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.
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