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

Eternal God, we give thanks for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. … we celebrate, his work and vision, his courage and honesty … the family who supported him, those who worked with him … his voice, a clarion call to justice, a message for a troubled nation stumbling in its own history … a nation plagued with pride, O God, unable to tell the whole truth … 

Dear God, we give thanks for all those who continue the work, who raise the call of Christ, to seek first the Kingdom of God … who point the way to healing and health, wholeness and hope … all who declare the Gospel, loud and clear: “Here is the Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Here is the path, here is the right and good.” May their voices never be stilled, and may the ears of our nation be opened all the more to hear the truth of peace and justice.

Holy God, we give thanks for churches, great and small, churches that embody the love of Christ, churches that stand firm for the great truths of faith, hope, and love … to welcome all to the Table of Christ … to welcome all to the waters of baptism … to give freely to the world what you, dear God, have so freely given to the Church of Jesus Christ, and to each one of us - the salvation of our souls, and our daily bread.

We pray now for our loved ones … for family and friends …

And for ourselves, O God, many a burden upon our heart … things that distress us, frighten us, shame us, bewilder us … O LORD, our God, we are so complicated, but you know us through and through, your love for us is without end … in the end, O God, we are yours, for this life, and for the life to come …

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. 

6.12.22 Prayers of Church & Community - Westminster Presbyterian Church Pasadena

Eternal God, ever-present to your world, we give thanks for this day of worship, a time to remember one of your servants, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - you called and gifted him, O LORD, to awaken our nation’s conscience to the evils of racism, and to the hope of our Democracy.

On this day, O God, remind us that much work remains to be done … racism remains a part of our nation’s narrative, with Confederate flags and racial epithets.

Help us, O God, in this church, to proclaim the truth of justice, to honor the memory of Dr. King, to bring to bear upon our communities the gospel of our LORD Jesus Christ, the gospel of welcome and inclusion, the gospel of peace and hope, the gospel that liberates and sets us free, free to be fully human, to enjoy the gifts of your world, O God, and to insure that all of your children will enjoy the gifts and goodness of life.

In our worship this day, O God, bless us with the fullness of your Holy Spirit … awaken and refresh our courage and faith … bless our preacher of the day, Pastor Harlan Redmond … bless his wife and children, his work, his soul - grant to him, we pray, the eternal vision of a redeemed world, a world faithful and true.

We pray, today, for our loved ones - their wellbeing, their hopes and dreams, whatever physical needs and emotional distress may darken their days … financial worries … employment cares … family conflict, personality disorders - life is complex, O God … we’re always a mystery, even to ourselves … yet in your grace, you provide a way through, pathways to walk upon, and daily encouragement.

We give thanks for doctors and nurses and medical staff - for research facilities and the scientists who seek solutions to the diseases that plague our world. Bless all who strive every day to deliver health care the nation, to meet every need, regardless of of class or race or location. 

Bless us we pray, in the remains of the day - whatever comes our way, O God, you are already there with grace, mercy, and peace. Thank you for calling us to Christ, for redeeming our souls, and giving us the highest of all possible purposes - that of loving you with all that we are, and with all that we hope to be, loving 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. 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.