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

 Prayers of Church & Community, Dec. 15, 2024

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Teach us how to pray, O LORD … we want very much to do it well … 

Give us the courage to pray … to bow our hearts before your glory … to open wide our minds to your will … 

Give us eyes to see those moments in our daily journey when prayer is needed … give us pause in the midst of our busy lives, to breath the words of thanksgiving … give us ears to hear the songs of life … songs of sorrow and songs of joy … make us sensitive to the ebb and flow of your Holy Spirit, we pray … 

We can do so much on our own, O LORD, but only so much - we need your grace to complete the day … to finish what we begin, repair what we break, heal our wounds, cleanse our souls, restore what is lost, refresh our resolve.

Today, O God, we celebrate Mary … you gave yourself unto her, and through her, you were born into this world … she walked with you when you took your first steps, she fed you in the middle of the night, she bathed you with tender care … she heard your first words … she and Joseph took you to Jerusalem, and there to see the Temple, your Father’s house … your beloved mother wasn’t always sure what you were up to … but she stayed the course, and in the end, she stood by your cross and watched you die … she was at the tomb on the day of your Resurrection … and in glory, she shines with you and all the Saints.

Blessed is her name, O God … and blessed is her courage, and her faith … by her example, teach us how to say “Yes!” to the great things of life … teach us that it’s ok to be afraid, to be uncertain … helps us to see the angels who visit us, the moments of opportunity for life and for love … and within the womb of our own soul, dear God, come and make a home with us … and help us, then, to birth your love into the world.

This day, O God, as Mary prayed for her world, so we pray for our time and place … mindful of Syria, Israel & Palestine, the Koreas, Ukraine and Russia, the nations of NATO, and our neighbors to the north and south … may the vulnerable be respected … may the powerful be mature … may goodness and peace be the highest priorities … may the church be faithful to Christ.

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.

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

 Prayers of Church & Community, Dec. 8, 2024

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Oh LORD our God, in your mercy, we find our hope, in your love, our peace … deliver us, we pray, from the fears and worries that so easily grow out of hand … help us, we pray, to engage with our world, but not to be swept away in the chaos of the day.

We offer up our prayers, O God, in faith - that every prayer uttered anywhere, by anyone, adds to the welfare of the world. 

Our prayers, feeble as they are, rise to heaven’s gate, and there, our prayers, and those of all humanity, are well received.

We pray for South Korea, O God … for the people of that great nation and their democracy …

We pray for the city of Manilla … may your love comfort the bereaved … may your Holy Spirit prompt an outpouring of assistance.

We pray for Syria in the throes of civil war … we pray for the State of Israel and the Palestinians … we pray for Ukraine and Russia … we pray for the nations of Africa … may your Holy Spirit strengthen the church in all of these lands … may the gospel be proclaimed with joy and courage, integrity and mindfulness … may the right hand of fellowship be extended to all … may the works of compassion and the deeds of mercy be amplified by your love … may the church be the church of Jesus Christ, dear God … never the church of a nation, nor ever to bow down before the idols of wealth and power … but the church of the resurrection, rising to a new day of hope and peace … giving unto others the treasures of faith, forgiveness, and fortitude.

Bless us, now, we pray, in the remains of the day … see us into a new week … lead us upon the pathways of righteousness … remind us, we pray, that we never walk alone … you walk with us in the wind, in the rain, in all the storms of life … you are the silver lining in every cloud, and the rising sun of every 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. 

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

 Prayers of Church & Community, Dec. 1, 2024

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Holy God, Eternal Light, creator of the heavens and the earth … we give thanks for the gifts of life … to love and be loved, to learn of new things, to grow in our faith … to have friends and be a friend … to be followers of Christ … to know his grace, and see his glory.

Give us new hearts, we pray, every day … hearts fit for his grace … and give us good eyes, we pray, to see his glory - the radiance of his goodness and mercy … and ears to hear his words …  

In these moments of worship, O God, move mightily within our souls … that we would leave here with a fresh sense of purpose and everlasting hope.

With hope, dear God:

We pray for our nation and those who lead us … 

We pray for the city of Manilla … for those who lost their homes to the fires, and those who lost loved ones … 

We pray for the city of Aleppo … we pray for the nations of the Middle East.

We pray for loved ones near and far … we pray for our children, and grandchildren … we pray for our parents and grandparents … and all who came before us … you loved them through and through, and through them, O LORD, the energy of life was sustained … 

We pray for Westminster …

Bless us, we pray, as we carry the torch of life in our time and place … may we not fail you, O God … when we are weak, give us your strength … when we are afraid, give us your courage … when we stumble and fall, raise us up to walk again.

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. 

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

 Prayers of Church & Community, Nov. 24, 2024

Westminster Presbyterian Church

All glory, laud, and honor 

to you, Redeemer, King, 

to whom the lips of children 

made sweet hosannas ring. 

You are the King of Israel 

and David's royal Son, 

now in the Lord's name coming, 

the King and Blessed One.

Holy God, Eternal Light … speak tenderly to us, we pray … our hearts are weary, our souls heavy laden … our minds challenged with claims and counter-claims of truth and lies, prosperity and poverty, who’s in and who’s out … what’s right and what’s wrong.

We hardly know where to stand, dear God … we confess our faith in the good words of the gospel … but our hearts are often far away … , far away from your glory, your reality, your goodness, your mercy … forgive us, we pray, and do not abandon us … be patient with us, we pray, and do not turn away.

