1.19.25 prayers of church & community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

 Prayers of Church & Community, January 19, 2025

Westminster Presbyterian Church

In the smoke of our sorrows …

In the winds of our lament …

In the ashes of our tears …

O LORD, our God, creator of the heavens and the earth, we cry out for your mercies and your guidance … for your love and your strength … for the comfort and consolation of your Holy Spirit, for the gentle touch of Christ … to take our hand and lead the way … the way forward, the way through it all …

With heavy hearts, we pray for those who’ve lost their homes … and those with damaged homes … communities lost to us forever … the stores and the shops, the gatherings places of commerce and conversation … schools and churches and a billion memories …

We are, dear God, creatures of this earth … we are material through and through, and to the material things of life we belong, and in their loss, our lives are depleted … from tooth brushes and toothpicks … to cars and clothes, to pots and pans … and screwdrivers and scotch tape …

We pray for those coming to our aid … government agencies and private organizations, and personal generosity from all around the nation, the world …

Bless our nation, we pray … as we transition to a new administration … may the better angels of peace and goodness sound the trumpets of hope … may wisdom and mercy prevail.

For the Middle East, O God, we pray … may the peacemakers be heard, may arms be laid down, may justice be done …

We pray for our troubled world … we pray that humanity will find its way … we pray for all houses of worship … for imams and priests, for pastors and rabbis … for all lift their voices in song, who fold their hands in prayer …

Holy God, Eternal Light, teach us of Christ … help us, we pray, to bow the knee in humble prayer and faithful love … guide our footsteps along the difficult pathways of life … when we’re weak, O God, you are our strength … when we’re sad, O God, your love remains our joy.

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. 

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

 Prayers of Church & Community, June 9, 2024

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Tiger Lilly, Monte Vista Grove

In the quiet of this moment, O God,

We catch our breath and regain our balance.

In this place, Dear God, we discover ourselves all over again … who we are in your eyes … we learn of your will and we learn of your purpose … your kindly ways … the ways to which you call us … that we might lead good lives, lives for the sake of Christ, lives of generosity and kindness, lives filled with wisdom and grace.

Here in this place, O God, we learn the realities of life … the pain and sorrow of others, the hurt we’ve experienced … the hurt we’ve done to others … here, in this place of light and love, we see the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth … the good and the bad, the worst of it, and the best of it, where we have failed and fallen, where we have risen to the occasion and fulfilled the high calling of Christ.

We pray for our nation, O God … we pray our leaders … we pray for our President and his family, we pray for the members of Congress and their constituents, we pray for the judiciary and those stand before them … in all regards, dear God, may the common good be the center-point of concern, may justice and liberty for all be the guiding light, may peace be sought, may peace be secured, may our children be safe.

Holy God, Eternal Light, we pray for ourselves … we need your guiding light, we need your mercy and your love … our mortal flesh needs your eternal glory to fulfill its purpose and complete its tasks … our souls need your goodness, your grace, that we might dream the dreams of your creation, dream the dreams of Christ on the road, dream the dreams of the Risen Christ, to give life to the world around us.

We pray for loved ones and friends … we pray for the family and friends of Terry Flach … may your great love, O God, be their guide and comfort in the valley of the the Shadow of Death.

Bless Westminster, we pray, in its quest for a new minister … bless our present moment, that faith, hope, and love would fill this place to overflowing … that all who enter its doors will enjoy the goodness of Christ, find a place of welcome and friendship and affirmation - a place to heal, a home in which to spiritually thrive and emotionally gain strength …  

We remember D Day, O God, the beginning of the end of fascism’s death-grip on Europe … the militarism that terrorized the Pacific … we commemorate the memory of tens of thousands of men and women who carried the torch of freedom, who did what was necessary, in distant lands and faraway places. 

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. 

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

 Prayers of Church & Community, April 28, 2024

Westminster Presbyterian Church

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,

With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me;

As he died to make us holy, let us die that all be free!

While God is marching on. Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!

Holy God, Eternal Light,

We pray for our nation, we pray for our President and those who serve with him … 

we pray for Congress, 

we pray for the courts of the land … 

we pray for our armed forces around the world … may they keep peace with the force of ideas more than the force of arms … but if arms are needed, O God, than preserve them, we pray … and may the promise of peace and freedom be realized.

We give thanks for the Founding Fathers and Mothers of this land, who dreamed a glorious dream of freedom and hope … a dream not yet fulfilled, O God, a dream still waiting to be finished.

We thank you, O God, for all whom you have brought to America - from lands to the south, and lands across the seas … an endless parade of peoples and cultures … we are all from somewhere else, dear God, and finally, all from thee. 

Help us all, O LORD, to put our hand to the plow, and not look back to what was, but to look ahead to the dreams that beckon us onward.

Holy God, Eternal Light, help us, we pray, to care for your Garden, your earth, all your creatures, great and small.

Holy God, Eternal Light … touch our souls, we pray, with the power of your Holy Spirit … shine the light of faith all around us:

If we are complacent, dear God, disturb us … 

if we are discouraged, revive us …

if we’ve wandered from Christ, bring us back …

if we’ve forgotten our promises, awaken us …

if we are tired, dear God, give us rest …

if we are frightened, give us comfort …

if we doubt our abilities, tell us again how good we are …

if we have lost our way, find us …

if we lack purpose, dear God, remind us of our baptism …

Holy God, Eternal Light … we are painfully aware of distress and sorrow all around the world … especially, we pray for our universities and colleges, their students, faculties and staff, and their families. 

