Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family
Week of April 26, 2023
Rev. Catherine Nance
We thank you, O God of Words and Poetry, for the gift of the Psalms. We begin our prayer tonight with the words of the psalmist:
In you, O Lord, I seek refuge;
do not let me ever be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me.
Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me.
You are indeed my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake lead me and guide me,
take me out of the net that is hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God. (Psalm 31:1-5)
We say those words at the graveside, O God. “Into your hands, we commit the spirit of ….” But you intended them for daily living. O God as we think about things we want to hide from, situations that bring us shame, forces from which we want to be rescued — how would our days be different if we committed our spirit to you?
As we come to the close of this day and look forward to the refuge of sleep and dreams, we want to ‘sleep like a rock!’ Perhaps sleep is our refuge. May we wake refreshed in the morning and may we remember to commit ourselves to you first thing. We commit our spirits, our desires, our intentions, our words, our thoughts, our tasks, our skills, we commit it all to you O Lord.
Perhaps we will not be so weary, tired, and afraid tomorrow.
Redeem us, O Lord, Faithful God!
We pray for ….
- A friend who went to ER; waiting for answers about ‘infection around liver.’
- A young friend whose health has improved! Now home from St. Jude’s Hospital!
- A wife recovering from hip replacement surgery; doing so well in rehab.
- A brother in the hospital after experiencing falls; prayers as he moves to rehab for strength and stability
- The fourth- and fifth-graders who are going on retreat this weekend.
- The sixth-graders who joined the church last Sunday!
- A colleague who is feeling the stress of work issues.
- A tiny one who is getting stronger each day in the NICU
- College students at the end of the semester
- The people of Sudan; may the leaders care about the people and not just themselves!
- A husband recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s
We continue to pray for …
- So many members who have loved ones going through treatments for cancer; waiting on tests.
- A young adult looking for a job using his talents.
- All of our elected officials; may they be servant leaders.
- Those in our congregation dealing with chronic illnesses; the ups and downs – the unpredictability of good days and bad days.
- The people of Ukraine and their soldiers
- Those whose grief is so very raw
We offer prayers of thanksgiving for…
- Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett and the leaders of the Holston Annual Conference
- The gift of holding a newborn
- A sixtieth wedding anniversary!
- A support group in addiction recovery.
- Rejoice. Thank you for giving me a way to be at church.
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.
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All are welcome at Church Street! We believe every person is of sacred worth and created in God’s image. We welcome and celebrate the gifts God has given to all persons without regard to race, color, national origin, ethnicity, age, gender, disability, status, economic condition, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religious affiliation. We respect diversity of opinion and expressions of Christian faith. We believe God loves everyone unconditionally! As God loves us, so let us love and serve in the name of Christ.
Weekly Prayer – April 26, 2023
Featured, prayer for todayWeekly Prayers for the Church Street Family
Week of April 26, 2023
Rev. Catherine Nance
We thank you, O God of Words and Poetry, for the gift of the Psalms. We begin our prayer tonight with the words of the psalmist:
In you, O Lord, I seek refuge;
do not let me ever be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me.
Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me.
You are indeed my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake lead me and guide me,
take me out of the net that is hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God. (Psalm 31:1-5)
We say those words at the graveside, O God. “Into your hands, we commit the spirit of ….” But you intended them for daily living. O God as we think about things we want to hide from, situations that bring us shame, forces from which we want to be rescued — how would our days be different if we committed our spirit to you?
As we come to the close of this day and look forward to the refuge of sleep and dreams, we want to ‘sleep like a rock!’ Perhaps sleep is our refuge. May we wake refreshed in the morning and may we remember to commit ourselves to you first thing. We commit our spirits, our desires, our intentions, our words, our thoughts, our tasks, our skills, we commit it all to you O Lord.
Perhaps we will not be so weary, tired, and afraid tomorrow.
Redeem us, O Lord, Faithful God!
We pray for ….
We continue to pray for …
We offer prayers of thanksgiving for…
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.
Have a Prayer Request?
