Prayers of Church & Community, Dec. 10, 2023
Westminster Presbyterian Church
Holy God, LORD of light and peace,
Christ is born anew in our hearts and homes, dear God;
a star shines bright and clear in the quiet places of our soul … Mary’s love remains … O Little Town of Bethlehem … how grateful we are, O God, to lift our hearts to the heavens, and be comforted, consoled, and guided.
Revive our spirits, we pray, and give us fresh purpose … may the sweet bells of Christmas awaken ancient dreams of peace and good will for all.
Eternal God, we pray for loved ones and friends.
We pray for our nation, our president and vice-president … members of Congress and those who sit upon the bench …we pray for those who serve the flag, and those who command their destinies … we pray for our diplomats and our civil servants …
We pray for folks caught up in conspiracy theories and hate … ensnared by lies and bigotry, the allure of white supremacy and power … we pray for their souls … for healing, restoration, and a fresh vision of life … a return to virtue and nobility.
We pray for folks who would mislead us … the mean spirits of our age, who wield power improperly … who shade the truth and bend reality … who bow down to Baal, and worship the Golden Calf.
We pray for the victims of hate, dear God - who fear for their lives, who find graffiti scrawled on their synagogues and homes, who hear the slurs and see the face of hell - who try to shield their children and prepare them for what no child should ever have to face.
O LORD our God, preserve our Democracy … guard those who stand upon the ramparts of liberty, who remember the ideals: one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all.
Holy God, we pray for world leaders … for the United Nations … Doctors without Borders … all who work on behalf of peace.
We give thanks for the peacemakers in Palestine … we pray for Venezuela and Guyana … the people of Ukraine and Russia … and always the children, O LORD … always, the children.
We pray for Westminster … for houses of worship all around the world … religious leaders, priests, rabbis, Imams, preachers and prophets …
O LORD, our God, we give you profound thanks for the gospel, for the Season of Advent, for the love of Christ, for the work of the Holy Spirit within our souls … you call us to life, lift us up, bring us into the light, help us along the way … Holy are you, O God, and greatly to be praised.
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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