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

 Prayers of Church & Community, March 9, 2025

Westminster Presbyterian Church

God of our Mothers and Fathers, their stay in trouble, their strength in conflict, their guide and deepest resource, we worship thee. Be thou to us what our Mothers and Fathers have said thou wert to them, a fortress, a high tower, a refuge in the day of trouble. We, too, are tossed about by the vicissitudes of life and the uncertainties of fate. We need security, we long for peace. We would find the things that endure. We need strength greater than our own.

Holy God, Eternal Light, you have reached into the course of human affairs, to call unto yourself a people, endowing them with the gifts of your Holy Spirit, calling them to follow Christ.

Such as those who gather here this day, O God … frail and tender as we all are, you have claimed us as your own … you forgive the sins of our flesh, and the terrible thoughts of our minds … you enfold us in the great love of Christ, and fill us with love’s delight and love’s hope and peace.

You have blessed us beyond reason … for reasons alone rooted in your great heart … your boundless love for creation, and your own hopes and dreams that humanity would awaken to its true and lasting purpose, to care for this good earth, to love one another, to raise the banners of truth and liberty, to light the candles of prayer and praise.

Holy God, Eternal Light, help us to rise to the needs of the hour, to have less of ourselves, and more of Christ, to shift our gaze away from the cheap promises of the Golden Calf to the glory and grace of our LORD Jesus Christ.

With confidence and peace, we pray for our loved ones … we pray for family and friends, some of whom are in great distress, having lost so much in the consuming fires … who struggle now to recreate a home, a place of safety and rest.

We pray for those who fear for their lives in the changed political landscape … who fear the violence of the wicked, the wrath of religion turned upside down … peace shoved aside by power, lies trump the truth, and hope dies in the iron grip of chaos.

We pray for the nations of the world … far and beyond our own grasp of the tides and turns of politics and war … but we pay attention, dear God, for this is your world, and you strive with the wayward spirit of humanity, to help this world regain its balance, to become the garden you originally created and gave unto our care.

Thank you, O God, for entrusting us with such a grand project, such a lofty purpose … thank you for your boundless mercies, and ceaseless regard for all that we are, and all that we hope to be.

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.

3.2.25 Prayers of Church and Community, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

 Prayers of Church & Community, March 2, 2025

Westminster Presbyterian Church

LORD Jesus Christ, son of the Living God, forever and always the apostle and high priest of our confession … you come to us in the night of our despair, in the wilderness of our sin and sorrow, to deliver us unto to the Creator of the heavens and the earth, to return us to the life for which we are created, and the faith that makes all things new … you are here, O LORD, to redeem us, and save us … that we might be the light of the world and the salt of the earth.

LORD Jesus Christ, son of the Living God, stand by us in these days of uncertainty, lest we stumble in our arrogance and fall into fear … lest we lose our bearings and lose our way …

By your Holy Spirit, weave into our souls your great love for all your sisters and brothers, that we, too, might look upon the world as your family, our family … where there are boundaries, we would cross them … where some are excluded, we would welcome them … where there is fear and anger, we would be faithful and kind … where there is selfishness, we would be generous, where there is greed, we would be wise in the things of your heavenly Father … to care for your creation … this precious planet, this little blue marble in the vast expanse of space, and all its creatures, great and small.

We pray, O LORD, for our loved ones … guide and guard them with legions of angels … come to their aid we pray …  

We pray for those who have lost so very much in the fires … hold them, we pray, in your kindly hands … 

When they are weary, O LORD, give them your rest … when they are confused, give them your counsel … when they are discouraged, be at their side … when they can’t take one more step, surround them with mercy … and see them through the days of grief.

We pray for our leaders, O LORD, and the women and men of the United Nations … we pray for those who protect our democratic freedoms … we pray for those who sit upon the Benches of Law … we pray for the captains of industry and for those who gather in board rooms around the world. Save them, one and all, we mostly earnestly pray, from malice and greed, from thinking too small, that they might fulfill the great commandments of life and love.

We pray for Westminster … grant us, we pray, a blessed future, full of joy and courage. May our Tower be the light of welcome and a beacon of hope.

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.

2.23.25 prayers of church & community - Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

 Prayers of Church & Community, Feb. 23, 2025

Westminster Presbyterian Church

I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

O Thou who art the first and the last, 

the beginning and the end, 

to you we turn with enduring joy, 

to find our way, 

to see the truth, 

to save our souls from the beguiling lies of the day.

On our own, O God, we cannot do these things.

But with your Spirit guiding our steps,

We can and we will:

embrace the love of Christ,

follow in his ways, and proclaim to the world 

the goodness of his grace 

and the power of his peace.

Teach us, we pray, to know and practice the gifts of compassion, mercy, welcome, and honesty …remind us, O LORD, of the great calling of Christ, to follow where’er he lead … to heed his word and welcome his love …  

We pray, dear God, for loved ones and friends … 

we pray for those who’ve lost their homes … 

and now must find a place to live … 

we pray for the resources of help … 

government agencies, private charities … 

We thank you for the signs of hope … the human spirit rising to the occasion, great in mercy and courage.

