Month: September 2023

Holy One, you have built your church

on the foundation of disciples

and prophets, Jesus Christ himself, the chief cornerstone.

Join us together in unity of spirit

that we may become a holy temple,

ever growing and serving as your faithful people.

With reverence and awe,

we place our trust in you who

is able to do immeasurably more

than all we ask or imagine, according to your power that is at work within us.

Expand our minds;

guide us beyond our well-worn paths;

challenge our assumptions;

gentle our anxieties;

liberate us from all fear;

and grant us courage and patience to wait on you,

with hope and curious anticipation.

Loving God, hear our prayers for the world around us.

We pray for those oppressed by governments or economic systems,

those who are living amidst war and violence

those who can only stand by as their children die

from starvation, preventable disease,

or street violence.

Hear the rising cry from all who stand in need.

God of life hear our prayer for creation

Forgive us for our overuse and misuse

or natural resources,

for our excessive carbon footprint

and our contribution to climate change.

May we steward your gift of creation

with humility and deep gratitude.

Gracious God, we also bring to you our own needs.

Hear our prayer for all who suffer,

whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually.

May your presence surround and sustain us

so that we may know your love and live.

Where there is pain, grant peace;

Wherever grief is deep, grant comfort.

May your healing touch restore health and strength.

Hold the broken places of our hearts and our lives

In your loving hands.

We pray your kingdom come and your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven,

in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Faithful God, we call on your presence and your grace

as we journey the reimagining church road and

the race you have set before us.

Help us to keep our eyes on Jesus.

May our hearts be deeply rooted in trust.

You are with us.

Set our pace that we may further your will, not our own.
When we falter, give us fresh strength and courage.
When we sail fast as the wind, may your name be glorified.

Keep us from wanting to win at others expense.
As we marathon together,

Holy Spirit, stir our hearts,

inspire and nourish our faith,

shape and transform us as disciples of healing and hope. .

We offer our thanks for the treasure of good company

accompanying us each step, including our Hampstead friends.

Grant them deep peace and comfort as their journey continues to unfold.

God of all our journeys,

open our eyes that we may see the deepest needs of people;
move our hands that they may feed the hungry;
touch our hearts that they may bring warmth to the despairing;
teach us generosity that welcomes strangers;
Give us compassion that strengthens the sick

and comforts the grieving.

Listening God,

Thank you that you continue to meet us, whatever road we journey,

whether it be endings or fresh beginnings.

whether it be amidst our celebrations or deepest sorrows.

You know us. You see us. You love us.

Hear now our prayers for our households of faith;

family and friends, our own needs…. Which we now offer in silence.

Grant peace to those struggling with mental illness or addiction

those who live with pain, loss, uncertainty.

Comfort those walking through the valley of the shadow of death and their loved ones.

We pray for all who stand in a place of need.

Holy One, open our eyes to recognize the new thing you are doing

In the world, in your church, in our lives.

Grant us grace to see, and courage respond.

We offer our prayers in the name of Jesus who taught us to pray saying:

Our Father…….

Lord Jesus, we thank you for the call to be disciples which came in such an uneventful way.

Contrary to the wisdom of the world you didn’t start with the privileged and the wealthy and the powerful. You didn’t begin with those who had little need and little desire for change. Rather, you began with the ordinary. You began with some fisherfolk.

We pray that your call “Come, follow me,” might again reverberate through our souls and your church.
May we hear again the challenge to be your disciples and leave behind the security of our nets.

May we hear again the message of God’s good news and God’s vision for the world restored.

May we with courage respond to your invitation to “become” – living into transformation through the power of your Spirit.

May we be freed from all that keeps us from casting new nets – rethinking, reinventing, recasting, reimagining.

May we hear again those simple words: “Come, follow me,” and may we come, just as we are, and know again the depth of your grace and love for us.

Lord, we pray for world leaders that they might work for peace,

lay down the weapons of war, and uphold the dignity of each person.

We pray for the displaced, the despairing, and those who live in desperate situations. May all receive the security and safety they need to prosper and thrive.

We pray for your church that we may be salt and light,

hope and healing for the hurting, and those who struggle

We pray for our households of faith

our family and friends

Hear our prayers for

those struggling physically, emotionally, or relationally,

those working to overcome or live with mental illness

those facing challenges at home or at work,

those grieving the death of a loved one,

those who seeking wisdom and light amidst troubles.

. Strengthen those we pray, awaiting medical appointments;

draw near to those absorbing a hard diagnosis and uncertain next steps;

comfort those walking through the valley of the shadow of death and their loved ones.

We pray for all who stand in a place of need.

Holy One, open our eyes to recognize the new thing you are doing

In the world, in your church, in our lives.

Grant us grace to see, and courage respond.

We offer our prayers in the name of Jesus who taught us to pray saying:

Our Father…….

(Based on Genesis 1)

In the beginning God created all things,
and God saw that they were good.

At our beginning, God created us
unique and irreplaceable, loved and wanted by God,
known and treasured by God even before He created us.

In all our new beginnings, God creates something new
so we will seek God in the freshness of this morning,
in the laughter of friends,
in the colors of creation,
and in the beauty of community.

Lord God, King of Creation,
open our eyes to see your presence,
our souls to sense your presence,
and our hearts to love your presence,
ever here in your creation,
and ever beyond it in eternity.
Amen.

O God, thank you for the amazing beauty, wonder, and diversity of all of creation around us. We see your fingerprint on all that you have made. Sea life, flowers and trees, the animal kingdom, the wonder of stars, galaxies, nebula, atoms, and electrons; so much of our created world is too minute to see with our eyes….yet all was designed and created for a purpose by you God. We also give thanks that you have created each of us, all of humanity in your image. You know us intimately, you know our names, our thoughts before we speak, and you love us. Thank you Jesus!

O God, as we rejoice and celebrate your creation this morning, we also recognize that there are those who grieve today, those who are struggling thru painful situations, those in need of healing, of food, of renewed relationships. God, be present in their lives. We pray that your comfort and peace be poured out on all who are weary, lonely and exhausted. Holy Spirit, be their strength and their source of Hope. Lord Jesus, grant us wisdom and a renewed sense of awareness to the needs around us. Renew and fill our hearts with your compassion and grace…help us to love others as you have loved us. We give you thanks!