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

 Prayers of Church & Community, March 23, 2025

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Tesla Protest, March 22, 2025

Holy God, Eternal Light … you are the mountain of hope, the island of peace, the sunshine of faith … in the hallways of your grace, we find ourselves, even as you dwell within our souls … you call us to Christ, you bring us to life, you lead us upon the pathways of high purpose.

We pray, O God, for those struggling to recover from the firestorms, complicated rules and regulations … insurance and government permits … waiting, delays, frustrations and sadness … may their way be eased, we pray … may the powers-that-be make provisions to promote the welfare of the people, the healing and health of our communities …

May generosity rule the day … may kindness be our way … 

Within the board rooms and council chambers of our land, O God, may the instincts of greed and gain be challenged by the virtues of a liberal spirit …

Holy God, Eternal Light, we pray for loved ones and friends … we pray for healing where there is illness … comfort where there is sorrow … a way forward where there is discouragement …  relief where there is worry … patience and persistence, for the wisdom to wait, and the courage to act.

Help us, we pray, to make fresh decisions to follow Christ, embrace the Gospel, learn the deep things of  faith, that we might know the difference between the gold and the glitter, between your truth, O God, and Satan’s lies … the right from the wrong, the good from the evil, the beautiful from the ugly.

We pray your mercies for Pope Francis and the Roman Catholic Church … we pray for all houses of worship and all the many forms of religion … 

Bless Westminster, O God, and grant to this community of faith, I pray, the guidance of your Holy Spirit … forgive our sins and give us the Second Chance … open up before us, we pray, doorways to the future, and take us the hand, or by the scruff of the neck … to a new day, a new chapter, where the Tower still stands.

We pray for our nation … and the nations of the world … we pray for women and men of good conscience who yield not to the temptations of power but yield their souls to the virtues of freedom.

All of this, 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.

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

 Prayers of Church & Community, January 26, 2025

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Eternal God, light of the world, comfort us, we pray, in our time of need and loss …

We pray for our nation … and those who govern us … 

We pray for Wall Street and Main Street, we pray for businesses, large and small … we pray for the captains of capital and America’s working women and men … save us, one and all, from the gods of greed; that we might embrace the wisdom of true wealth, that in giving, we receive … in receiving, we learn the great truth of life - to find what we want, we must give what others need.

We pray for the frightened … folks deemed unworthy by misguided politicians, and fanatical preachers … we pray for those who proclaim hate, and call it good … we pray for those who claim the name of Christ and reject their sisters and brothers.

We pray for writers and historians, journalists and podcasters … who search for the stories behind the stories, the truth of the matter, to help us see clearly. 

We pray for our universities and colleges … professors and administrators … those who touch the minds of the young, who stir the conscience … and awaken the best kinds of dreams.

We pray for houses of worship and prayer … we pray imams and priests, rabbis and pastors … we pray for spiritual leaders and their congregations … for elders and deacons, Sunday School teachers and choirs … 

Especially we pray for those who speak truth to power, who lift up the cross of Christ, who hold forth the hands of mercy … we pray for the Rev. Mariann Budde, and the National Cathedral … 

We pray for Westminster, O God, here on Lake Avenue … fill this building with your glory, fill our hearts with your love, fill our minds with your thoughts … help us, to love justice, to do good, and to walk humbly with you, our God and Savior.

We pray for our own souls, dear God … that we might possess the integrity of Christ, the vision of your salvation, the strength of the gospel … that we might never give up on our journey with Christ … that we might have divine strength, to bear the cross and follow Christ where e’er he lead.

That we might be the light of the world, the salt of the earth … 

By mercy untold, and grace ever bright, the Tower still stands, dear God, a beacon of light, a tower of hope.

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. 

12.15.24 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.