Month: May 2022

God, like the Israelites in the wilderness,

we too have known Your love,

and have experienced Your care and provision.

Like the disciples living between resurrection and Pentecost

we too have experienced times of waiting,

unsure what is to come.

We hear your invitation to extend love to the world around us—

to care for others, and so we bring the needs of our world before You now.

We pray for the many who do not have enough:

enough food to eat, or shelter to keep warm;

enough employment, or money to pay their bills;

enough medicine or medical care.

We also pray for those who have more than enough,

but still struggle to find meaning and purpose in life;

who indulge in dangerous or self-serving ways

to dull their pain or loneliness.

We also pray for peace where war rages on.

May world leaders respond to

Russia and the Ukraine with wisdom, integrity.

We pray for those you hold especially close

Those who are living with illness, worry, or pain;

Those dealing with change, a major life decision, those who need reassurance and support;

Those who are grieving the loss of loved ones;

Those who are lonely, or heartbroken.

Hold their hearts secure within your own and help us to be generous with you love.

For needs named and for those we hold deep in our heart, we offer our prayers in the strong name of Jesus the risen Christ. Amen

We pray for all who are caregivers for aging parents and loved ones.
We pray for all who grieve. Continue to draw near to the broken-hearted with comfort and peace.
We pray for our Households of Faith from this week and last. May God’s peace and presence be evident in and through their lives. We praise God for each one and rejoice as God’s blessing flows into their lives.

This morning as we gather to worship, we give thanks oh God for the gift of your presence and leading in our lives, both as individuals and corporately. We praise you for your love; your faithfulness and for your grace, demonstrated by the fact that you call us your children. We come to you this morning to worship, to give praise, and to ask for your faithful work in our lives.
We echo the words of David in Psalm 117 “Praise the Lord, all you nations, extol Him, all you peoples. For great is His love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.”

We also praise God along with David as we pray portions of Psalm 145
“I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.
5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty— and I will meditate on your wonderful works.[b]
6 They tell of the power of your awesome works— and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.
10 All your works praise you, LORD; your faithful people extol you.
11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might,
12 so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.[c]
14 The LORD upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.
18 The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.

God, strengthen our faith, give us wisdom and courage to live lives of obedience and faithfulness to you. We pray this in the name of your Son, Jesus.

We pray for all who are caregivers for aging parents and loved ones.
We pray for all who grieve. Continue to draw near to the broken-hearted with comfort and peace.

Surround and keep safe our loved ones in long-term care.
For needs that have been named and for those which we carry deep in our hearts we pray.

We pray for our Households of Faith that God’s peace and presence would be evident in and through the lives of these families and individuals. We praise God for each of you and rejoice in God’s blessing on your lives.

Amen

This morning we dedicated our new worship book Voices Together.

The following two prayers were shared during this morning’s worship.

We are people who must sing you,

for the sake of our very lives.

You are a God who must be sung by us,

for the sake of your majesty and honor.

and so we thank you,

for lyrics that push us past our reasons,

for melodies that break open our givens,

for cadences that locate us home,

beyond all our safe places,

for tones and tunes that open our lives beyond control

and our futures beyond despair.

We thank you for the long parade of mothers and fathers

who have sung you deep and true;

we thank you for the good company

of artists, poets, musicians, cantors, and instruments

that sing for us and with us, toward you.

We are witnesses to your mercy and splendor;

we will not keep silent…. ever again. Amen

Great Physician,

you touched the lives of the sick and the troubled;

your hands rested on bodies in crisis;

your words soothed broken hearts.

We call on you today, O God,

because we need your healing.

Where we have pain, bring relief.

When we are disoriented, bring clarity.

When we confront disease or brokenness, bring healing.

When we wait for tests or news, bring patience.

When we live with barriers, bring courage.

When we are bound by addiction, bring freedom.

When illness separates us from others, bring friendship.

When we cannot make ends meet, help us.

You are with us in loneliness, bringing comfort.

You are with us in despair, bringing hope.

You are the God who cares and heals. Amen (VT #976)

We pray for all who are caregivers for aging parents and loved ones.

We pray for all who grieve. Continue to draw near to the broken-hearted with comfort and peace.

Surround and keep safe our loved ones in long-term care.

For needs that have been named and for those which we carry deep in our hearts we pray.

We pray for our Households of Faith. May their work be fulfilling and may joy be their strength with each new day.

We pray for strength and much joy. AMEN

Loving God, on this Mother’s Day we are grateful for mothers. We are grateful that you designed life such that when we each come into this world we’re not alone, but held and nurtured, first in the body of our mother, and then in her arms. As we grow our mothers are often our strongest cheerleaders, and our soft place to land in life. Mothers matter a lot.

So today we are mindful of our mothers, of those who gave us life, and those who have given us love, whether biological mothers or not.

We pray for all those in mothering relationships today, at all stages of life. We pray for good relationships and for difficult ones, and for all those normal relationships that are a mix of both.

We pray for those who are missing their mothers today, and for mothers who are missing children. Comfort too those who have longed for a mothering relationship that they haven’t had.

God, we experience your love for us as like that of a mother. Deeply rooted, unconditional, hopeful, persevering, warm and caring. As a congregation we hope to embody that love for each other and our community.

We pray for those you hold especially close today:

– those who are living with illness, and perhaps worry or frustration or pain;

– those dealing with changes, decisions, transitions, who need your reassurance and support;

– those who are grieving loss of someone dear to them;

– those who are lonely, or heartbroken.

Hold their hearts securely within your own and help us to show your love.

We pray not only for those close by, but for your children in all corners of this world. Whatever they are going through today, hold them securely, and bring them peace.

We pray all this in the name of your dear Son Jesus, and as we pray the prayer he taught us, we remember he spoke of you as our heavenly parent, saying “Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your 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, forever and ever. Amen.

We pray for all who are caregivers for aging parents and loved ones.

Surround and keep safe our loved ones in long-term care.

For needs that have been named and for those which we carry deep in our hearts we pray.

We pray for our Households of Faith. Surround and hold each one in the embrace of your love and grace. Whether at work, at school, at rest, or at play, may each experience joy with each new day and purpose and meaning with each new day. Amen

Lord Jesus, you conquered death.

Raised to new life,

you revealed yourself
through hospitality.

Welcomed to the table. The breaking of bread.

Eyes opened.

Lives transformed.

And still, you reveal yourself

Through the stranger, the outsider,

in and through this gathered body, your church.

Amidst our struggles and joys,

amidst the everyday.

Wherever your people gather. You are revealed.

We pray for our family of faith.

For those whom life is hard….

We pray for those living with physical limitations, illness, pain, transitions, struggle

We pray for those standing in need of healing and wholeness

For those who stand in need of hope….. we pray

For those in need of community,

For all who grieve……

For our households of faith for this week.

We are grateful for one another.

We pray that your healing and hope will

move in and through us, reaching a hurting world.

As we extend hospitality – as we take the risk,

open our eyes to your presence.

As we give generously in your name

multiply our gifts of money as you did with 5 loaves and 2 fish….

That all may be fed. That your kingdom would flourish and be revealed.

O Lord, hear our prayer…………….

We pray for measures of patience and compassion for all caring for aging parents and loved ones.

Surround and keep safe our loved ones in long-term care.

We pray for our Households of Faith. Surround and hold each in the embrace of your love and grace. Whether at work, at school, at rest, or at play, may each experience joy with each new day. May each experience fulfillment and purpose with each new day. Amen