Prayer

Light in Darkness

/ The Pastor

God of power and might,
There is much in this life that causes me to be at a loss for words.
At times I feel like hiding in a cave until Jesus returns.
At times is seems easier to just be quiet
and acquiesce to the demands of this world.
At times I wonder,
just wonder
why.

But nothing is a surprise to you.
Jesus still reigns.
The hope of the resurrection is real.
Strengthen us,
Oh God,
and may Your light shine the way in our lives
as we navigate the chaos and evil in this world.
May we be examples;
beacons of hope.
May we bring glory to Your most holy name.

I pray this in the name Jesus Christ our Lord,
who reigns forever and ever,
Amen.

The Pastor -|—

To Follow

/ The Pastor

Holy God,
through Jesus Christ You call us to action,
as You call us to follow.
But road is not easy
and the task is daunting.
We are tempted to give up
or take shortcuts so not to offend people.

May we never do so.
May we always be faithful.

Grant us Your Spirit
that we may fix our gaze upon Jesus,
so much so,
that his glory is reflected in the world
through our faithfulness.
May our actions shed light
in a dark world
and
may our words speak peace and hope.

You call us to follow,
may we do so now without hesitation.
All praise, glory and honor
be unto You,
Creator God,
through Christ Jesus our Lord,

Amen.

The Pastor -|—

The Morning

/ The Pastor

The scene
A quiet house
The sound of chirping birds drifting in through an open window
The words of Scripture marinating in my soul
And a good cup of coffee to top it off

God’s blessings to start the day
God’s presence to renew my soul

The prayer
Oh God,
Your mercies are new everyday
Your blessings abound
Your love is wide and deep
Your grace is unending

Your Son, Jesus, is Lord of all
My Savior, Jesus, died for me

Renew my faith this day
Embolden my witness
Bless my words
Guide my decisions

May Your mercies and blessings;
Your love and grace
Be evident to all

Glory and honor be unto
You
Oh God
This day and always

Amen

The Pastor -|—

Fear and Hope

/ The Pastor

Holy God,

there is much to fear in this world.
Satan is running around
trying to lead us astray through false worship.
He is trying to drag us down into hopelessness.
At times Satan succeeds
and thus paralyzes us with fear,
so much so,
that the Gospel is not proclaimed.

But we ask that You may send Your Holy Spirit
to teach us
and remind us
of the victory we have through faith in Jesus Christ.

Show us the cross.
Show us the empty tomb.
Show us Jesus.

May we see the life we have in You
and know that death has been defeated.
May we rejoice in You
and thus share this Joy with others.
And in the end,
may You and You alone be glorified.

Now may the words of my mouth
and the meditations of our hearts
be acceptable to You,
oh God,
through Christ Jesus our Lord,

Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Your Spirit

/ The Pastor

Holy God,

Send Your Spirit today
to rest upon us.
Teach us,
remind us,
show us
Your ways.

Send Your Spirit today
to rest upon Your Church.
Make it bold with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Make it firm in it’s faith.
Make it knowledgeable of
Your ways.

Send Your Spirit today
to rest upon this nation.
Stir hearts.
Renew minds.
Open eyes to
Your ways.

Send Your Spirit today
that all who call upon Your holy name
may speak of Your Son, Jesus, with
passion and conviction without backing down. May our Gospel proclamation be done with all grace. May our witness shine brightly with Your love. May forgiveness win the day.

Send Your Spirit today
that we may speak to a culture
that has drifted away from You. May our words and actions engage this culture with love without us conforming to this culture.

Send Your Spirit today, oh God.
Heal us.
Draw us to You.
Raise us up to New Life in Jesus Christ.

Send Your Spirit today, oh God,
and send us out in the name of
Jesus.

Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Weeping to Strength

/ The Pastor

I look out into the world,
and I weep over what I see;
for I see a people lost;
as sheep without a shepherd.
I weep and wish people would turn and look;
seeing a loving Savior;
Jesus,
reaching out to them.