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Senior Spotlight – Anna Cooper
YouthOne of our favorite things about the spring semester each year is celebrating our graduating seniors. Welcome to the Senior Spotlight series for the graduating class of 2023! Our seniors answered interview questions earlier this semester and it has been so much fun learning their answers! Check back in each week to get to know our seniors better and help to cheer them on as they wrap up high school and prepare for their next steps.
Meet Anna Cooper!
sushi!!
Weekly Prayer – April 19, 2023
Featured, prayer for todayWeekly Prayers for the Church Street Family
Week of April 19, 2023
Rev. Catherine Nance
O God of Resurrection Power, as we live into our Easter faith, we remember the disciples and their visits with Jesus after ‘the third day.’
If we were to write our accounts, Jesus, what would we add to the gospel writers’ stories? Where have we seen you? Have we even looked for you?
As we look back over our day, where have you surprised us, O Christ? As we think back over encounters, were you speaking to us? Was that you nudging us, Jesus? Was that you, causing us to rethink and take a second look?
We want the alleluias from two Sundays ago to reverberate in our soul, but we get distracted by other chants and voices. We hear the anguish of citizens who are concerned about gun violence and the cries of parents whose children have died. We hear the concern over our denomination and churches leaving to go out on their own. We hear government leaders making promises about safety. We hear people who are sick pleading for healing.
O God, as we lay our head down this evening, our prayer is that we can intertwine the Alleluias into the needs and struggles of this world. We cannot keep them separate; forgive us when we try. If we praise you in church, then we must trust that you are working in your world. May we see you along the road and in the boardroom and at the school and in the offices where decisions are made. How might we utter or cry out alleluia – proclaiming Resurrection power in our everyday living.
We thank you for words of promise and praise from our scriptures:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. (1 Peter 1:3-4)
May our first word in the morning be, Alleluia! May we mean it!
In the name of Jesus we pray ….
We pray for ….
We continue to pray for …
We offer prayers of thanksgiving for …
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.
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Weekly Prayer – April 12, 2023
Featured, prayer for todayWeekly 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 ….
We continue to pray for …
We offer prayers of thanksgiving for …
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.
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Celebrating Easter
FeaturedStay with Us
Featured, lentDaily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023 — Evening
By Rev. Catherine Nance
Stay with Us
Read: Luke 24:28-29
“As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them.”
We remember the words from Good Friday, “It is finished.” We might be tempted to say the same thing this Easter evening. With a sigh of exhaustion or satisfaction — maybe both. It is finished. Easter is over. It was glorious!
Some of you gathered early this morning for a sunrise service. Many have been involved in Lenten studies, choir rehearsals, and Lenten collections. Today will be a full day of joyful worship and gathering with family and friends. As night comes, we feel tired, but what my mother would call a good tired; physically and emotionally spent from all the celebration. It is over.
As we prepare to retire for the evening, I encourage you to say instead, “It is beginning.”
The two men on the road back to Emmaus had no idea who their traveling companion was but encouraged him to remain with them as night was falling.
On this Easter, we do know who our companion is. We do know Jesus is risen. We do not put Easter away. Thanks be to God! Jesus remains with us, abides with us. On the church calendar, we observe Easter for fifty days.
Get a good rest tonight … Easter is beginning!
Prayer
Dear Jesus, thank you for a glorious Sunday morning! May all of the joy of Easter spill over into Monday morning and the next day and the next day. Stay with us. Abide with us, our Lord, Emmanuel! Amen.
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He Arose!
Featured, lentDaily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023 — Morning
By Katie Heatherly
He Arose!
Read: Psalm 130
I have to say that I cannot think of an Easter season without hymn 322 “Up from the Grave He Arose”. This song has been a staple in my family for funeral and Easter services alike. My dear grandfather introduced this song to me as a child. He tragically passed away when I was 8 years old. I can vividly remember hearing this song and thinking of him with our risen Lord in heaven.
What more do we need as Christians, be we 8 or 108, than this assurance in Christ from the chorus of the hymn: Up from the grave he arose, with a mighty triumph o’er his foes; he arose a victor from the dark domain, and he lives forever, with his saints to reign. He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!
