Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of June 5, 2024

Written by Rev. Catherine Nance

Gracious God, we thank you for this gift of prayer, and for this technology. “Email” can sound so impersonal, yet, here we are, so many of us reading these words and praying the same words together. We thank you for the way we can be connected – yes, through the power of the Holy Spirit – but also through a weekly email that acknowledges we are part of a larger group. 

We may not know everyone’s name, but there is a comfort in knowing that we gather to pray on Wednesday night or perhaps it is Thursday morning when these words are opened. Thank you for the opportunity to pray for one another. We do experience peacefulness when we pray for others. 

We have marveled yesterday and today at the sudden downpour of rain and then what seems to be just as sudden clearing of clouds and shining sun. Then the rain and then sunshine, again. Our bodies and spirits are tuned to your creation, O God. The sun on our face feels so nourishing and we pray for ‘no rain.’ Then it comes, and we find joy in watching cardinals splash in puddles in our yard. We know the earth needs sun and rain. Our bodies need light and refreshment as well. Help us make good decisions about the care of our bodies and our minds.  

At the start of ‘vacation season’ we pray for good and safe times:  

• Safety for families, friends, and individuals who are traveling.  
• Happy reunions  
• Time to relax and refresh 
• Opportunities to learn something new or try something never experienced before 
• Good judgment in spending and buying 
• Thankfulness for routine to help steady us for what’s next 

May our summer travels make us even more thankful for home. We give you thanks for family and friends and for our church family. We give you thanks for the beauty of East Tennessee and the opportunities we have here to bask in the glory of your creation. 

May we not take for granted things like windshield wipers, sunscreen, farmers’ markets, cobbler, and the warmth of a hug or handshake. May we not take for granted how much it means to pat someone on the back or send a ‘thinking of you.’ 

Thank you, God, for the variety of rhythms your changing seasons give to us. Thank you for Wednesdays and the time to pray. 

We pray together for the concerns and joys shared by our church family and also offer the prayer your son taught us … 

We pray for ….

• Our Parish Youth Choir and their leaders who are in Boston this week
• One who will be having surgery soon to remove tumor in soft palate
• One who is looking for housing
• A young woman dealing with mental health issues
• Individuals and family members navigating the dementia diagnosis
• A husband dealing with cancer and side effects from chemo
• Staff and families at Cornerstone of Recovery and other addiction treatment centers
• A couple whose dog had to be put to sleep; thankful for the love your creatures bring
• One who seeks God’s protection from those who are harming her
• A mother-in-law who just entered hospice care at home
• Friends and family who are having struggles
• A forty-one year old friend who has cancer
• Increased wisdom in all circumstances

We continue to pray for ….

• Families who are celebrating graduations and other milestones; also prayers for whom this is a difficult season.
• One who is learning a new day-to-day after the death of her mother
• A couple who is waiting to hear about IVF procedures and results.
• Family members who continue to deal with cancer … all the tests and new treatments and waiting and follow up appointments. May they feel God’s healing presence in the midst of it!
• Friends and family members who are going through a troubling time.
• Adult children trying to make good decisions about next steps in work and school and life!

We offer prayers of thanksgiving for ….

• A granddaughter who arrived early! We continue to pray for strength and weight gain.
• For our staff who work hard all summer!

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.

Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of May 22, 2024

Written by Rev. Catherine Nance

Tonight’s prayer is adapted from the one used this past Pentecost Sunday, May 19, 2024. The idea for the prayer petition came from a worship resource for the Reformed Church of America.

O God, who always listens to us, who breathes new life into us, call us forward to resurrection.

When we look at images from the news, we seem to be surrounded by a world of dry bones, a world of death and despair, a world where we lose hope in our governments and institutions; we lose hope in one another.

We pray for this world in need of your Word: for all the people in it . . . we are hurting and praying for the people in Gaza and for the people in Israel who have lost loved ones from the violence; those who are still being held hostage. We see divisions in Slovakia after assassination attempt and more destruction in Ukraine. It is tempting to give up hope of peace and to ask, “What is the use of prayer?”

O God who always listens to us, who breathes new life into us, call us forward to resurrection.

We just celebrated Armed Forces Day this past weekend. We remember those who have sacrificed their lives for our country and freedom. We pray for world leaders and the decisions they must make … we pray for our president and for other heads of state that the decisions they make will bring an end to violence.

O God, who always listens to us, who breathes new life into us, call us forward to resurrection.

We are surrounded by people with dried up lives, people unable to see your life past their tears. We think of those who are lonely, who are grieving. We all know of someone whose life is being dried up by addiction or financial worries. We pray for this world in need of your healing presence: for those who are imprisoned, those we are waiting to hear from medical tests, those who are waiting to hear about a job. We have friends and family in Houston and other places who are dealing with the aftermath of storms. Oh God, we pray that your breath would bring hope and healing.

O God, who always listens to us, who breathes new life into us, call us forward to resurrection.

Those in the world would tell us that the church is dead; that we are nothing more than dry bones gathered together. We had a glorious day of worship this past Sunday. We celebrated Pentecost! May we, your church, be open to your breath! Just as Ezekiel heard rattling of bones coming to life, make us aware of the rattling we hear when children gather to learn bible stories, when youth gather to do service, when adults gather to serve a meal to the homeless. Do not allow us to be persuaded by those who say the church has no life, but give us the boldness to live fully into the life you call us.

We pray for the courage not just to follow you to death, but to follow you to the New Creation.

O God, who always listens to us, who breathes new life into us, call us forward to resurrection.

Call us to follow in the footsteps of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior, who taught us when we pray to say:

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.

We pray for ….

• One who is having dental surgery next week; prayers there are no complications due to low platelets
• For an employee whose son was killed in a traffic accident Sunday morning; prayers for safe travels as they go to Colorado for service. Prayers for God’s peace as they grieve.
• For those who are grieving the loss of a pet
• Families who are celebrating graduations and other milestones; also prayers for whom this is difficult season.
• One who is learning a new day-to-day after the death of her mother
• One who has been hospitalized out of town but is now home; awaiting surgery
• A wife who is coming to the end of her earthly life; may she feel God’s peace as she enters eternal light.
• A couple who is waiting to hear about IVF procedures and results.
• A newborn who spent first few days in NICU; thankful she can go home. Continued prayers for strength. Prayers of thanksgiving for family!

We continue to pray for ……

• Family members who continue to deal with cancer … all the tests and new treatments and waiting and follow up appointments. May they feel God’s healing presence in the midst of it!
• Friends who are beginning the journey of “some type of dementia.” Prayers of thanksgiving for doctors who study our brains, for researchers who have developed better testing, for social workers, for loving family members, and helpers all around!
• Friends and family members who are going through a troubling time.
• Adult children trying to make good decisions about next steps in work and school and life!