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

 Prayers of Church & Community, May 26, 2024

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Holy God, Eternal Light …

The origin of our life, and the destiny of our journey.

We give thanks for the world around us … from the stars above to the creatures of the sea … all of it your handiwork, all of it mysterious and glorious … and we, O God, a part of it, created in your image, full of hope and love, courage and intelligence … mighty gifts that we have used well to further the hopes of humanity … freedom and democracy … the welfare of children and the building of a just society.

We thank you for the good we’ve done … and of the good we haven’t done, we pray for your forgiveness and mercy … for a troubled conscience to push us ahead, to strive all the more for the goodness of life.

We pause in our hurried days to worship you, O God, the triune God of mercy and peace: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit … Mother, Daughter, and glorious Love … thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

We remember those who have carried the flag and served our nation … with gladness we note their sacrifice … with sadness, we confess our warring ways … nation against nation, the powerful upon the weak … vanity of might, and the foolishness of greed. On this day of holy remembrance, help us see the truth - not only the good that so many have sought, but the evil that even the good commit. Help us, O God, as we think about ourselves, our nation, our world, to be truth-tellers … to not lose ourselves in discouragement over the human condition, nor lose ourselves in moral blindness and self-interest.

We pray, dear God, for loved ones near and far … we pray for their well-being, their safety, their health … we pray for Westminster - we pray that our faith would reach as high as the Tower, and higher still, to the very reaches of heaven itself. That we might love you with all that we are, and with all that we are, love our neighbors with all that we can.

Thank you for the blessings of life … we are a most fortunate people, a nation blessed beyond all measure … and here, O God, in this place of worship and wonder, we give thanks for Christ … his life and his love, his work and his devotion … the cross he carried, and the tomb he conquered … to live forever with you, dear God, and to live forever in our hearts and minds.

With gratitude untold, we commit ourselves once again to Christ our LORD … we will follow him where e’er he lead … we will speak in his name, and love with purpose.

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. 

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

 Prayers of Church & Community, 5.19.24, Pentecost Day

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Holy God, Eternal Light … 

grant us thy mercies:

that we might see with our eyes the beauty of your world - 

the rise of the mountains, 

the clouds on high … 

the flight of a gull in the morning sun … 

trees tall and green … 

flowers bright with red and yellow, purple and white … 

give us such eyes, dear God, 

that would see your world 

in all of its glory, wonder and mystery … 

eyes to see one another - images of your goodness and love.

By your Holy Spirit, O God, open the portals of our minds and hearts … open wide the gates of learning, the wellsprings of love … give us, we pray, a fresh start, a new beginning, a chapter of untold goodness and hope … on this Pentecost Day.

Wash our souls of the weary dust … the dust of our mortality, that we might see within ourselves the evidence of eternity, the very breath of your love, O God - given to us in our creation, and given anew in faith, hope, and love … our very own Pentecost, dear God, when the flames of love burn bright and true, when we find ourselves as never before - as those beloved of your eternal majesty … as those crowned with glory … creatures of immense ability and imagination … 

In these moments of quiet reflection and adoration, Holy God, help us to see Christ high and lifted up … to see Christ on the cross of self-giving … Christ in the tomb of struggle and sacrifice … Christ risen from the dead, creating the world anew, setting free tired souls long held in chains of superstition and gross materialism … souls that have loved things undeserving of love, and missing the point of life … to love, and to love again what is true and good and eternal … to never give up, to never turn away, to never cease in our quest to be the creatures of your love, to be servants of Christ, to be kind in our ways, learned in our thoughts, humble in achievements, and always seekers of justice for the widow, the orphan, and the stranger at the gate.

Help us, O LORD, when we are tired, to find rest in Thee.

Help us, O LORD, when we have given our all, to take a deep breath of faith … 

Help us, O LORD, to walk slowly when we cannot run, to rest when body and soul have reached their limits … to wait upon you, dear God … to wait for the mercies that come in the morning, the love that comes in the night … to heal and renew, restore and rebuild, forgive and empower.

On this Pentecost 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. 

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

 Prayers of Church & Community, May 12, 2024

Westminster Presbyterian Church

God of time and eternity,

God of light and truth,

God of music, song, and dance

We are your people …

Help us, we pray, to pay attention … to live with care and awareness … 

Give us, we pray, ears to hear the cries of those in need and pain … eyes to see their distress and sorrow … hearts to feel the afflictions of life … 

And the will, O LORD, to be on the right side of history …  

In the times we live, O God:

Calm our spirits with the great love of Christ … keep us steady at the helm, keep us hopeful in the face of difficulties, keep us loving and kind.

Help us, we pray, to see the value of what we do here, in this place … there is goodness in remembering your Holy Name … there is peace and righteousness in our prayers and meditations … there is goodness in our being here … because you are here.

Dear God:

We pray for diplomatic services around the world … we pray for our armed forces, and those who command them … we pray for the nations of the world … why, O, why, must we wage war? why must we fight? why shed one another’s blood for what gain? 

O LORD our God, one by one, we’re a remarkable creation, but together, O LORD, we are capable of such horror as to shame the powers of hell. Forgive us, we pray, forgive us again and again, and maybe we can learn how to chart a better course.

Dear God:

We pray for family and friends …  

We pray for ourselves, too, O God …

We pray for Westminster … we thank you for what has been, what is, and for the future coming our way.

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. 

5.5.24 Prayers of Church and Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

 Prayers of Church & Community, May 5, 2024

Westminster Presbyterian Church

A world in turmoil, a time of distress.

The human story, onward we press.

Where is God? some must ask.

As we wonder about the needed task.

Come and follow me, says Jesus.

I offer you my deepest peace.

Take up your cross, and follow the love

Remember to sing to the God above.

Holy God, Eternal Light, we gather here in this quiet and thoughtful place, to consider who we are, and what must be done to care for the Garden you’ve given to us.

In song and sermon, in Scripture and prayer, dear God, you promise us your word, your counsel and your love … you speak to us in the morning sky … you call our attention to the lilies of the field … you remind us that the hairs of our heard are counted, and your eye is upon the sparrow.

We take heart in such things, and give thanks for your love.

We celebrate Cinco de Mayo, dear God … victory, freedom, and Democracy … chains of oppression broken, liberty proclaimed.

Help us, we pray, to face the challenges of the day: to pay attention, to listen to the cries of the broken heart …

A world in turmoil, dear God:

from Gaza to Israel, Sudan to Niger, China to Korea, 

Japan and the Philippines … 

Ukraine and Moldova, Russia and Europe … 

O God, there isn’t nation beyond your reach, a people too far from your love … we know that you are at work in all things for good … give us hope where there is despair, and give us patience to wait upon you - our LORD and our Savior.

Holy God, Eternal Light, we celebrate our dear Confirmands. We give thanks their families, their schools, and their classmates … they hold the future in their hands …

We pray for:

Avalon Baker … … Eden Baker … … Braden Fung … … Fletcher Paddock … … Ian Paddock … … Audrey Park

Bless them, we pray, with all of heaven’s mercies … shape their souls and minds in the image of Christ, and bring them to the world stage, there to make their mark and build your kingdom, the kingdom of light and peace.

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.