Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family
Week of April 12, 2023
Rev. Tim Best
This week’s prayer is from in-person worship on Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023.
Gracious and loving Lord,
We praise and glorify you as we celebrate your defeat of all the forces of sin and death. We join our hearts and voices together in singing hymns and in shouts of joy and celebration, singing and proclaiming “Christ our Lord is risen today”. We praise you because we are so aware of the power of death. Creation groans under the weight of all those powers and principalities that seek to undo, to destroy, and to steal our hope. In our lenten journey we have known and named such pain and loss. In the light of this Easter Day we find hope in the face of grief and loss. Fill us with an Easter hope that will stay with us through the year ahead.
Lord, with the confidence of resurrection,
We are not afraid!
God,
You who breathed life into all creation, breathe upon creation new life today. We see in our midst symbols and signs of your sustaining grace. We see the trees turning green again, colors and hues give new beauty to the landscape that for many months has seemed bleak and dull. We praise you for the beauty of creation, the bounty of your resources, and our calling to care and tend for the earth. Where we have used our resources unwisely or with selfish intent, forgive us. When nature has caused damage to the homes and communities of others, move us to action. When we have abused and neglected that to which we are charged to care for and steward, by your mercy guide us to change. Let us discover in your resurrection the strength to work towards a creation in harmony with itself. May we strive to embrace and embody a creation that fully reflects your peaceable kingdom.
Lord, with the confidence of resurrection,
We are not afraid!
Lord Jesus Christ,
In your triumph over the cross you show yourself to be greater than all the powers of this world. Rulers and kings sought to destroy you through violence and death, and yet you overcame the violence of the cross and the darkness of the tomb. When we are lured by the powers of this world, remind us of your strength, your grace, and most of all your loving mercy. Our hearts are so often filled with division and anger towards the “other”. The other that votes differently than us, the other that lives differently than us, other that speaks and acts and prays differently than us. As Tennesseans our hearts are heavy. We need this Easter proclamation as much as ever. We pray for our leaders, those we voted for and those we did not. We pray for those who work to keep or families, our schools, our children and all in our communities, safe. When fear moves us to use our power in harmful ways, correct and guide us in your Spirit. May we trust not in our power, but in yours.
Lord, with the confidence of resurrection,
We are not afraid!
Lord of the living and the Dead,
We pray for those who we love but rest in you. Even as we celebrate the resurrection, comfort us when we mourn. Remind us that since Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead, so too, will all those whom you call forth on that great getting up morning, may we be raised to new life. As we long for that day, grant to each of us the assurance that living and dying, our life is in you. We are afraid to die, but help us that in the promise of your resurrection we would not be afraid to live boldly for you.
Lord, with the confidence of resurrection,
We are not afraid!
We pray for ….
- Church member whose aunt died this past week; last relative in that generation. Thankful for love and precious memories
- Church member whose friend died suddenly
- Those who are adjusting to life after burying a loved one
- Those who are in the hospital
- A member’s granddaughter as she seeks God’s will about college/future decisions
- Our sixth graders who are preparing to profess faith and receive vows of membership on April 23
- Those who are waiting on results from heart caths, PET scans and other diagnostic procedures
- A family who is moving out of state; may they find good connections
- All educators at every level who are dealing with spring fever!
We continue to pray for …
- A newborn (who came very early) in NICU; thankful for his strength and loving family!
- A young father going through chemo
We offer prayers of thanksgiving for …
- Expressions of kindness and love after death of a family member
- Easter!
- A couple who is engaged; prayers as they plan for their future together!
And now, because we can be confident in the resurrection, we offer these prayers to you in the name of the one who taught us to pray, saying…
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.
