Wednesday, November 24, 2010
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Monday, November 15, 2010
Prayers for the 25th Week of Pentecost - Christ the Chief Elder
Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing
what is right. 2 Thessalonians 3:13
Loving God, from the busyness of this day,
Call us into your presence.
From the distractions of our lives,
Call us into your presence.
From the slumber into which our faith can fall,
Call us into your presence.
From the pain present in our lives as well as in the world around us,
Call us into your presence.
Psalm for the Week: Psalm 98
O sing to God a new song,
for God has done marvelous things.
God's strong hand and holy arm
have given God the victory.
God has made known his victory;
and has revealed his vindication
in the sight of the nations.
God has remembered having steadfast love
and faithfulness to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth
have seen the victory of our God.
Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song
and sing praises.
Sing praises to God with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the Ruler, the Sovereign.
Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who live in it.
Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy at the presence of God,
for God is coming to judge the earth.
God will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.
If we say that we have no sin, we have deceived ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just, and will forgive us our sin, and lead us to live a new life.
O Holy One, we call to you and name you as eternal, ever-present, and boundless in love. Yet there are times when we fail to recognize you in the living of our lives. Forgive us for the times when we feel that church activity counts for living a Christian life. Holy God, in the daily round from sunrise to sunset, remind us again of your holy presence hovering near us and in us. Awaken us so that we might see you in the moment-by-moment possibilities to live honestly, to act courageously, and to speak from our wisdom.
The Lord says to each of us: “I will be merciful to your sins, and I will not remember them. Peace be unto you.” Standing in the light, let us give praise to the triune God:
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Reading of the Daily Texts
Prayers of the Community of Faith (spoken and silent)
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, hear us.
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 trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory. for ever and ever. Amen
Lord awaken us,
To see your presence with us in each moment.
Lord awaken us,
To see the suffering of others.
Lord awaken us,
To the ways in which we can serve you this day.
Lord awaken us,
To see the value that we have in your great kingdom on earth.
Lord awaken us,
To accept the grace that you have already extended to us.
Lord awaken us,
To see how we can share grace with those around us.
Lord awaken us,
To place you squarely at the center of our lives and to follow you faithfully.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
And whatever we do in word or deed, may we do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. AMEN.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Prayers for the 24th Week of Pentecost
For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at
the last he will stand upon the earth. Job 19:25
The Lord is in the holy temple; let all the earth keep silence.
Gracious Lord, we are your holy temples when we acknowledge your presence within us.
As we marvel at the beauty of the changing seasons, we give praise to your creative power.
May we open our hearts to that same creative power within us.
Psalm for the Week: Psalm 17:1-9
Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry;
give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit.
From you let my vindication come;
let your eyes see the right.
If you try my heart, if you visit me by night,
if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me; my mouth does not transgress.
As for what others do, by the word of your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.
My steps have held fast to your paths;
my feet have not slipped.
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me, hear my words.
Wondrously show your steadfast love,
O savior of those who seek refuge
from their adversaries at your right hand.
Guard me as the apple of the eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings.
Who among us has clean hands and a pure heart? Who among us has not given in to vanity, or yielded to selfish desires?
If we say that we have no sin, we have deceived ourselves, and the truth in not in us.
If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just, and will forgive us. Indeed we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous one, and He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Loving God, we thankfully acknowledge that you have stamped your very image within each of us and therefore we are holy, just as you are holy. We confess, however, there are times when we forget who you are, and therefore we lose sight of who we are both as individuals and as communities of faith. We ask that you forgive us for the times when we forget that our bodies are your holy temples and do not care for them, or use them in ways which are unholy. We also confess that we do not always acknowledge your holy image pressed within the essence of those who are around us, both near and far. We are far more willing to divide ourselves by class, culture, race, ideology, and geography than to unite with one another under your banner of grace.
Hear us and renew us, gracious Lord and God.