We continue to pray for the people of Ukraine and Russia and surrounding nations … we pray for Israel and Palestine and the nations of the Middle East - may the wisdom of peace prevail, may the courage of forgiveness give light, may the power of tomorrow reveal a pathway through the chaos of the 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.

 Prayers of Church & Community, March 24

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Holy God, Eternal Light … 

Companion of the Way …

Help us, in this moment, 

to cleanse our minds,

to center ourselves in your love.

With the peoples of ancient Jerusalem, O God, we wave our palms of victory, and lay our cloaks upon the road … we lift our hearts in grateful praise, and pray for a better day … we welcome you, O Christ, to our cities and towns, to our homes and our hearts.

In humility and sorrow, dear God, we pray for the church around the world … 

In humility and sorrow, we pray for the nations of the world … 

In humility and sorrow, we pray for the citizens of Moscow … 

In humility and sorrow, we pray for the lands besieged by war, famine, and disease.

In humility and great joy, we give thanks, for the glory of our baptism … 

In faith, hope, and love, we stand with Jesus in the Jordan, dear God, and John the Baptist is beside us … 

with little Noah John and his family, O God… and all their friends, gathered here in this sacred place, we lift our hearts in grateful praise, for the great work of Christ.

Reach deep into our minds, we pray, with the healing light of Christ … that we might leave here today with a fresh sense of who we are in Christ, and what must be done for the sake of Christ … 

Remind us, dear God - we are not alone in the huge tasks of love … we put our hands to the plow along with millions of women and men of good conscience and fortitude … 

we are not alone, O God - the saints who’ve gone before us lend us their strength, their love, their prayers, and wisdom … 

we are not alone, dear God - your Holy Spirit is our companion, Christ himself our strength and vision.

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. 

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

 Prayers of Church & Community, March 3, 2024

Westminster Presbyterian Church

O God, your hand is upon us … your angels surround us … your love leads us on … 

We are yours from before the foundation of the earth … it was your breath that gave us life, it’s your hand that leads throughout our days … and in the end, O God, you take us by the hand, and walk with us through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, a valley we all must travel, to the Land beyond … to the city of eternal light, where there are no more tears, and no more pain.

O God our Creator … Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit; Mother, Daughter and Eternal Love … teach us how to pray … touch our hearts with your goodness, that we might turn to you throughout the day, and well into the night … and in the morning of the next day, to greet thee … for all the days of our lives.

Teach us, we pray, how to pray … to open our hearts to your glory, and follow in the footsteps of Christ … to care deeply and profoundly for the world in which we live … to be more than consumers of your kindness … to never take for granted the blessings of your kindly favor … to embody in our words and being the very presence of Christ.

Holy God, we pray for loved ones and friends … 

We pray for those in grief … 

We pray for the homeless of our land, 

refugees around the world, millions in distress …

We pray for scientists and engineers … for software developers … those creating the powerful tools of AI … 

We pray for the women and men who get up every morning and shoulder the burdens of the day … make lunches for the kids … off to work they go: sit by a desk, grip a hammer, lift a shovel, go to meetings, drive a truck, and come home tired … … pay the bills … worry about their health … read less than they want to, dream of vacations in faraway places, try to count their blessings, and love as best they can. O Lord, bless them one and all.

We pray for our nation and its leaders … the President and Vice President, members of Congress and the judiciary … preserve our Democracy, O LORD … we have failed in many ways, but the dream is worthy of our lives: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Remind us, O God, that we have a role to play … we are the light of the world, and the salt of the earth … by your Holy Spirit, you equip us to be the disciples of Christ in our time and place. 

Remind us, dear God, how important this is … what we must do to protect the children, care for the earth, lift up the fallen, help those in need, speak out against the lies and superstitions of the day, and speak up for the truth that sets us all free - that love, and love alone, is the way ahead. 

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. 

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

 Prayers of Church & Community, Feb. 25, 2024

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Holy God, LORD of creation and covenant, cradle and cross … you made us from the dust of the earth and filled us with your very own breath … 

In this holy place, O God, the whispers of faith surround us, your divine presence is felt a bit more keenly, our spiritual sensitivities are awakened - we find relief, encouragement, hope … we find our strength, and the courage to be strong … we find ourselves, and the courage to take one more step … we find something of ourselves, O God, as we find you … and YOU find us.

By the light of Christ, dear God, we see your glory … your love at work in all things for good … the tears you shed on behalf of your people, the pain you feel on the cross we build, the crown of thorns we weave … the nails of hatred, the spears of greed … ancient grudges and persistent sins.

We see your glory, high and lifted up … in the heavens and in the wonders of creation … we see your glory, O God, your creativity, your love, in the ways of our hair - straight and firm, short or long, tightly curled with a will of its own, bountiful or sparse, a splendid array of color and tone.

Your glory, O God: within our souls … mountains of love and beautiful courage … we are gifted, we are talented - we sing and dance, and write poetry … we follow recipes and bake an apple pie … we offer our hand to the weak, we speak words of wisdom … we care, we love, we dream, we hope.

Holy God, we pray for loved ones and friends … we pray for their wellbeing, in mind, body, heart and soul … we pray for healing and peace, for wisdom and love … protect them, we pray, from the predatory charms of materialism, save them from the vain promises of wealth and beauty … guard them, we pray, from the politics of fear and the religions of power.

Holy God, we pray for our land, our nation, our leaders - we pray for their welfare … may they lead with dignity, guide with vision - faithful, vision - one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all.

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.