Prayers of Church & Community, date
Westminster Presbyterian Church
Holy God, Eternal Light …
Creator of the heavens and the earth …
The Good Shepherd of our souls …
Open our eyes to see the glory of the world around us … the greatness of human achievement, the bravery os the soul, the songs we sing and the stories we tell.
But give us eyes to see the greatness - of a tree reaching for the sky, a blade of grass beneath our feet … ears to hear the rustle of the wind and the cheerful song of a bird greeting the rising of the sun …
Help us to stop now and then … to see and hear … touch and smell, taste and savor, the goodness and wonder of your world.
Not all can enjoy such comfort and beauty, dear God, and we are ever so sorry for that, so help us, we pray, to be grateful, generous, devoted - to preserve and share this lovely world, for all of its creatures, great and small, for all generations to come.
Help us, we pray, to receive the blessings of life as your invitation to use our abilities, our resources, for the greater good, to provide for those lost in drugs and abuse, who cannot rise from the depths of sorrow, who have lost their abilities, who will always need what only the more fortunate can provide.
We pray for our nation in this season of campaigns and elections … voices vie for our attention, dear God, seek our vote, want our money … help us, we pray, to sort through all of our feelings, ponder the things we cherish, consider with care what we value … help us to weigh all of this by the love and glory of Christ … his kindness and mercy, his generous words of love and hope, that Christ could be first in our lives, that we might be be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
We pray for Westminster, our beloved church … we pray for the elders … our maintenance staff, our office administrator, our organist, and all the groups and organizations who have a home under our roof. May the shelter of these walls, and the stories they tell, be a great comfort to all who cross the threshold of worship, prayer, and praise. For you are here, O LORD … you are here!
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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