December 12, 2010 - Prayers of the People

In your presence, O God, we find ourselves.

We find the where and the what and the why of our lives.

Heaven knows we’ve tried a concoction of other gods and goods.

Only to find ourselves all the more intent on knowing and loving you.

With unabated hope, dear God, we pray for our world.

For you are at work in all things …

Your love, O LORD, has a far reach, and your love continues to bend the course of history toward justice.

Your judgments, always merciful, bring down the high and the mighty, and lift up the poor and the downtrodden.

For us, O LORD, your timeline seems too slow … but in Christ, we see the final outcome and hear the promise that all shall be made new … we trust in your wisdom and in your mercy to get us there, at the right time.

We pray for the Holy Spirit in our lives.

To heal our wounds and restore our dignity.

That we might be a part of Christ, effectively.

And work beside him.

In Christ, O LORD, keep our eyes clean and clear.

That we might not be seduced by the glitter of power and the lust for national glory.

Keep our eyes open, we pray, to the needs of others.

To be kindly in our thoughts and compassionate in our actions.

To seek only the best.

Judging not, and welcoming all.

Giving everyone a break, doing unto others as we would have them do unto us.

Help your people around the world to bear witness to the faith, hope and love we find in Jesus Christ.

And for people of good faith everywhere … our sisters and brothers who are Muslim and Buddhist and Hindu and Jewish, and so many other stripes and flavors, help us all to link arms against violence, to stand with one another for peace, to resist the allurement of easy answers and military options … to be people of prayer and people of good service – to ease the burdens of the poor, to feed the hungry and cloth the naked … and speak out and speak up against unfairness and prejudice and bigotry and half-truths and mindless religion and religion without a heart.

We give thanks for humanitarian organizations around the world, making a difference, calling us to responsibility and helping us focus our power for good and for peace.

We give thanks for The Hunger Project.

The Peace Corps.

And Doctors Without Borders.

LORD, we pray for Covenant on the Corner this morning.

Our friends and neighbors, and those with whom we work.

For all who sorrow … may they be comforted by your Holy Spirit.

For the lonely … may they be consoled by good and loving friends.

For those who are confused and frightened … may they see the love of Christ today and find new direction for their life and a greater confidence to face the challenges of the day.

And for the proud, we pray … may the fear that drives pride be cast out … that a new and easy love might emerge.

For the angry, we pray … may they find peace in their time.

And for the bitter, we pray … may they find joy in Christ … may they find the power to forgive, and the grace to forget.

Bless us, we pray, that we might be a blessing to others.

Guide us, we pray, that we might lead others to Christ.

Fill us with your goodness that we might be good for 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.

December 5, 2010, Prayers of the People

Eternal God, we lift up our thoughts to you in prayer and praise, grateful for this time and place, to be here in worship with one another, under the tutelage of your Holy Spirit, guided by the words of Scripture, to learn more of Christ and be further formed in his image.

That we might be your people here and now.

Bearing witness on behalf of Christ.

To a world of need … a world of many hurts and much sorrow, dear God …

A world often lost amid its own fears and greed … a world severely injured by the arrogance of its own power, driven by economic devices riddled with injustice, and political aspirations distorted by a callous disregard for the truth.

O LORD, we do not pretend about the world in which we live.

But it’s the world you love.

The world for which Christ was born.

The world to which you call us, to make known to the world your great love.

We give thanks for Jesus Christ, O God.

Because he is the way, the truth and the life.

His way makes sense, though it often seems strange to us.

His truth is clear, though we doubt it more than we care to admit.

His life is good, dear God, though we turn to our own versions of goodness with a bizarre willfulness that never gives us what we want, and takes away what we love.

O LORD, have mercy, we pray.

In the light of Christ, O God, we see light.

Light, pure and good.

And by that light, we know our sin, dear God.

It pains us greatly, and we are not proud

So with much relief, we confess our sins to you:

We have not loved as we could.

We have been selfish far too often.

We have been enamored of ourselves.

We have spoken when we should have listened.

We’ve given into fear when we could have been faithful.

We’re turned inward when we should have turned outward.

We have prayed without commitment.

