in our pantry … in their hurt, O God, we hurt, too … when they laugh, our spirits are lifted … in their success, we’re proud; when they struggle, we weep … O LORD, our God, bless them, we pray, with the necessities of life, for body and for soul, and save us all from undue worry and needless anxiety.

We pray for Westminster, where the Tower still stands … we pray for our Search Committee, our Session, our Trustees … may grace, mercy, and peace, dear God, be the wind in their sails, the song of their hearts, the hope of their dreams, as they lead this church to a new day.

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. 

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

 Prayers of Church & Community, September 10, 2023

Westminster Presbyterian Church

This is the day you have made, O God … a day of discovery, a day of rest … a time to take a personal inventory, to ask good questions, and seek decent answers, answers that make sense, answers to meet the needs of the world, and calm anxious spirits.

O LORD our God, we give thanks for this time together, in body and in spirit, here in this place, and all around the world. 

We pray for loved ones near and far … for friends and family … classmates and co-workers … 

We pray for the world … for leaders gathering here and there to weigh the issues, to seek solutions, and find ways to enhance the gift of life for all of your creatures, great and small.

We pray, too, for those who gather to wage war, to take and dominate, to conquer and control … those who build the guns, and those who give the orders … 

We pray for our firefighters and police officers - all our civil servants, who work in the halls of justice, who serve the common good, who put their lives on the line to protect and preserve.

Save them, we pray, from the terrible temptations of corruption and power - the sins of racism, nationalism; sins fueled by fear and fatigue, misinformation and outright lies. 

May the voices of freedom and democracy ring loud and trues across the land … may those who defend our Constitution be strengthened in their endeavors … may those who teach be protected and encouraged … may those who proclaim the Word of God do so with humility, prayer and diligent study.

We pray for the writers and actors on strike, O God, we pray for their unions and their leadership; we pray for the studios, the executives; we pray for all the ancillary businesses and services reliant on entertainment.

We pray for our President and Vice President, for members of Congress and those who sit upon the bench of justice … bless them, one and all, we pray, and guide their actions unto the better day.

We pray for Westminster, dear God, may we be faithful to Christ, reliant upon your will, eager to serve, and ready for the future.

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. 

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

 Prayers of Church & Community, September 3, 2023

Westminster Presbyterian Church

This is the day you have made, O God … a day of rest for the weary, a day to recover from life’s labors, a day to reflect on the deep questions of who we are, and what we value.

A day, O God, to catch our breath, recalibrate our moral and spiritual compass, and find our soul … 

A day of worship, O God, a day to ponder our creation, that we have been made in your image, that we live and breath some of your divinity, your glory and goodness, your power and majesty.

A day to give thanks for Christ, dear God … for the good news, the glad tidings, of great joy … the words he speaks to us in this moment, the cross he carries to save us from our sins, the glory of his resurrection, that we might always have hope, in life, and in death, in body and in soul … 

A day, O God, to open wide our hearts and minds to the Holy Spirit … the flames of Pentecost, the fires of your infinite love, the bright light of your wisdom, your goodness, your purpose for creation, your work in each of our lives.

Helps us, we pray, to value this time, to cherish this church, this place, and its many stories of faith and work, justice and peace, love and service. Help us, to give our lives anew to Christ the LORD!

We pray this day, O God, for our President and Vice President, for members of Congress and those who sit upon the bench of justice … bless them, one and all, we pray, that our leaders will speak intelligently, lead courageously, pray much and pray often.

We pray this day, O God, for loved ones - our families and our friends … where there is pain, we pray for healing … where there is sorrow, we pray for comfort … where there is poverty, we pray for wellbeing … where there is fear and frustration, we pray for peace and wisdom … where there is doubt and anxiety, we pray for the comfort of your Holy Spirit … where there is pride, we pray for humility, where there is anger, we pray for inward peace and reconciliation, where there is confusion of mind and heart, we pray for the light of Christ.

On this Labor Day Weekend, O God, we give thanks for the jobs we have, those with whom we work … we’re mindful of the millions who are underpaid, who work from day-to-day, without security, those without a job; the homeless, the bereft, the challenged and the weary … we pray for those who labor long and hard throughout the nights of our rest - police and fire fighters, hospital workers and the donut store staff … those who make the bread for the day, who deliver fresh vegetables to the stores … for the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker. 

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.