The Lord says to each of us: “I will be merciful to your sins, and I will not remember them. Peace be unto you.” Let us therefore give praise to the triune God:
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Take time now to read and ponder the Daily Texts. Then pray for your needs, the needs of your community, and the needs of the world. Pray especially this week for the needs in Haiti. The recovery from the earth quake continues at a very slow rate, and this has been componded by the heavy rains of Hurrican Tomas.
After your prayer continue as follows:
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, hear us.
Creator of the heavens and earth, praise be to your holy name. We pray that the gracious ways of heaven may be made real in the world that we inhabit. We hunger for much more than food today, and we pray that you will satisfy us, and all who have need. We are awed by your forgiving nature, and pray that you would inspire us to forgive each other in like manner. While we know that you have created us to be holy, we ask that you keep us from the temptation of living a life which would tarnish your image within us. You have created a world that is holy, and your glory and power are displayed in many wonderful ways; may we give thanks for your blessings all the days our lives, even as we live into eternity. Amen.
And so my brothers and sisters build yourselves up on your most holy faith.
May we be strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit to pray every day and so be drawn closer to our living Redeemer.
May we live a life that gives space for silence to ponder the mercy of our Lord, Jesus Christ,
and give praise for God’s miracle of the sacred within us and others.
Think about the following things: things that are true and honorable, just, and pure;
meditate on things that are lovely and of good report; ponder things that are of virtue and worthy of praise. These are things that are holy, and for them we give thanks.
And now unto the God who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you as holy before the throne of grace with exceeding joy,
To the only wise God, our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Prayers for the 23rd Week in Pentecost
Jesus says, "For the Son of Man came to seek
and to save the lost." Luke 19:10
The Lord is in the holy temple; let all the earth keep silence.
Gracious Lord, we are your temples; we acknowledge your presence within us.
As we marvel at the beauty of the changing seasons, we give praise to your creative power.
May we open our hearts to that same creative power within us.
Psalm for the Week: Psalm 32:1-7
Happy are those whose transgression
is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Happy are those to whom God imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
While I kept silence, my body wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand
was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up
as by the heat of summer.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not hide my iniquity;
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to God,"
and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Therefore let all who are faithful
offer prayer to you;
at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters
shall not reach them.
You are a hiding-place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.
If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just, and will forgive us. Indeed we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous one, and He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Loving God, forgive us for wandering. We have followed paths of self-centered desires that have taken us far from you. Rather than seeking to bring our communities together we have divided ourselves according to race, creed, and class. We have lost our way, and confess our need for your guidance. Bring us back to you.
The Lord says to each of us: “I will be merciful to your sins, and I will not remember them. Peace be unto you. Let us therefore give praise to the triune God:
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Take time now to read today's Daily Texts. Don't rush, instead take time to ponder and reflect on words and phrases that catch your spirit today. This may be where the Spirit of God is seeking to speak to you. Next, take time to pray for your needs, the needs of your congregation, and the needs of the wider world. When you are ready, continue with the prayer as follows:
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, hear us.
Creator of the heavens and earth, praise be to your holy name. We pray that the gracious ways of heaven may be made real in the world that we inhabit. We hunger for much more than food today, and we pray that you will satisfy us, and all who have need. We are awed by your forgiving nature, and pray that you would inspire us to forgive each other in like manner. While we know that you have created us to be holy, we ask that you keep us from the temptation of living a life which would tarnish your image within us. You have created a world that his holy, and your glory and power are displayed in many wonderful ways; may we give thanks for all of your blessings everyday of our lives, even as we live into eternity. Amen.
And so my brothers and sisters build yourselves up on your most holy faith.
May we be strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit to pray every day and so draw us closer to holiness.
May we live a life that gives space for silence to ponder the mercy of our Lord, Jesus Christ,
and gives praise for God’s miracle of the sacred within us and others.
Think about the following things: things that are true and honorable, just, and pure; meditate on things that are lovely and of good report; ponder things that are of virtue and worthy of praise.
These are things that are holy, and for them we give thanks.
And now unto the God who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you as holy before the throne of grace with exceeding joy,
To the only wise God, our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.