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

Eternal God … your love is a perfect power, your power is a perfect love … and to you we turn, with hope and gratitude.

We give thanks for the rising of the sun this day, for the mountains to the north, for our neighbors and our friends … we count our blessings, when we think about it … and we pray for the gift to think, to think often, and deeply … about our faith in you, O God, and your faith in us. … 

Encourage us, we pray, by your Holy Spirit, to pursue our faith with all that we are … to be grateful and content … to focus less on what we want, and more on what we need … less thought, O LORD, on what we lack, and more on what we have.

We pray today for friends and family … if there is pain, may there be healing … if there is despair, may there be patience … if there is shame, may there be pride … if there is sorrow, O God, may there be comfort … if there is loss of purpose, may fresh dreams be kindled … if there is anger, may there be peace … if there is fear, may there be confidence in your unfailing love.

We pray for our nation, O God … our President and Vice President, and their families … for the members of Congress, the Supreme Court … our military leaders and the women and men who sail the seas, fly the skies, and carry the arms of war.

We pray for the nations of the world … for Russia and Ukraine, the nations of the Middle East, for the European Union, for the Pacific Rim nations, for China and Taiwan, Australia and Indonesia … we pray for our neighbors, Canada and Mexico, and the nations of Central and South America … 

We pray for the nations of Africa … and especially Uganda, O God, and its move into hatred for the LGBTQ community. May your Spirit, O God, change the minds and hearts of those responsible, those who promote this terror, and may your Church, O God, here and around the world, have the courage of good convictions, and the good convictions of a liberating and joyful faith, because of the love of Christ, for every body.

Bless now, we pray, Westminster Presbyterian Church … and those who built it as a symbol of your grace … who gave us the Tower, that we might look upward, to find solace in your vast love, and then, with joy and hope, reach beyond ourselves to be the best we can be, and never lose ourselves in the moment, but keep ourselves in the majesty of your great love.

In the name of our LORD Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Peace, our Goodness, 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. 

4.16.23 Prayers of Church & Society, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

Eternal God, from whom flows all the goodness of our world, the hope we have for better days, the courage we possess to challenge the lies and speak the truth … and your daily grace, our daily bread, dear God, to see us through.

Eternal God, in your wisdom, we find our intelligence …

In your love, we find our direction ..

In your mercy, doors are opened, pathways cleared …

In your goodness, O God, we find ourselves, what it means to be human, created in your image, commissioned to care for your earth, called to follow your Christ.

Eternal God, we offer ourselves to you … lest we offer ourselves to the lesser gods of the day, the whims and fancies of the marketplace … the latest promise of salvation …

Save us, we pray, from these lesser gods, that we might remain in Christ, clear of mind and heart.

By your Holy Spirit, teach us the way of Christ … the way of compassion and mercy … hope and peace … grant to us, we pray, fresh courage, to face the demands of our age … to endure the pitfalls of life, to walk bravely through the valley of the shadow of death, for thou art with us … the eternal companion, in whom we find our future … that we are your, in body and soul, in life and in death, now and forevermore.

We pray this day for the flashpoints of our world … the war in Ukraine, tensions between China and Taiwan, fresh fighting in Sudan … we pray for politicians and leaders, for women and men of good conscience, who choose the pathways of virtue, faithful to the highest ambitions of heaven and earth - human dignity, freedom, safety, and welcome.

We pray, dear God, for loved ones and friends, those in need, some in grief, searching for their way … grant to them all, we pray, the kindness of your Holy Spirit, the assurance of Christ, the comfort of many friends, and the strength of wise mentors.

We pray now for Westminster, dear God - a place of worship, mission, and peace … we give thanks for everyone here today … for all who join us via YouTube … for all who’ve been here in the past, for all who shall take our place one day, the great company of saints, the church of Jesus Christ, a voice of hope in a clamoring world.

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. 

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

Eternal God, always our father, forever our mother … source of light, wellspring of love … alpha and omega, the beginning and the end … 

All glory, laud, and honor to you, dear God … our praise, thanksgiving, and hope … in the company of Christ, led by your Holy Spirit, we are your people, in this place, and for these times.

We take up our cross of care and service, with gratitude and with reluctance … bless our gratitude and deepen it, we pray … manage our reluctance that it not win the day.

