Prayers of the Church, 7^th Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 11 – July 19, 2020

Let us lift our hearts, hands, and voices in prayer to God on behalf of all people.

A brief silence is kept.

Holy Father, thank you for stating what we constantly ignore or forget: that every one of us is a weedy field! Thank you for giving us Jesus’ strong, wise words to stand against the “cancel culture” that seeks only to uproot and destroy. Thank you for his patient, grace-filled tending, that alone can “cancel” our sins and heal our flawed lives and broken hearts. Thank you for your promise to gather us in, from every race, kindred, tribe and nation, as your treasured, holy, precious, and redeemed people.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

You are the first and the last; beside you there is no god. Give your Church the faith and courage to proclaim that in Jesus, crucified and raised from the dead for the forgiveness of sins unto eternal life, you have revealed your nature and your heart to the whole world.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Come to the aid of all who suffer abuse, scorn, and deadly violence because they name a crucified Jewish carpenter as the one, true and only God. Grant that their faithful witness and grace under fire should bear radiant witness to that precious truth.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

We look at our congregation, and into our own hearts. We confess that we are fields sown with weeds as well as wheat. Forgive us. Deal mercifully with us. By the grace of your Spirit, help us to bear one another’s faults with patience and gentleness. Remind us that you alone will make us pure, holy, and good, by conforming us to your dear Son.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

We pray for our enemies – especially those who hate us because of our faith in Jesus. We pray for all who deny and despise him. We pray for all who do not know him, or who only know a shriveled, distorted image of him. Soften their hearts; enlighten their minds; and fill them with your Spirit, so they may repent and believe in the Good News.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

We know there are no perfect rulers or programs – only sinful people in a fallen and death-shadowed world. Therefore, we groan in travail, pleading that you would free us from bondage and futility. We cry out for redemption and righteousness; for healing and wholeness; and for your Sabbath rest, your Shalom. Until then, make us humble, gentle, and wise; and heal the evil we have caused.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Your Son’s parable counseled letting weeds and wheat grow together. Yet for the sake of your people, we must stem the spread of deadly weeds: violence, injustice, and hatred. Therefore, we plead on behalf of those in the military, police, security, intelligence, and first response. Give them wisdom, integrity, and honor, so that by their labors, those they serve may have a measure of justice and safety.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Sickness, sorrow, and adversity take root in every life. We cannot uproot them all, yet we know you desire abundant life for your servants. And so, we are bold to pray for everyone who suffers, and especially for: {List}. Speedily grant them health, hope and comfort; and in the fullness of time, complete in them and in us all, the full and perfect healing that you have promised in Christ Jesus.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

We thank you, heavenly Father, for those who have gone before us and are at rest in you. We pray for one another, especially those whose grief runs deep. Teach us to pray confidently, knowing that you have made us your children. Teach us to care and share, encourage and challenge, comfort and forgive, knowing that you will prosper your handiwork. And gather us to yourself as your rich and fruitful harvest in Christ Jesus, so that with all your forgiven sinners, we may abide with you forever.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Receive and graciously answer our prayer, heavenly Father, for the sake of your dear Son; and by the power of your Holy Spirit, give us the strength and will to accomplish whatever you call us to do. Amen.

Prayers of the Church, 6^th Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 10 – July 12, 2020

Let us lift our hearts, hands, and voices in prayer to God on behalf of all people.

A brief silence is kept.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the simple images of seeds and soil. Thank you for using what we’re familiar with to point us to deeper truths. Thank you that we don’t need a Ph.D., a corner office, or a million Twitter followers to bear rich fruit, to your glory and for the nourishment of people famished for your healing and life-giving love.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Fill the Church with the Holy Spirit. Make it beautiful with holiness and rich with wisdom. Let your Word take root in it and accomplish that which you purpose. Draw all flesh into its courts; hear their prayers; forgive their sins; and accomplish their salvation.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Grant patience, courage, and gentleness to everyone who is persecuted on account of Jesus; and do not let their witness to you return to you empty. Uproot the stones and weeds from the hearts of their tormentors, so that they may bear the fruits of repentance and be saved.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Deal mercifully with this congregation. Make our words, deliberations, and ministries faithful and fruitful. Uproot the deep-rooted weeds and remove the stubborn stones of sin from the fields of our lives. Break down the hard-trodden paths of worldly customs. Make your Word grow so richly that many hearts may be nourished through our presence in your world.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

We praise you for favorable weather and fruitful earth; for the fields and orchards, flocks and herds, streams and seas which nourish us all. Bless farmers and ranchers, fishers and shepherds, gardeners and all whose knowledge and effort helps to protect, preserve, and wisely use the gifts of creation. Help us to be generous stewards of your bounty, sharing with all who are in need.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

We pray for this nation, beset by troubles and strife, yet still our beloved country. Reform its laws, purify its speech, instruct its leaders, and soften every heart to see one another as your beloved children, created in your image and redeemed at great cost by your dear Son.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

You intend for us to live in joy and peace; yet in this sin-darkened world, violence, injustice, and evil threaten so many. We pray for those tasked with defending life and liberty. Conform their actions to your will, so all may enjoy the fruits of safety, concord, freedom, and justice.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Bring healing and hope to everyone who is afflicted by sorrow, suffering and sin – especially {List}. Lead them out of their darkness into the brightness of your saving love. Grant peace to their hearts and joy to their loved ones, that together they may praise your awesome deeds of salvation.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Thank you, dear Father, for all who have died trusting in you. Lead and guide us, who still walk a road that is stony and desolate, overgrown with the thorns of sin and briers of violence. Refresh us in this wilderness. Give us nourishment for our bodies, hope for our hearts, and your Spirit to abide with us along life’s way. Crown our years with blessing. By the merits of your dear Son, gather us safely to yourself, where with all whom you have redeemed, we may sing with joy forever.

Lord, in your mercy, please hear our prayer.

Receive and graciously answer our prayer, heavenly Father, for the sake of your dear Son; and by the power of your Holy Spirit, give us the strength and will to accomplish whatever you call us to do. Amen.

“But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory?” (2 Corinthians 3:7-8)

We often settle for less when the Lord is offering more.  If life came through the law, why then the death of Christ?  Life comes through the One who gives life and in Him is all glory.  Do not settle for what is less when the Lord offers the fulness of life.  Live in and into Him through all things and do not live in fear.  He has come to lead us into light and life that we may abide with Him forever.

Lord, teach me these mysteries that I would not settle, as some do,  for a fearful life of constantly trying to live up to the standard of the law.  I fail.  But in You, I can live the life for which You have created me.  Lead me in this new life which does not settle, but continues in the upward path of life into life eternal.  Lead me to see through the traps and snares of this age to hear the upward call of Your grace and mercy.

Thank You Lord Jesus that You have made level the field.  You have carved out the only way to true life.  May I be a willing participant in the salvation You have prepared, walking with You each step of the way where You lead.  Guide me that I may not so much seek to understand everything but rather how to follow You as every promise of the Father becomes a reality of the eternal life You make possible.  Amen.