BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE
Prayers for the Church Street Family
March 15, 2021
Rev. Dr. Jan Buxton Wade
Enduring One, you have invited us to this Lenten Journey because in your wisdom you knew our souls had listened too long to the world’s hollow voice. All praise to you that you have summoned us these weeks past to open our eyes to re-discover the wonders surrounding us, to reflect upon your true purpose for our lives, to teach us new songs of gratitude and humility. We have stumbled, but you hold out your scarred hand and share yourself with us again and again. Continue that inner work, Lord, for we have miles yet to travel.
Here in the time of twilight, we make our sincere confessions: We worry about balancing our dinner menus, forgetting the millions who are steps away from starvation. We think we deserve the best of everything, forgetting that everything we have comes from the efforts of someone else. We draw chalk marks to delineate who is in and who is out, forgetting that you love all equally and all are welcome. We turn on our security systems and remain secure in our homes, forgetting our neighbors’ children must dodge bullets when they travel to and from school.
We repent of our shallowness, Lord, but give thanks that you have planted saints among us whose open and unselfish ways convict us of our self-absorption. Grant that we, as they, might learn to view the world through the lens of Jesus, the Son who tells us it is never too late for new beginning.
Never-Ending Mercy, you carry us through on the comforting melody of your forgiveness, that music that never ceases; and because of your movement through our lives, we bring our personal praises from our Church Street family, and also our prayers for your divine assistance:
- Gratitude for prayers: Heart cath went smoothly
- Thanksgiving for first in-person worship
- Four grateful for second dose of vaccine
- UMW celebrates major gift for missions
- Family grateful for weekend visits from relatives whom they have not seen in more than a year
- Family thankful for settling in new home
- One grateful for tolerating cancer treatments
- Comfort for family whose mother died on Sunday
- Solace and comfort for mother, 90, having internal bleeding and guidance for caregiver brother
- Prayers for diagnosis of youngster’s seizures
- Healing: Young sister with ongoing cancer concerns
- Comfort and support for friend divorcing
- Prayers for one who is disillusioned by illness
- Rest and recovery for one following throat surgery
- Young adult having fourth round of chemo this week
- Dear friend awaiting medical treatment
- Prayers that new meds improve breathing issues
- Safe delivery of first grandchild
- Prayers for justice in a custody case
We lie down in peace, nestled under your cool sheets of mercy, secure in the knowledge that even as we sleep, you are erasing our sins, untying our burdens, soothing us, and making us whole. As darkness descends, may our parting vision be of Jesus resting his hand upon us, as we whisper the words he taught us so long ago:
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.
