Prayers of Church & Community, Nov. 12, 2023
Westminster Presbyterian Church
Eternal God, your hands hold time and space … your glory shines in our souls … your grace paves the way, undoes the ravages of sin, holds before us a vision of life and liberty, a goodness greater than we could ever imagine, a plan to move forward, the possibility of love … love of one another, dear God, love of the lost and the lonely, a love that doesn’t retreat, or run away, or hide, but a love that goes to the heart of the matter, a love that welcomes the sun of the morning, and the quiet of the night, a love that welcomes all and turns none away.
We pray, O God, for our loved ones …
Those in need of physical healing … where illness or trauma have harmed … where distress of soul is waging a battle against the future … where there is too much darkness on the horizon, and not enough light … O LORD, hear our prayer … grant the warmth of the morning sun, the light of day to lead the way, for relief and comfort, wellbeing and peace, healing and restoration.
We know all too well, dear LORD, that we’re mortal … so help us, we pray, to put our mortality into your everlasting arms, to know that all will be well … in life and in death, O Christ we belong to you, a most faithful Savior.
We pray for the influencers of the day … those who chase the dream of fame, who count their hearts and likes and loves every hour or so, who wait for the big break, and some cold hard cash.
We pray for the young who imagine wonderful things … for the elderly who recount what they did, and those in between … wondering what it’s all about anyway.
We pray for our nation … for the women and men of vision who bravely wave the flag of faith upon the ramparts of our Democracy, who lift up the torch of wisdom and freedom, who point us to the more perfect union.
We pray for Westminster Presbyterian Church … with thanks for those who built this Tower as a witness to the world, that you, O God, are the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega … you are the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Giver of Life … that in all times and in every place, our lives are caught up in your providential care for the world - that everyone counts, everyone is loved, everywhere is where you are to be found … for you are the everlasting God of grace and glory … the vast universe is your home, a child’s heart your sweet abode … you walk with the weary, you lay down with the infirm, you rejoice in a young mother’s laughter, a young father’s delight … you stand by every bedside, you hold the hands of the dying, your earth welcomes their mortal remains, your heart welcomes their soul … all in safe keeping until that great Gettin’ Up Morning, when all shall be made new.
Give us, we pray, our daily bread … the grace of Christ, the love that surpasses all our dreams, the energy to live, and to live well … to be ambassadors of Christ, holding forth the gospel in all of its integrity and goodness … the gospel of justice and peace … that which lifts up the fallen, heals the broken, and restores the lost.
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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