Prayers of Church & Community, 12.3.23
Westminster Presbyterian Church
Eternal God, creator of the heavens and the earth, we give thanks for your goodness at work in all things … in ways and means beyond our grasp, beyond our understanding, yet in our hearts, O God, you speak to us the Words of Hope … in the hymns we sing, the prayers we say, thou art present … thou art the way, the truth, and the life.
Our lives, O LORD, are a jumble of good things and things not so good … our hearts, dear God, are not pure … thoughts of ill-will and envy, jealously and rage, roam around freely … we are so often slaves to ourselves, unable to love as we should, as we must, as we could.
O LORD, help us, we pray, in our need for salvation, our need for redemption, and healing.
With gratitude and hope,
We pray for our nation, for the preservation of our Democracy … we pray for the House of Representatives and we pray for the Senate … guide them, we pray, by your Holy Spirit … may the virtues of liberty and justice-for-all be their guiding light … a test for what they propose, how they vote, what they tell us …
We pray for the welfare of Westminster, dear God … this building raised to your glory, a sanctuary for all, a place of welcome and peace.
Guide us, we pray, to new days and new ways … show to us, we pray, what can be done, what must be done … to lift up the name of Christ, to be a healing balm in the midst of our times, to welcome all who cross our threshold, to be people of good cheer, and deep faith.
We pray for loved ones and friends … we pray for George Coulter and his family … we pray for Mark Riggs and his dear mother, Jo … we pray for Dahlia Burden and her health needs …
We pray for those who grieve … those stricken with illness … those for whom life is an unbearable burden of sorrow and regret … hold them, dear God, in the hollow of your hand.
O LORD, our God, we pray for houses of worship all around the world … we pray for the People of Palestine, Jew, Christian, and Muslim - all of them, dear God, beloved children of Father Abraham and Mother Sarah … may their fear be replaced by faith, may war cease, and peace be found
Holy God, LORD of light and love, bless upon our hearts, we pray, this First Sunday of Advent - reach deep into our souls, dear God, to plant anew the power of hope - that in all things, we might turn to you in faith and trust, and follow in the ways of Christ our LORD, the hope of the world, and the light of the 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.
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