In such times, O God, times of uncertainty … competing narratives, truth and lies commingled, power worshipped, glitz and glamour overwhelming our capacities to think.

By your Holy Spirit, dear God, help us to maintain our balance … keep up our spiritual health and that of our bodies … give to us , we pray, the discernment of the Prophets, the passion of Moses, the wisdom of Solomon, and the focus of Christ.

We pray for our Food Pantry … giving thanks that we can make a difference for people who are food insecure … for whom life is difficult and sometimes dangerous.

We pray for our communities, O LORD, our government leaders, our schools and teachers, our police forces and firefighters … a host of people who protect and guide us … public servants for the common good.

We pray for loved ones, dear God … keep them safe in their comings and goings … where there is illness, provide relief and healing … where there is death, grant the comfort of Christ … where there is despair, O God, grant the light of hope … where there is conflict and anger, give refreshment of spirit, and a new determination to build a better world.

Help us, O God, to fulfill our purpose, in this life, and for the life to come … to be servants of love, to create hope and peace, to seek what’s best in the human story, and that which is eternally true, and forever good.

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. 

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

God of light and God of hope.

We gather in this place and by our computers and TV … you bind us together, O God, in one great fellowship of faith, the church of Jesus Christ … 

We give thanks, O God, for those who came before us … they tackled their problems with faith, hope, and love … they did their best … they made mistakes and learned from their errors … they got on their knees and prayed with tears … they paved the way, they paid the way … they built a church, and raised a tower … they did their best, dear God, and to that purpose, we set ourselves, as well …

Equip us with your Holy Spirit … shape our souls toward the image of Christ … there is much in ourselves that needs adjustment … we’re not innocent in the ways of life, nor are we without fault. Deliver us, we pray, from all that deceives … the allurements of cheap trade and easy gain … the enslavement of the Immediate and the Now, and our neglect of the future.

We pray for our loved ones, O God … we pray for our church and spiritual houses of faith all around the land and across the world … we pray for our nation, and the nations of the world … especially where war rages, hunger threatens, poverty engulfs, dictators bluster, inept politicians play loose and free with the truth … help us, dear God, to seek the truth, to reach for love, to learn the Gospel, to be evermore faithful in the things of Christ.

Bless us now, we pray, in the remains of the day … give us rest for mind and body, courage of spirit and soul … help us count our days to be wise in our living … to be mindful of our mortality and the reality of eternity. Help us, we pray, to count our blessings to see what you have done … to reach high for faith, hope, and love … grace, mercy, 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. 

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

O Thou of a thousand tongues and dialects, you hear ever prayer, every moan and groan of every soul … every sob and every curse … you know how hard it is to be human, to make the journey every day - you know how dusty we all are, O God, made by your hands from the dust of the earth, the very dust you created, and you filled us with the breath of life … you know full well how frail is our character, how fragile our hold on things … you know how strong we can be, how gifted we are, and capable, O God, capable of great things. You know us through and through.

You are the God of a mercy … a kindness beyond all kindness … a love greater than all love … a welcome-home kind of a God … a God of open arms and bright smiles … for the lost and the weary … the broken and the defeated … the lonely and the lovelorn … those at the top of their game, and those who’ve lost the whole deal … 

Grant to us this day, we pray, the fire of your Holy Spirit … cleanse our thoughts and purify our souls … that we might hear the Good News of Christ our LORD … who gives us peace with eternity, and sees us through the days and nights of our distress, our hopes and dreams … your Christ, O God, who celebrates our victories and consoles us in our defeat … who encourages us to take one more step, to walk as fast as we can, to even run when possible, to finish the race set before us, and if we can’t run or walk any further, if one more step is impossible, to sit down beside us, until we catch our breath … to hold us in the arms of mercy … such is your great love.

Be with us, we pray, in the daily tasks of work and play … in the throes of our career, in the days of retirement, in the challenges of school … the thrill of first love or the love of many years … in the vigor of our youth, in the frailty of age … in every stage of life, O God, all along the way …

Be with our loved ones, we pray; shelter them in the care of your mercy … be with our nation in these days of trial and travail … bless those who govern; bless them with the wisdom of the ages and the compassion of angels … help us all, we pray, to work for the common good, to look upon our neighbors with kindness … to build the better world, to care for the Garden, to honor your holy creation, and all its creatures, great and small.

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. 