Oh, how I wish people would see Jesus.
Oh, how I wish people would see their destructive path.
Oh, how I wish people would repent and live.

But all I see is a world spiraling out of control;
a world racing toward a cliff;
a world hell-bent on destroying themselves.

Why, oh God, why?
Why can’t people see?
Why don’t people know?

And as I weep I also fear.
I fear for my own children.
I fear for my family.
I fear for how I will respond.

Will I be strong?

Oh God, Creator of heaven and earth,
grant me Your Spirit that I may be strong.
May I stand firm and rely on the armor
that only You can give.
Grant me, oh God,
the belt of truth,
 the breastplate of righteousness,
the readiness given by the gospel of peace, 
the shield of faith,
(with which I can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one),
the helmet of salvation,
 and the sword of the Spirit,
(which is the word of God).
May this armor be my strength.

But one last thing,
oh God,
may I not be passive,
but rather may I go forth into battle with your armor.
May I brandish the sword of the Spirit
with all love and grace.
And in the end, may You be glorified.

Be my strength and hope.
Be my peace and salvation.

Oh God, You reign forever and ever,
through Jesus Christ my Lord I pray,
Amen.

The Pastor -|—

You

/ The Pastor

Holy God,

Bless this night.
Protect my dreams.
Watch over my family.
Keep me free from Satan’s attacks.
Grant me peace.
Heal my pains.
Strengthen my body.

But if trials and tribulations
should happen to come my way;
if suffering is the order of my life;
if pain is my reality,
then I only ask that my faith is guarded,
that my response is one that glorifies
You.

May this life of mine;
a life crafted by
You,
draw others to
You.

And may my life’s refrain be:
All glory be unto You.

In Jesus’ name I pray,
Amen

The Pastor -|—

Never Ending

/ The Pastor / 3 Comments

Holy Father, loving God,
in this life we live in the reality
that all good things come to an end,
but You,
the Supreme Good,
ever ends.
It’s that reality we cling to
and the reason we gather to worship You.
You formed creation out of nothing with a simple Word.
You sustain creation with Your mighty hand.
You redeem creation with Your love and grace.
Oh God, in the same way
create faith here this morning with Your Holy Word.
Sustain faith through Your Holy Spirit.
Renew faith through Your love and grace.
May all who hear Your Word this morning look to You.
Strengthen us and embolden our words and deeds
that You may be glorified.
All praise, glory, honor and worship be unto You,
holy God,
through Christ Jesus our Lord,
Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Open ~ A Prayer

/ The Pastor

Oh God,
Open my eyes that I my see Your glory.
Open my ears that I may receive Your most holy Word.
Open my heart that the junk therein my fall out and Your Spirit enter to reside.
Open my mind to learn more of You.

Oh God,
Open my hands to serve my neighbor.
Open my mouth to speak of Your grace and love.
Open my life that I my receive my neighbor.
Open a door that I may walk through to glorify You.

Oh God,
You are the opener of all things.
You are the creator of all opportunities.
May I not miss the openness of Your grace
and thus miss a grand opening to share the truth of Jesus Christ.

Oh God,
open closed doors,
and send me,
to the glory of Your holy name through Christ Lord my Lord.

Amen

The Pastor -|—

Escaping Words ~ A Prayer

/ The Pastor

Holy God,

words escape me
as I try to bring you the glory that is due Your holy name.
For our human language can not come close
to ascribing to You all that You deserve.
So all we can do is to come before You;
humble and contrite,
falling on our knees before Your holy throne,
to attempt to worship You as the saints in heaven do.
And as we worship You
we come before You with thankfulness
that Jesus suffered death on a cross
and subsequently rose from the grave
to give us the victory through faith.

And so we come before You as sinners in need of Your mercy;
as sinners in need of Your Spirit.
Fill us now with Your Holy Spirit
and may we run to those around us with the Good News
that Jesus is alive and well.
May the Gospel burn within us;
driving us to speak boldly in Your name.

All worship, praise, honor and thanks be unto You,
holy Father,
through Christ Jesus our Lord,

Amen.

The Pastor -|—