We have worshiped with our lips and not our hearts.

These are the sins of our life, O God.

And we lay them at the foot of the cross.

For sin is a burden we cannot carry.

The weight of sin is greater than our strength, we humbly confess.

To Christ we flee, O God.

To the cross we hurriedly go.

To give unto Christ the burdens we cannot carry.

The sins of our life and the sins of the world, for Christ takes them all into his great heart.

And gives us all a second chance.

O LORD our God, thank you for Christ.

For the grace that heals.

For the mercy that transforms.

For the peace that gives us strength to march onward.

To stay the course and keep on keepin’ on, because of Jesus Christ our LORD and our Savior.

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 …

November 21, 2010 - Prayers of the People

Eternal God, thank you.

Thank you for the gift of life.

However hard life is sometimes, LORD, it’s good to be here.

Good to be alive.

To feel sunshine on our face.

To smell rain in the air.

To hear wind rustling the leaves of fall.

To watch waves crash upon the shores of our world.

To see snow in the mountains.

To love and be loved.

To honor and to be honored.

To serve and to be served.

To live for you, God.

In the grace of our LORD Christ.

And by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Eternal God, thank you.

For priests, pastors, rabbis and imams.

We pray for the Roman Catholic Church and Pope Benedict.

We pray for Protestant Churches and Independent Churches.

We pray for those who follow the ways of Judaism and Islam.

We pray today for world leaders.

For the United Nations.

For our neighbors to the north and to the south.

We pray for the nations of the Middle East.

And we pray for the war-torn nation of Afghanistan.

We pray for soldiers everywhere.

We pray for their commanders.

And we pray for peace.

A day when nations will lay down their arms.

And for that day, O God, we yearn.

For that good day, we pray.

And for that day of peace, we work.

Forgive our world and its warring ways.

For religion when it waves the flag and loves the gun.

Forgive the nations that sell arms and profit from war.

Forgive the multi-national corporations who shun ethics for the sake of profits.

And forgive us, O LORD, when we turn a deaf ear to the cries of our world, and a blind eye to injustice.

We pray for Covenant on the Corner today.

Giving thanks for your grace in our midst.

Leading us all these years.

Guiding us through times of challenge and hardship.

Doing might works in our midst.

Changing hearts and minds.

Saving lost souls.

Getting us through the worst of times.

Enabling us to love you and to love 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 …

November 14, 2010 - Prayers of the People

It is right and good, O God, for us to say thank you … to set our minds upon your mercy and to set aside ourselves for a few redeeming moments – free of me, mine and myself, as least during this time of prayer and worship. Free to count some of our many blessings and give you thanks:

You have given us your very own breath.

You have given us dignity and responsibility.

You have endowed us with conscience.

You have provided all things needful.

You have set your love upon us, and made us a part of Christ, Christ the Cornerstone, Christ the Morning Star, Christ the hope of the world!

We pray today for the State of Israel and its Palestinian citizens.

We pray for Afghanistan and Pakistan and India.

We pray for Iraq and Prime Minister Maliki.

We pray today for social workers and child-welfare workers.

We pray for those who work in prisons.

We pray for teachers in tough schools and hard neighborhoods.

We pray for Fr. Boyle and his work with youth.

We pray for the Catholic Workers Kitchen downtown and the Union Rescue Mission.

We pray for the LAX Food Pantry.

And for all who ease the pains and sorrows of suffering.

We pray, O God, for your Holy Spirit to enter anew into our hearts and minds, clearing out the dark materials, and embedding the light of Christ..

To whom we belong.

And in whom we find ourselves and our purpose in life – to glorify you, our Father in heaven, to reach out and make disciples, joining hands with others along the way, in one great fellowship of faith and witness.

We look to Christ, O God:

His selfless deeds of mercy.

His voluntary death.

His glorious resurrection from the dead.

And his continuing power to save us.

Today, we give special thanks for Canines @ Covenant.

For Patty Hedges and her leadership, her compassion and vision.

For Caralyn and Lynn, and many others who embrace the passion and the mission of Canines @ Covenant.

With them, we give thanks fir a year of worship and praise.

For changed lives, and lives changing the world.