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

Eternal Light, Everlasting Goodness, clear our minds, we pray, of the distractions and worries of the day … that we might be focused upon you … attentive to the gospel of our LORD Jesus Christ … sensitive to the moving of the Holy Spirit … ready to be engaged for the tasks of life, with all that we are, and all that we hope to be.

Strengthen our resolve, we pray, to be just in our thoughts and our deeds … to do the right thing … love in the face of hate, speak truth where lies abound … seek kindness and mercy … to think things through in the light of Christ, to be reasonable and patient … ready to lift up the fallen, help the discouraged, walk with the lonely, cherish the quiet ones, seek out those in the shadows …

Dear God, quite our fears, we pray … it’s easy for us to get lost in bewilderment and panic … to lose our bearings, lose our way … help us, we pray, to abide in Christ, trust his words … be at peace with our life, even as we strive for better days. 

Wash our wounds, we pray; heal our sorrows, comfort us in our distress, walk with us upon the lonely roads we so often have to travel.

We lift up to you, or LORD, our families and friends … our neighbors and co-workers … help us to be present to them, mindful of their needs and sorrows … ready to offer the helping hand.

We pray, O God, for people of faith everywhere - mosques, synagogues, temples, and churches - wherever the truth is sought, wherever love is practiced, wherever the earth is honored, wherever your name, your many names, are hallowed.

We pray for our nation, O God: we pray for our President and Vice President; we pray for our Senators and Representatives; we pray for the Supreme Court and courts throughout the land. We pray for our school boards and teachers; we pray for city councils, mayors, sheriffs, police and fire fighters … we pray for the comfortable and those living on the streets … may those of privilege and power see the humanity in those who are weak and broken … may we all strive for justice … to preserve and purify the American Dream, and seek the highest ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Help us all, O God, to live the Golden Rule, to give freely as been freely given to us … 

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. 

Pastoral Prayer, June 21, 2015

Pastoral Prayer

First Congregational Church of Los Angeles

Creator of heaven and earth, eternal God … the news of the day won’t let us rest … and that’s all right, O LORD… we’ll not shy away from the cross of Christ; in his name, we will carry the burdens of justice and love, and the pain and sorrow occasioned by fear and hatred… we will, dear God, to the best of our abilities, defend our neighbors against all forms of bigotry and mistreatment.

But neither are we pure, LORD. We know that, and it pains us to say so.

There is something of Cain’s instinct in each of us, perhaps quiet and not so violent, but Cain nonetheless, skulking around the edges of our soul … protect us, we pray, from evil influences; help us to look to Jesus all the more, and with his Spirit, confront our own demons and help the world find its goodness.

With your Holy Spirit, dear God, empower us to work all the more to make this a just and peaceful world … to live the glory of the beatitudes … to honor the Sermon on the Mount … to love as our LORD has loved us, for there is no greater power than love, and love no greater, than to lay down our lives for one another.

We pray for the families of the dead … may the love of friends and neighbors be deeply felt in long hugs and shared tears … may the hymns of faith bring comfort … may the Word of Life proclaimed bring new resolve to work for racial healing.

We pray for those who have given themselves unto hatred … who look upon the world with fevered eyes … eager to kill for the sake of bad dreams and bitter lies. We pray that some influence, some word, some moment of sanity, will break through the walls of hatred and fear, to cleanse their souls and change the course of their lives, to a course of life set upon good rather than evil.

And may our nation, dear God, use this tragedy to think a little more clearly about the violence that courses through our cities and towns … racial and ethnic hatred, hatred for gays and lesbians and transgenders … so much hatred, O God, and a lot of it in the name of your Son, Jesus.

Here in this place, we would be different … true to Christ, welcoming all, and lifting up the truth of all religion: to love one another is salvation.

For our leaders, O God, grant wisdom to craft legislation that can put the brakes on violence … legislation that promotes the dreams of our pilgrim mothers and fathers - a land of opportunity, where anyone can be president, and everyone can find a safe place to live out their hopes and dreams.

Be with us, then, dear God, in the remains of this day … whether it’s back to work, or back to bed, or out to celebrate Father’s Day … help us, we pray, to be of good cheer, love much, think deeply,  read widely, forgive quickly … brave in the face of adversity and kind in all our ways, eager to put our hand to the plow and never ever look back … Amen and Amen!