Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family
Week of March 1, 2023
Rev. Catherine Nance
O God who shaped us from the dust, it is hard to believe that Ash Wednesday was a week ago. We had good intentions. We have good intentions. Forgive us for not following through or not truly paying attention to the intentions we set! We make the focus on ourselves instead of simply being with you. May this time of prayer tonight be a time of quiet…
Pause for a few seconds before reading ahead ….
Thank you for letting us start over, Gracious God! We are so grateful for your love! We look back over our day and remember the times we felt a sense of your presence, or experienced the graciousness of a stranger, or enjoyed conversation with a friend ….
Take time to remember moments from today ….
As we give thanks for your goodness today, we thank you specifically for sunshine and the bursts of yellow we see in yards and along greenways. The flowers are reminders of your creative powers and your abiding grace. It has been good to see people out walking and enjoying being outside today.
Take time to think of those who may be homebound or are not able to get outside…..
We thank you for all of the folks who gathered today for the Downtown Noonday Lenten Worship service. How wonderful it was to be at First Baptist with friends from other churches who call downtown Knoxville ‘home.’ May we be a powerful force of positivity and unity in a community that often seems divided. Let us use this time as an opportunity to pray for our downtown neighbors – those who work here, those who live here, those who go to school ….
Take a moment to imagine the streets surrounding our church …. Main Street with the government buildings … Henley with new condos and new hotels for tourists …. Cumberland with all of those students … across the bridge to Chapman Highway and the new growth that is happening ..
O God of all people, we do not want to be just a building on a corner but a place where ministry is inspired and all are welcome. May our neighbors and all who pass by know that we are praying for them. Open our eyes that we see opportunities to be neighbors.
Take a moment to imagine what evening looks like at the corner of Henley and Main … lights from inside buildings and lights on the streets
As nighttime comes, we pray for those who do not have a place to sleep indoors. We pray for those who are working third shift at hospitals and police stations. We pray for the safety and health of our downtown.
Thank you, O God who knows all of the people who drive and walk past our church each day, thank you for this opportunity of prayer for us to pray for your children near this corner.
Now, we offer prayers for our church family ….
We pray for…
- A six year old boy who has been hospitalized in Kentucky; low platelets and sores on his body. Current treatment has raised the platelet count. He is home with restrictions. Prayers for doctors as they determine what is wrong.
- A member’s 13-year old nephew struggling with auto-immune issues and low platelets. Prayers for him and for doctors at ETCH who are searching for answers.
- A church member’s mother community affected by tornado and storms in Oklahoma. Prayers for safety.
- Family, friends, co-workers of an individual who committed suicide last week. May God’s Spirit be with each of them. Praying for peace of mind and spirit in the midst of great grief.
- Church members who are walking alongside their aging parents through life transitions; prayers for clarity and peace
- A couple whose marriage is breaking apart.
- A church member’s brother-in-law died Sunday; prayers for family as they remember him and give thanks for his life this weekend.
- For church members and family members who are living in assisted living centers and are experiencing loneliness.
- Prayers for continued healing for a church member who had heart surgery yesterday morning; thankful for supportive family and friends!
- Successful surgery for a church member tomorrow. Prayers of thanksgiving for a helpful Sunday School class.
- A dear family friend is fighting stage 4 cancer. Please pray for strength for her and her family as she suffers with the complications of chemo, radiation, and the disease itself.
- A brother-in-law who has liver problems and in declining health; not a candidate for a transplant. Prayers for healing and encouragement.
- A family member having a defibrillator put in; prayers for restored health
- A couple preparing to move to Illinois. Prayers for strength and clarity as they prepare house to sell. Thankful for the opportunities that await them.
We continue to pray for…
- Those in rehab
- Those undergoing cancer treatments
- Those who have Covid
- Family members and friends going through difficult times
- Strained family relationships to be healed
- Those waiting on diagnostic tests
We continue to pray for…
- Monthly caregiver support group that meets at our church. Prayers for wisdom and strength for leaders, volunteers, and caregivers.
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy 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, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