We thank you, O God, for the goodness you pour into our hearts and into world.

In days when strength fails us, O God, when the burdens of sorrow weigh us down to the dust of the earth, you stand by us, we know … though we cannot see, though blinded by tears, thou art there.

I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.  

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.

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

 Prayers of Church & Community, Feb. 16, 2025

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Holy God, Eternal Light,

Our hearts yearn for your presence … 

For so you have made us in this way:

we seek your goodness, 

we hunger and thirst for righteousness, 

we reach upward to the heavens, and downward into the soul … 

we weep with those who weep … 

we laugh with those who laugh … 

we run the race of life with joy and wonder … 

and when toil and trouble come our way, 

we bear these burdens with patience and peace … 

for you, O God, are at work in all things for good … 

when we cannot see the way ahead, 

you are at our side … 

when we cannot walk, you stand with us quietly … 

when we must lay down, you lay down beside us … 

in our life, you live within us, 

in our death, you surround us with mercy … with a love that cannot be broken.

We are grateful to be here, O God … in this sacred space, bathed in the music of faith … reminded of those who have gone this way before us, who have made straight the way of the LORD, who have cried in their sorrow, and laughed in their joy.

To their journey, O LORD, we add our days … we add our prayers and our energy … we take up the flames of faith and carry them in our heart … we walk in the ways of Christ, and we heal our world … we breath deeply the clear air of love … and with humility and hope, we give ourselves to you, O God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

With simple words and heartfelt dreams, we pray for loved ones, friends and family … those who lost so much in the fires, those who travel afar … those in search of employment … those who need blessed assurance and your divine comfort.

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. 

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

 Prayers of Church & Community, February 9, 2025

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Holy God, Eternal Light,

We pray for our families and friends affected by the fires … severe losses, O God … disorientation … wondering what’s next, how to rebuild, where to go, how long it’ll take, and can we do it?

Come Thou fount of every blessing

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace

Streams of mercy never ceasing

Call for songs of loudest praise

We pray for those beset with deep anxieties of mind and spirit … for whom the days are long and wearisome, and the nights, longer still.

We pray for those with physical needs, broken bones and various ailments … aches and pains … and loss of strength.

We pray for doctors and nurses, medical staff and technicians … folks whom you have called and gifted to care for our bodies.

We pray for our nation, O God - a time of testing, with many questions .. 

We pray for the nations of the world … your world,  dear God, the world you love, the world for which Christ gave his life.

Come Thou fount of every blessing

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace

Streams of mercy never ceasing

Call for songs of loudest praise

In such times, O God, our needs are deep, our fears so strong and wild … be kind to us, we pray, do not abandon us to our willful ways, but hold us in the hollow of your hand … speak tenderly to our trembling hearts, encourage us for the day, and for the long haul … remind us, O God, of all the good being done, women and men of good conscience and sound spirit, your love at work all around the world … every prayer, every song, every dream … 

Come Thou fount of every blessing

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace

Streams of mercy never ceasing

Call for songs of loudest praise

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.

2.2.25 Prayers of Church & Community, Scout Sunday, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pasadena, CA

 Prayers of Church & Community, Feb 2, 2025

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Holy God, Eternal Light … 

We pray for those who lost loved ones in the Potomac plane crash … our hearts are broken, our minds awhirl with sorrow … 

We pray for the families and friends who lost homes to the fires, and those who lost loved one … we’re mindful of our Scouting Family, dear God, many of whom lost their homes - all the things of life: mementos, the bits and pieces of memory … souvenirs … awards and trophies, childhood toys, and good books.

On this day, O God, we lift up our Scouts - we give thanks for all who have taken up the mantle of Scout leadership, to help our youth find their way in life … we thank you, O God, for the great values represented in the program … patriotism, honor, decency, and faithfulness.

Bless our Scouts, we pray, with your Holy Spirit … bless their families and see them through the challenges and crises of the moment … give to them, we pray, the solace of your mercy, the guidance of your wisdom, the courage of your love … to face forward and to look upward … to reach out to help others, and from others, to be helped  … to maintain the human bond, the commitments and loyalties that keep us connected and working together … help us all, we pray, to be good Scouts, good citizens of this land.

We pray for our nation … caught up in political distress … help us, we pray, with the light of Christ, to discern what is true and what isn’t … to cling to the ideals we all share … to help one another, to level the playing field, to confront bigotry, racism, discrimination - all the ways, O God, we have of hurting one another … help us, we pray, to rise above the evils of nationalism to find true patriotism, to seek justice for all, and peace for the world.

Bless, we pray, the churches of our land … bless synagogues, mosques, and temples … communities of faith and prayer … may the light of truth shine brightly … may the lies of pride and power be exposed … may courage be the hallmark of faith … may open arms be our life …  

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.