Prayers for the 21st Week After Pentecost

The Watchword for the Week

The Lord has done great things for us.
Psalm 126:3


Gracious God,
In the midst of a busy day
We pause to build our lives around you.
In the midst of a busy life
We pause to build our lives around you.
In the midst of the pain that we carry in our hearts,
We pause to build our lives around you.
In the midst of our joyful celebration of the gift of life,
We pause to build our lives around you.
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.


Psalm for the Week: Psalm 126

When God restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.

Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;

then it was said among the nations,
“God has done great things for them.”

God has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.

Restore our fortunes, O God, like the watercourses in the Negeb.

May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.

Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.


Let us confess our sins to our loving God:
(Adapted from the Liturgy of Christian Unity in the Moravian Book of Worship, page 125. Used by permission)

Gracious Lord and God we know that we will remain less that the whole persons you have called us to be in Christ Jesus until we acknowledge our sins to you, so we bow before you and pray: We confess that we have tried to run away and hide from you. We constantly deceive ourselves into thinking that we can live without you. We have made idols of our own achievements. We have treated other persons as though they did not bear your image. We have failed to enfold and include all persons within the outstretched and open arms of Jesus Christ, our Savior. And we have left undone those deeds of loving kindness and godly justice that you want us to pursue in your name. Bring your Spirit upon us in a gracious, healing way. Make us agents of reconciliation as we live within your holy presence. Amen.

Hear the comforting words of our Lord: Your sins are forgiven. Go and sin no more.

Thanks be to God.

Take time now to read the Daily Texts for today or read a selected passage of Scripture. When you have completed that, take time to pray for your needs, the needs of your commuity, and the needs of the world.

Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, hear us.


Creator of all humanity, we call you Holy, and seek to worship you all the days of our lives. We pray that the ways of your heavenly kingdom may be made real in the world that surrounds us. May the bread that we need for today be made available for us and all who are hungry; and may you forgive us, just as we are able to forgive those who have sinned against us. In the time of moral testing, may we listen first for your voice calling to us. This world, and all that is in it, always has been and always will be yours, help us to lose ourselves to you and your kingdom. Help us to find who we truly are as we walk in your light. Amen.

God of all creation we thank you for the great things you have done for us.
Help us to make you the cornerstone upon which we build our lives.
We thank you for the way that you have gifted each of us in unique and wonderful ways,
So that we may live gracefully as a reflection of what you have given us.
Savior of the world guide us to build our lives on you,
Fan the flames of our faith so that we may passionately share your love with those with whom we live, and work, and play.
May the love of God, the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
Be with us throughout the living of this day we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Prayers for the 17th Week After Pentecost

The Watchword for the Week:

The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes. Psalm 19:8

From the busyness that fills our daily lives,
We gather to fix our attention on God’s way.
From the distractions that re-order our life’s priorities,
We gather to fix our attention on God’s way.
From the slumber into which our faith can sometimes fall,
We gather to fix our attention on God’s way.

Psalm 19: 7-14

The law of God is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the decrees of God are sure,
making wise the simple;

the precepts of God are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of God is clear,
enlightening the eyes;

the fear of God is pure,
enduring forever;
the ordinances of God are true
and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey,
and drippings of the honeycomb.

Moreover by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

But who can detect their errors?
Clear me from hidden faults.

Keep back your servant also
from the insolent;
do not let them have dominion over me.

Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you,
O God, my rock and my redeemer.

Let us humbly confess our sins.
Gracious God, we affirm that your way is perfect. The Biblical witness and the life of Jesus Christ give us the pattern by which we should live out our faith, but we have chosen to walk on our own path. We confess that we have found it all too easy to follow the way of our culture and have made keeping your commandments an option, rather than an expectation for our lives.
So we humbly ask that you create in us a clean heart, O God, and place within us that understanding that will help us to see your way and to observe it with our whole heart.
Lord have mercy on us.

