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

 Prayers of Church & Community, Feb. 25, 2024

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Holy God, LORD of creation and covenant, cradle and cross … you made us from the dust of the earth and filled us with your very own breath … 

In this holy place, O God, the whispers of faith surround us, your divine presence is felt a bit more keenly, our spiritual sensitivities are awakened - we find relief, encouragement, hope … we find our strength, and the courage to be strong … we find ourselves, and the courage to take one more step … we find something of ourselves, O God, as we find you … and YOU find us.

By the light of Christ, dear God, we see your glory … your love at work in all things for good … the tears you shed on behalf of your people, the pain you feel on the cross we build, the crown of thorns we weave … the nails of hatred, the spears of greed … ancient grudges and persistent sins.

We see your glory, high and lifted up … in the heavens and in the wonders of creation … we see your glory, O God, your creativity, your love, in the ways of our hair - straight and firm, short or long, tightly curled with a will of its own, bountiful or sparse, a splendid array of color and tone.

Your glory, O God: within our souls … mountains of love and beautiful courage … we are gifted, we are talented - we sing and dance, and write poetry … we follow recipes and bake an apple pie … we offer our hand to the weak, we speak words of wisdom … we care, we love, we dream, we hope.

Holy God, we pray for loved ones and friends … we pray for their wellbeing, in mind, body, heart and soul … we pray for healing and peace, for wisdom and love … protect them, we pray, from the predatory charms of materialism, save them from the vain promises of wealth and beauty … guard them, we pray, from the politics of fear and the religions of power.

Holy God, we pray for our land, our nation, our leaders - we pray for their welfare … may they lead with dignity, guide with vision - faithful, vision - one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all.

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.

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

 Prayers of Church & Community, Feb. 18, 2024

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Sing praise to the Lamb of God … 

sing to the glory of the heavens … 

sing to the lost and to the lonely … 

sing the songs of love.

Eternal God …

We are yours … 

in our sorrows and in our joys.

Dear God, our minds are preoccupied … from the morning news to the heartaches of life.

We pray for Europe O God … and the nations of NATO … we give thanks for the visionaries, the women and men of good conscience, who built this alliance, to defend Democracy and keep the peace.

We pray, O God, for all of our alliances around the world … from the Pacific Rim to Africa - the nations of Central and South America … our neighbors, Mexico and Canada … may our nation serve the purposes and needs of humanity … where we have failed, O God, let us be humble; where we have succeeded, let us try all the more.

Dear God, keep our Flag safe, and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under your watchful eye …  

We pray for Westminster Presbyterian Church on Lake Avenue, giving thanks for the Tower that still stands … we give thanks for all who have served you in this hallowed place, elders and deacons and trustees, and those who have stood in this pulpit to proclaim your love …  

Eternal God, thank you for Christ … for love revealed in Bethlehem’s little cradle … a child held in his father’s arms, a child nursed at his mother’s breast - his baptism in the Jordan - … his words to teach, his love to heal, his gift on the cross, the glory of his empty tomb, to redeem lost souls, and save the world.

Help each of us, O LORD, in our singularity, our individuality, just as we are, to give ourselves to Christ … to step across the lines we’ve drawn, to join arms with one another in faithful service to the world … to love Christ all the more, to serve Christ with great intentions, to surrender our lives, and get on with the tasks of discipleship.

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. 

2.4.24 Prayers of Church & Community - Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

 Prayers of Church & Community, Feb. 4, 2024

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Thou art the morning sun, and the evening star.

Thou art the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega.

Thou art the savior of our souls, and the keeper of our bodies.

Holy God, eternal in all your ways and purposes, we give thanks for your love …

We give thanks for your watchful eye upon Westminster … your hand upon us, to guide, reveal, transform and make new … 

You have blessed this pulpit with sound preaching over the last 100 years … we pray that the future will give to us a new minister, who will love you with heart and soul, mind and strength, who will serve with diligence and careful work, who will look to the future for the new things you are doing, and look to the past for what needs to be preserved … bless, we pray, the Search Committee … you will lead them well with your Holy Spirit.

We pray for Trina Cundieff, our Office Administrator, our jack-of-all trades … we pray for her family … bless them and keep them, in the hollow of your hand. We thank you for her work at our church.

We pray Imre Szilas, our organist … we give thanks for the gift of music you have so graciously and abundantly given to him … bless his dear wife in Hungary, and his daughter Amy - grant to them all, we pray, the mercies of heaven and the joys of love.

For those who show up, O LORD, Sunday by Sunday; those who can be counted on … steady to serve, faithful in worship … bless them, one and all. 

We pray for the elders of our church … we pray for the Foundation Board … we pray for our volunteers and all our members - for the neighborhood and surrounding churches and schools … may the Tower rising encourage everyone to stand tall in the things of faith, in the work of the day, in the tasks of life, to build up and protect our communities, from those who would compromise our liberty, restrict our democracy, and limit our freedom of choice and faith.

You are a gracious and loving God … you welcome all to the fellowship of your mercy, the Table of Christ … you turn no one away; you break the bread and pour cup for all.

Help us find our selves, our true selves, who we are in your eyes - whatever our nationality or race may be, whatever our gender or age may be …  you love every body, dear God, from head to toe, and everything in between … you love the rocks and the trees, the butterflies and the black holes, you walk the vast distances of interstellar space, and live in the intimate rooms of our soul.

Thou art the morning sun, and the evening star.

Thou art the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega.

Thou art the savior of our souls, and the keeper of our bodies.

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.