Prayer (from Psalm 130)
Out of the depths I cry unto thee, O Lord! Lord, hear my cry. Let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication. If thou, Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou may be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word do I hope. Amen.
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We are the Church!
Featured, lentDaily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Holy Saturday, April 8, 2023 — Evening
By Beth Stubbs
We are the Church!
Read: Psalm 115:14-18
Many years ago when I was serving on the committee at the church designated to raise the church budget, about $1.5M, it became clear that we might not be able to raise the amount needed. There have been many times that this was the case. I cannot remember the exact composition of the committee, but someone said, “It seems that we are always asking folks to give, but when they do, we don’t celebrate all that we have received. Let’s have a celebration after the campaign comes to a close — whether we make our goal or not!” As you can imagine, a few were skeptical … a celebration if we do not meet the goal? Ultimately the naysayers were convinced to celebrate … no matter what.
As the dialogue turned to what this celebration would look like, it took the shape of a potluck dinner with a show of talents, all ages, from church members who normally do not show their talents. There would also be prayers and hymns sung. Names were given of those who played instruments, sang, would be good Masters of Ceremonies, or were good cooks. Of course, I volunteered my family. My husband Tony had been teaching Thomas, our 4-year-old-son, to sing. We thought that if Tony were up on the stage with Thomas, that Thomas would not be afraid to sing to the crowd. Someone from the Children’s department had taught Thomas the refrain to “We Are the Church.” The refrain goes:
“I am the church! You are the church. We are the church together!
All who follow Jesus, all around the world! Yes, we’re the church together!”
It was a great evening indeed. About 250 people packed into the Parish Hall, eating and having great fellowship. I heard people entertain the group that I had never met, folks from Murphy Builders, and several other Sunday school classes. The program went off without a hitch and Thomas sang his song, “We Are the Church,” and then asked the crowd to sing with him. Thomas was not afraid. I believe the Lord was with him then and now. The Lord is with all of us. We need to celebrate and give witness always. The gifts that God gives us are immeasurable. When I begin making my list of gifts from God, the list goes on and on, and then I realize … it is ALL from God. I am so grateful for his love and for his son, Jesus.
Prayer
May we all give thanks for the mystery and the victory of Jesus’ resurrection and celebrate what has been given us through his life and death Amen.
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Beneath the Cross
UncategorizedDaily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Holy Saturday, April 8, 2023 — Morning
By Verna McClain
Beneath the Cross
As a youth, I would walk to my church on Sunday evenings for my MYF, as it was then called. It was safe to walk around our small town, even at night. I always sang in a choir, so music was a part of my daily life. “Beneath the Cross of Jesus” spoke to me; especially parts of the second verse: “Upon that cross of Jesus mine eyes at times can see the very dying form of one who suffered there for me.”
I have dedicated myself to serving Christ throughout my life in whatever form I was called on to serve. I was a short-term missionary for the Methodist Church in Brazil after college and as a social worker in Knoxville for over 50 years, I was serving God in helping children, youth and adults to have better lives. So I still find myself singing or humming this song written back in 1872.
Prayer
Beneath your cross, Jesus, I fain would take my stand; the shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land. Amen.
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O Sacred Head Now Wounded
Featured, lentDaily Lent Devotions from Church Street UMC
Good Friday, April 7, 2023 — Evening
By Ann Reego
O Sacred Head Now Wounded
Read: John 19:2
Imagine a hymn so powerful that it has been a favorite and beloved Passion Hymn for 900 years! That is the story behind O Sacred Head, Now Wounded. Written by Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), it was based on John 19:2. I fell in love with J.S. Bach’s harmonization in college when my first theory assignment was to copy it from the Episcopal hymnal. Later we sang it and studied the flow of each line and how it emphasized Christ’s death and anguish through dissonance and moving parts. This hymn makes me feel as if I am at the feet of the cross.
Prayer
God, bring us to the cross this Lent with aching hearts and broken spirits so that when we awake on Easter Sunday, our hearts and healed and our spirits are lifted and ready to follow the risen Lord. Amen.
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