The Lord says to us: I will forgive your iniquity and remember your sin no more. Peace be with you.
With grateful hearts we say: 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 for today or read one of this week's assigned Scripture lessons from the Lectionary. Don't rush over this as if it were a task to complete, instead anticipate that in some way God is gifting you with words of wisdom for use in your daily life. This week's lessons are as follows: Numbers 11:4-6,10-16,24-29; Psalm 19:7-14James 5:13-20; Mark 9:38-50.

After reading the Texts for today, pray for yourself, those you love, and for the needs of a hurtig world. Pray for peace in those parts of the world that are currently in the midst of war. Remember that people on both sides of a conflict lose loved ones.

Use the following prayer to complete your time of intersession:

Creator of us all, we praise your name because you have lovingly made each one of us. May your intended purpose be made real here on earth, even as it is already done in heaven. Feed us today with those things that we truly need, and may we share our abundance with others. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who have done wrong to us. In times of temptation, may we know of your life giving strength, and keep us from all evil. Gracious God, this is your kingdom, and we acknowledge your power and glory, both now and forever more. AMEN.

Just as God created an Eden in which all was made to work together,

God has created a pattern of life which is intended to bring us to wholeness.

That wholeness was shown to us as Jesus brought the law of God into human form.

Jesus showed us a way of grace and forgiveness even though life was made difficult for him by the sin of the world.

We pray that God might awaken in us the desire to follow his path more closely amidst the temptations and difficulties of our lives.

Come, Holy Spirit, show us the way, the truth, and the life.

Whatever we do, therefore, whether in word or deed, let us do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

Prayers for the 13th Week after Pentecost

The Watchword for the week:

Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. James 1:19

Come, let us worship and bow down,
Let us give thanks to the One who hears our prayers and is quick to forgive.
We can take comfort in knowing that the Spirit of God is upon us today.
Give us, O God, the grace to bring you the sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart, which you will not despise.

Psalm 15

O God, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill?

Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right, who speak the truth from their heart,

and do not slander with their tongue, and do no evil to their friends,

nor take up a reproach against their neighbors; in whose eyes the wicked are despised,

but who honor those who fear God; who stand by their oath even to their hurt;

who do not lend money at interest, and do not take a bribe against the innocent. Those who do these things shall never be moved.

A Prayer of Confession:

In truth and honesty, let us draw near to the throne of grace and confess our sins to God.

Forgive us Lord when we have put our material possessions as gods in our lives.
Forgive us Lord for making idols of our accomplishments, and for placing others before you as primary in our lives.
Forgive us Lord when the words spoken from our lips have not brought honor to you or your kingdom.
Forgive us Lord when we have forgotten or refused to take our rest in you.
Forgive us Lord when we fail to respect those who have passed the faith on to us.
Forgive us Lord when we injure or damage the emotional lives of others.
Forgive us Lord when we fail to keep the promises made to even those most close to us.
Forgive us Lord when we hoard our wealth at the expense of others.
Forgive us Lord when we lie to conceal our own mistakes.
Forgive us Lord when we spend time and energy wanting things that we don’t need.
Forgive us Lord when we fail to do your will.

The Lord your Redeemer says: Now your guilt is gone and your sins are forgiven. Let us give praise to 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 the Daily Texts. When you have finished with the prayer for the day, continue in a period of silence. Reflect on words and phrases from the readings, ponder those things which seem to linger in your soul. Take time also to prayer for the issues and persons that are not only close to your heart, but those things which impact the world. When you are finished, continue with the prayer as follows:


O Lord, hear us now as we, brothers and sisters in Christ, pray together.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

Lord, as we continue our journey in life,
Help us to put our trust in you.
As we come to doubt our abilities,
Help us to know that you make us complete.
As we fear for the health and welfare of those that we love,
Help us to know that you are with both them and us.
As we come to doubt that we are making a difference in your Church,
Help us to know that this is your Church and we simply have to be faithful to your call to us.
As we come seek to listen more intently, speak more carefully, and anger less often,
Help us to know that your grace gives us new life both here, and in the world yet to come.

Shout for joy all people of God, rejoice all the earth! The glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Blessed be the name of the Lord in whom we live, labor, and love. Amen.