We give thanks for Veterans Day, a time to remember.

Those who have served their nation in a moment of great need.

We honor them today, and pray your blessing upon them and their families.

We pray today for Covenant on the Corner.

For our Designated Pastor Nominating Committee.

For our elders and deacons.

For everyone who makes Covenant a place of worship and praise unto your glory, O God.

We pray today for those who grieve the loss of loved ones, who now, of necessity, walk through the valley of the shadow of death. That you are near to them, dear God, in the hour of need, is worthy of our praise. That in all such places and times, you minister tenderly to those with broken hearts.

We pray for our children.

We pray for our families.

We pray, O God, that in some small way today, we will prove faithful to you, no matter what.

That we will serve Christ and love one another.

In the name of our LORD Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray, saying, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us …

Bread - My Son's Swaziland Dog

Bread loves J's feet ...

"Heaven" - in my son's arms ...

November 7, 2010 - Prayers of the People

Holy God, where do we begin with our thanksgiving and praise?
For you come to us in billions of saving ways:
Through prophets and playwrights and poets.
Musicians and dancers and artists.
Parents and teachers and counselors.
And with your Holy Spirit deep within.
And through Jesus Christ your Son.
All of this and more, to save us.
To save us from ourselves.
To raise our conscience from the dead of sin, and form our souls in the image of Christ.
That we might be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
That we might be truly good for something!

We pray today for your church, O LORD.
Its sins are many and grievous.
The church, O LORD, has not always preached your gospel.
We have built buildings and kingdoms more than we have built love.
And we can only confess these sins with sorrow and humility:
Be merciful to the church, dear God, the church for which your Son died, the church created by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Day.
In your mercy, restore your church, that the church might have authentic life, and be a beacon of real hope.
Raise up in our midst, we pray, women and men of great faith and vision. Thanks be to you, O God, for elders and deacons who lead the way, and for pastors who teach us your Word and challenge us to think.

We pray today for our newly elected officials.
Upon their shoulders, O God, the heaviest of burdens, and the greatest of challenges.
May your Holy Spirit bless our nation with a great conscience for the poor and the oppressed, and grant to us a high determination to wage peace rather than war.
And for the nations of the world we pray.
For our neighbors to the south and to the north.
For kings and queens and prime ministers and presidents.
For all who govern and lead.

We pray for our children, dear God.
For our families and our friends.
And for our beloved Covenant on the Corner.
We pray for those in sorrow.
Those who are near unto death.
Those who wonder what it’s all about.
For marriages challenged by the stresses and strains of the day.
For lonely hearts.
Bitter spirits.
For souls arid and dry.
For anyone discouraged and fearful.

O LORD our God, be merciful to us all.
We need your grace.
Your peace.
We need your Holy Spirit.
To infuse our hearts with a fresh lease on life.
And a deeper devotion to Jesus Christ our LORD.

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 …

Good Humor? Good Puns?

From a dear friend:

Those who jump off a bridge in Paris are in Seine.
A man's home is his castle, in a manor of speaking.
Dijon vu – the same mustard as before.
Practice safe eating – always use condiments.
Shotgun wedding – A case of wife or death.
A man needs a mistress just to break the monogamy.
A hangover is the wrath of grapes.
Dancing cheek-to-cheek is really a form of floor play.
Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?
Condoms should be used on every conceivable occasion.
Reading while sunbathing makes you well red.
When two egotists meet, it's an I for an I.
A bicycle can't stand on its own because it is two tired.
What's the definition of a will? It's a dead give away...
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
In democracy your vote counts. In feudalism your count votes.
She was engaged to a boyfriend with a wooden leg but broke it off.
A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
If you don't pay your exorcist, you get repossessed.
With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.
The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered.
You feel stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
Local Area Network in Australia – the LAN down under.
Every calendar's days are numbered.
A lot of money is tainted – It taint yours and it taint mine.
A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat.
He had a photographic memory that was never developed.
A midget fortune-teller who escapes from prison is a small medium at large.
Once you've seen one shopping centre, you've seen a mall.
Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead-to-know basis...
Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.
Acupuncture is a jab well done.