We lift up to you, O LORD, the needs of our world … we cannot pray for peace on earth, for such is not possible in this realm of time and sin … but we pray for a lessening of war … we pray that women and men of good conscience will tamp down the flames of fear and greed that drive the engines of war … 

We pray for our nation … in these days of transition … we pray for the President-elect and those whom he calls to serve … we pray for the Senate and the House, we pray for the courts of the land … we pray that the light of justice not grow dim, but burn all the brighter in our hearts … 

Always, dear God, we pray for the children who bear the brunt of our foolish ways … who pay the price of our sins … little ones who carry the crosses we fashion with our pride and prejudice. Forgive our warring ways, we pray … the ancient hatreds we harbor in our souls.

We pray for loved ones, eternal God … watch over them in their endeavors, their dreams, their hopes and desires …  we pray for our church … may it’s light burn bright, may its word be true.

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.

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

Prayers of Church & Community, Nov. 17, 2024

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Who are we, LORD? … and what will become of us?

Moving Right Along!

What shall we do, and who shall we be?

Our lives, dear God, are filled with questions.

Random thoughts race across our mind … 

fretfulness near at hand … 

daily tasks press in upon us … 

and always, dear God, the love of Christ … the ceaseless mercy of your Holy Spirit, the impulse of hope and faith … you have not forgotten us, dear God, nor can we ever forget Christ.

We are yours, dear God … from birth to death and beyond … you created us in your image … you endowed us with great abilities … you empower us with far-reaching dreams … you forgive our foolishness, you restore our strength, you lead us upon the pathways of goodness and wisdom.

Eternal God, bless our loved ones, we pray … keep them in the hollow of your hand … guide their footsteps, open doors for them, lead them upon the pathways of goodness … remind us, dear God, that as we so love our loved ones, so you love the world …

We pray for our nation, and the nations of the world, especially we pray for the democratic nations … we are grateful, dear God, for leaders who see the higher vision of life and peace, who labor long and hard to ease the suffering of our world … we pray for the Peace Corps, and Doctors Without Borders … we pray for universities and colleges … we pray for missionaries across the world … and ministers who proclaim the gospel.

Bless Westminster, dear God, that we might remain strong in Christ, faithful to one another … bless houses of worship everywhere … coffee shops and cathedrals, mosques and temples … let words of hope and truth ring bright and clear … for the healing of the nations …

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. 

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

 Prayers of Church & Community, Nov. 10, 2024

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Holy God, Eternal Light, to whom belong all the nations of the world … in whose hand is the ebb and flow of all events … the relentless march of time … the glory and the sorrow … the loss and the gain … with love, O God, thou carest for the earth … with wrath, O God, thou judgeth our folly and our failure.

Be with us this day, O God, … in this little moment of time, when we open our minds to the word of Christ, our hearts to his love, our souls to his future … 

Deliver us, we pray, from fear, revive our faith … by your Holy Spirit, refresh our weary souls and refine our ambitions … whatever our sorrows may be, O God, whatever our hopes are, help us, we pray, to be centered in Christ all the more, lest the tides of the moment sweep us into the deeps of grief, or onto the heights of joy … that in our grief, we would not lose sight of Christ, O God … and in our joy, to still hear his words of benediction … save us, we pray, from digging our own graves of sorrow, or climbing our own mountains of joy.

Bless our church, we pray, and all houses of prayer.

Bless our homes and our communities, our schools and where we work.

Bless Imre’s wife, Miletta … and her family in Hungary … be with all those we love and all for whom we care.

Bless our government, and see us through the days of transition and challenge … 

Bless our neighbor-nations, O God, Canada and Mexico, and all the democratic nations of the world … may freedom’s light shine bright, may peace be sought, and arms laid down … by your grace, O God, save us from our worst instincts … by your love enhance our best intentions.

That in the end, dear God, we may stand before you without shame … having served you in faithfulness and peace … having sought and received the grace of your forgiveness … having fulfilled our duties to Christ our LORD, and by his love, O God, having fulfilled our duties to one another.

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.

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

 Prayers of Church & Community, Nov. 3, 2024

Westminster Presbyterian Church

How shall we speak to thee, O God?

What can we say?

In this sacred space … some of us too tired to move, some of us bewildered by the dark winds of time and loss, some of us full of hope and peace and love … 

How shall we speak to thee, O God.

What can we say?

Do we thank thee enough, O God?

Do we consider the lilies of the field, and the birds of the air?

Do we see with our eyes, or do we merely observe?

Can we see thee, O God.

The glory of the heavens, and the beauty of the earth?

How shall we speak to thee, O God?

With whatever is in our hearts?

Our fearfulness, our lusts, our greed, our smoldering resentments … it’s not always a pretty sight, O God … our heart can be full of things we do not comprehend, feelings that beckon us to darker places of the soul, to be lost within ourselves.

How shall we speak to thee, O God?

We have love in us, in all kinds of ways.

Love for friends and family … for them, dear God,

We pray.

We pray for their welfare … we pray for their health … we pray that they will live good and decent lives …

There is so much we want, O God.

Most of it good, some of it not so good.

We’re not always sure of ourselves.

Our best motives can hide all sorts of things, dear God.

All sorts of things …

How shall we speak to thee, O God?

By your Holy Spirit, move us closer to Christ … 

We’ve taken steps in the right direction, dear God, but we can hesitate … and we do … the chasm of fear beckons us … we turn from the mountains of hope before … we turn from Christ beside us, we go our own way … oh how stubborn can we be, dear God, how stubborn can we be?

How shall we speak to thee, O God?

With all that we are … and here we are.

We feel something of your great love for us.

And we are grateful … we pause for a moment or two in our busy lives, too busy sometimes, to say Thank You!

And in those words of gratitude, dear God, some relief.

To count our blessings … and reach for peace.

You are faithful to us, your love for us is without season, never a turn of the tide … always and forever, the LORD of life and our Creator … the God and Father of us all, the LORD of this Table, the love of our Savior.

How shall we speak to thee, O God?

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.