Prayer for Sunday Pentecost 23

Lord of us all,
Who loves with an everlasting love,
We bring our prayers to you now for
The concerns and needs of those near and those from afar.

First Lord, we pray for the shooting victims at Ford Hood and Orlando.
We pray for their families and loved ones who grieve and those who await their recovery.
We pray for the shooters who were tormented in some way to choose to take the lives of their fellow humans.
We pray for these communities and ourselves that there not be blame placed on those of another belief system.
We pray for healing, understanding, and also safety.
We pray for those who may feel the heat of rage and/or harmful thoughts that they would seek help and support for themselves that no more shootings like these will occur again.
And we praise you Lord for those who bravely stopped the shooting and for those who are counseling and leading the people now.

We pray for those among us who are the widows and widowers,
We pray for those who live lonely lives with families who live far away.
We pray for those whose incomes have stagnated or depleted to put them in difficult financial situations.
We pray for those whose health has faded with age.
We praise you for those whose love for you and faithfulness to you and the church has remained strong.

Lord we pray for those whose countries and lives already have so little have been devastated by the recent typhoons, tropical storms, tsunamis and earthquakes.
We pray for those whose countries have been torn by war and acts of terrorism.
We pray for those whose countries and lives are in the midst of poverty, and famine.
We praise you Lord for those who have helped make changes for the better in these situations, and for those who have continued to give and donate to help in the midst of these crisis.

Lord, we pray for our friends and families who may be suffering from acute, chronic, or terminal illnesses.
We pray for those who have may lost jobs, lost income, lost savings, lost their homes, lost their families in the recession and financial crisis.
We pray for those who have been searching for jobs and have had trouble finding one.
We praise you Lord for those who have taken time to help these in their need, who have been advocates for, supporters of and stood by them.

Lord, all these needs and more sometimes overwhelm us and we often feel helpless, and powerless to help.
We don’t think we have enough to give.
Lord remind us that you took the widow’s mite and saw it as something good.
Lord remind us that when we all give together we can do so much more.
Lord remind us that we have not just money to give.
And Lord remind us that you are the God of all the resources and there is much in your storehouse to be used for good in the world.
Lord remind us that in our giving we are witnesses to your great generosity and love for all.

cross posted at preaching to the choir and revgalblogpals.

Prayer for All Saints Sunday

Almighty God,
we thank you for those who have gone on before us,
pioneers in faith and ministry, thought, word and deed.
We thank you for their example of living a Christ like life
We know that they were no more perfect than you and I,
but we all are your children.

Help us to remember when we are running the race of life,
that all these people stand by us, cheering us on, praying for us, and loving us.

Also, Lord in your compassion,
comfort those who are grieving the loss of their saint(s).
Comfort the churches.
Comfort the Pastors.
Comfort your people.
Amen.

(Forgive me, for not doing this this morning, I substituted for the Senior Pastor who is ill with the flu.)

A gated community

We live in a gated community. Seriously tongue in cheek. Last night as I went from room to room to say goodnight to my children, I became aware of the pet gates we had put up in the doorways. I began joking with them about our gated communities. We had to do it, because the new young dog, Skipper was going into their rooms, taking their toys and destroying them. Poor Skipper, now can't get in. The cats like it because they can go in the kids rooms and sleep in peace. They don't like being herded by Skipper. He really means well. It got me thinking about the gated communities in our city and how it is impossible to get in unless you have been invited, or the know you are coming. Not much room for spreading the good news there. I understand in a way wanting to live in one after dealing with Skipper. But it made me think further about our churches. How have we become like gated communites? What does that mean for the 21st century and beyond? What does that mean for the least and the lost? Just thinking out loud.

Sunday prayer Salty edition

Lord,
Come be the salt in our life that we then can be the salt in other’s lives.
Lord, Teach us how to not be stumbling blocks in the little one’s lives.
Lord, teach us to accept each other even though we are different in our practices and our form of worship and church government.
Lord, Teach us to be the salt that this world needs.
Lord, help us in our walk to be your disciples.
Lord remind us it is for such a time as this that you have called us to be your disciples, to spread the salt of your grace and love in this world.
Lord remind us to spread your hope in a world that sometimes feels hopeless.
Amen

crossposted at revgalblogpals.

Welcoming the children

Sunday morning I preached on the lectionary passage from Mark 9:30-37. Its about Jesus telling the disciples that in order to be the greatest they had to be last and servant of all. He then took a child in his arms, embracing the child and told them that 37“Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

By that afternoon we were hosting over 20 adopted children from China at the church who were learning some Chinese dances. These included our three. These children remind me of the child that Jesus welcomed in that they were throw away children just as the children Jesus spoke of. Next Saturday is the New Moon Festival where they will dance and get to be with other adopted children and their families from China. So many times Zachary has been the only boy in the group. Today there was another adopted boy there. The two really hooked up and got along. I think it was good for him and we plan to get them together more often.

On Sunday evening, we had children's choirs and Faith Finders with over 87 children. I got to serve them their meals that evening, while Bob was a children's helper. I had the best time getting them their meals, and helping the little ones clean up afterwards. You know I figure if I am going to preach something I hope I can find a way of living it out in my life. And what better way than welcoming the children, being a servant and last of all.

Looking forward to being with the kids again soon. And looking forward to the New Moon Festival.

Prayer for Proper 20B

God ,
When we are hurting you welcome us as the hurting child.
When we are sad, you welcome us as the sad child.
When we are lonely, you welcome us as the lonely child.
When we have done wrong you welcome us as a forgiving God.

Lord you ask us to welcome the hurting, the sad, the lonely
and those who have done wrong just as you have welcomed us.
And so Lord teach us how to be welcoming as you are.
Teach us to love as you love.
Teach us to serve as you serve.
Lord we live in a world that demands greatnesses, demands perfection,
and demands being number one.
What a radical way of being you ask from us.
What a radical way of living you yourself lived.
And yet Lord you knew that this would change the world change people’s lives for the better.
Lord, keep changing our lives for the better.
Amen.

cross posted at rev gal blog pals

prayer for Proper19B/Ordinary 24B/Pentecost 15

Lord, what a powerful time we have been going through recently.
It has been 8 years since 9/11 and we cannot forget.
We have watched the political goings on surrounding the Health Care bill.
We have listened to people express expressed hate and frustrations in ways that have crossed lines of civility.
We are overwhelmed by the increase of the jobless, the homeless,
and those living in poverty.
We are concerend about the increase of swine flu cases.
Lord sometimes it feels like it is too much.

Lord, we pray for the healing of our land
For the healing of the hearts broken from 9/11
For the healing of the divide in our country
For the healing of those filled with hate that overcomes them
For the healing of those who have lost jobs, lost their homes and now live in poverty
for the healing of the sick and those infected by swine flu
For the healing of our own hearts.

Lord, bring your healing down for all.
Lord use us to bring your healing to this land
That all may know that you are the Messiah. Amen


cross posted at revgalblogpals.