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

 Prayers of Church & Community, March 10, 2024

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Holy God, eternal light, savior of our souls …

We are grateful for this moment, dear God - to be here in this place of vast memories, and unhindered hope … a place connected to the deepest currents of time and faith … a place to find ourselves … ground ourselves in the eternal truths of Christ … find strength to work and to life and to love … to sing the great hymns of faith, to read and ponder the Scriptures, to see ourselves in the light of Christ, and in the light of Christ, to see your enteral glory, O God - all that is good and right and beautiful.

Holy God, you are the rising cloud of the day and the pillar of fire at night … you are water from the rock, and manna in the morning … you are the sustenance of our lives, you are the law of the soul, you are the light ahead, and the way forward.

How many times, O God, have you parted the sea, to take us by the hand, and lead us to the Promised Land … how many times, O LORD, have you saved us, protected us, seen us through the wilderness, to make a way for us through a barren land?

How many times, O God, have your forgiven our faults and failings … how many times have you given us a fresh start, a new day, to begin all over again the tasks of living.

Holy God, eternal light, we give thanks … 

We pray for Israel and Palestine - the children of Abraham … we pray that peace will be found, justice achieved … forgive our warring ways, O God … the dogs of war devour the human soul … ancient hatreds resist healing … the merchants of death prosper … let the road to a better day be ours, O God … the green pastures and the still waters of truth.

We pray for loved ones, family and friends …

We pray for our nation, our President and Vice-President, members of Congress and the judiciary. We pray for state and local governments … we pray for our colleges and universities … local school systems and school boards … teachers and librarians … we pray for the preservation of our Democracy.

Let the bells of freedom ring loud and clear … let half-truth clouds be swept away … let the foolish notions of selfish religion be transformed to serve the welfare of all. Reveal, we pray, to one and to all, the greater truths of 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. 

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

Holy God, Creator of the heavens and the earth … 

On this Palm Sunday, on this Sabbath Day, a day of rest and recollection, a day of good

cheer and sober reflection, we welcome Christ into our church … our homes … our world … our hearts!

We welcome the One who blessed the widow and her tiny, tiny, coin … who gave hearing to the deaf, sight to the blind, a fresh chance to everyone in need of a better day.

We sing Hallelujah, we wave our palm branches … we lay down our cloaks … to honor the Christ, our LORD and our Savior … 

Help us, dear God, to follow Christ with heart and mind, to engage well with the times in which we live … to be the salt of the earth, and the light of world …  

Eternal God, we lift up the nation to you … in these moments of sorrow, that try the soul of the strongest, and bring tears to every heart …  

O LORD our God, 

~ I, as a minister of the Gospel, cannot abide with those who parade about with flag and Bible in one hand, and a gun in the other … 

~ Help me, I pray, to take a firm and faithful look at Christ, to read the Scriptures with care and wisdom, to consider the ways of love, to measure well what is claimed by some, and offered by others … that I might walk with Christ, clearly, conscientiously … to seek the common good, shape my personal rights, form my life, by the needs and rights of others.

As a nation, O God, I pray:

Do not forgive us …

Do not let us off the hook …

Do not ease the pain of this moment …

Until we find the resolve to do what’s needed and right … until we can rise above cheap politics and empty piety, to find the heart and soul of America’s greatness, a nation devoted to liberty and justice for all.

This day, O LORD, we pray for our families and friends, those close to us, those for whom we care … grant healing and health as needed, hope and peace … prosperity and strength … safety and assurance.

Bless Westminster, dear God, in its journey unto a new day of mission, with new works of ministry … may we hold high the name of Christ, in season and out season, in the best of times, and the worst of times … in all times, and in every place, to be, unto your glory, the church where the Tower still stands.

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.

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

 

Holy God, creator of the heavens and the earth …

Holy Trinity, forever our guide and our stay …

Eternal God, the anchor of all our hope …

Loving God, our inspiration, and our courage …

Deliver us, we pray, from the distractions that dull our spirits and weaken our faith … deliver us, we pray, from all that moves us away from peace, away from love, away from hope … 

Deliver us, we pray, unto your self … that we might, in these few moments of prayer and pondering, recenter ourselves in Christ, reclaim our spiritual legacies, regain our composure, and renew our confidence …

And so to face the world with a sense of what’s real and what isn’t … what matters and what doesn’t … what needs to be done, and what can be set aside … give to us, we pray, the priorities of Christ our LORD … to be prophets of truth, heralds of love, champions of faith, defenders of freedom, messengers of learning, wisdom, and knowledge.

We pray for family and friends … where healing is needed, may there be grace … where peace is needed, may there be mercy … where there’s hurt and sorrow, may there be the touch of friendship, and the gentle presence of your Holy Spirit.

We pray for our nation, dear God - for our President and Vice President … for members of Congress, for judges and juries  … may there be a great presence of mind in our midst, deep convictions for the welfare of the nation, a commitment to preserve our Democracy, to be a beacon of hope for the world … living proof - that justice for all, is possible.

We pray for all who are in transition … from one job to another, from a home here to a home elsewhere … and for those who cross the threshold of this church, established members and faithful visitors, some new to the neighborhood, looking for you, loving God …  

For each of them, this day, and for those with us via YouTube … may they all, in their own way, hear the gospel … behold the glory of Christ, experience the power and redemption of Lent … may the wonder and beauty of faith rise up strong in each of them … may the call of Christ be their joy, may the life of Christ be their assurance, may the peace of Christ be their strength.

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.