BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Daily Prayers of the Church Street family

May 16, 2020

Pastor Jan

“Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines, though the produce of the olive fails and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold and there is no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation.”

So spoke the ancient prophet, O Lord, and how strong is his testament of faith! Bury the power of Habakkuk’s words deep in the soil of our spirits, we pray, that despite the present time of drought, our soul vines will remain green and full of life potential. And when your time of renewal draws near, our stems will push away the parched earth and will rise steadily upward to sing green-grace praises to you,

O God of our salvation!

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

O Renewing One, we know that fear lurks in the shadows, waiting to capture us unaware; and we know that we will sometimes fall prey to the dark clouds overhead, thinking they will hover forever. But in your grace, you will sift all those negative thoughts the shadows bring and will replace them with life-giving hope.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

Receive now, Loving Guide, these blessings and concerns which are placed in your open hands this day. We ever feel you working in our lives:

• Gratitude: a loving wife was discharged from the hospital yesterday
• Thankful that a dear friend will not have to have surgery after a fall
• A blissful couple celebrate the wedding vows they will take this day
• Grateful for prayers: executive under duress received promising news Friday
• Prayers appreciated; an at-risk baby was born last night – healthy and happy
• Pray for strength for a member as she delivers a eulogy for her sister today
• Continued safety for all healthcare workers and first responders
• All who are mourning loved ones – may peace and comfort lift them up
• An aging mother in hospice; strength for loving family who care for her
• Faithful member grieving her father’s death; for peace to surround family
• A friend who lost her job this week; lift up all unemployed and underemployed
• Young couple undergoing stress in their relationship
• Loved ones who are lonely, isolated at home or nursing facilities

With all the distractions that turn our attention elsewhere, we pray we would receive wisdom and strength to remain focused on you, O Divine One, for you are the key to our intense longings and the answer to every prayer. And in your mercy, accept this all-encompassing prayer our Savior taught us:

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?

Submit your request confidentially online, and our prayer team will be in prayer with and for you.

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Daily Prayers of the Church Street family

May 14, 2020

Pastor Jan

When morning gilds the skies, my heart awaking cries:

May Jesus Christ be praised!

Luminous and Pure is your candle that lights our way to hope. Though our road is littered with broken promises, shattered dreams, painful regrets, and half-truths, you clear a promising path that leads to a new tomorrow. Lift your candle high, so we do not lose sight of the way to wholeness.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

The night becomes as day when from the heart we say:

May Jesus Christ be praised!

Sometimes we are blinded by your brightness, O Flame of Love. We fear turning in your direction as we are weighed down with guilt; we wear our wrongs as a badge of our unworthiness. How odd you must find it when you see us clutching old sins, when you yourself forgot them long ago. Lift your candle high, so our inward vision might become as clear as yours.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

The powers of darkness fear when this sweet chant they hear:

May Jesus Christ be praised!

Beam of Grace, we ask that you cast your light in the direction of those about whom we care most deeply. One by one these dear faces come to mind . . . Their anguish and unrest you know already. Still, hold your candle high this day, that each might catch a ray from your holy flame that would make their eyes shine with trust. That glimmer might be the one thing that helps them stay the course.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

And hear also these joys and petitions offered by members of our Church Street family:

• Gratitude: a hospital has safely opened & many are returning to work
• Prayers appreciated! A house closing was completed Wednesday
• A job interview went smoothly – thankful for prayers
• Thanksgiving: cancer survivor had her final radiation treatment yesterday
• Please continue to pray for 2 in our community awaiting test results
• Prayers for a grieving family who bury their mother today
• A dear pastor friend, young mother, battling breast cancer
• Continued prayers for strength for one on a long road to recovery
• Young married couple under stress with heavy work and school schedules
• Loved ones who are lonely, isolated at home or nursing facilities
• Pray for a young daughter awaiting test results for Covid-19
• Wisdom for opening of public spaces – adherence to protective guidelines

Be this our eternal song through all the ages long:

May Jesus Christ be praised!

Even in the dark, you can kindle a spark of assurance that can last a lifetime.  Small wonder you are called the Light of the World.  It is to you we cling, believing that our small candles might join with yours and ignite a flame of love so broad it would envelope our world.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

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?

Submit your request confidentially online, and our prayer team will be in prayer with and for you.

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BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Daily Prayers of the Church Street family

May 12, 2020

Pastor Jan

O Timeless One, in an era when it is unfashionable to speak of our faith, may we unapologetically share with others what your grace has meant to us. We often wonder how it is that so many exist without the hope you provide. Our spirits are inextricably bound up with yours, however, so give us the will and the words to speak openly of your everlasting goodness, when the occasion arises, sharing your divine hope with those who believe their situations are irredeemable.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

Even though your claim upon us is secure, Enduring One, there are those days when we allow melancholy to creep into our thoughts; and our minds wander to how things used to be, or we forge ahead to plan a future without inconvenience or disruption. But life in this realm is lived in the meantime – in the here and now. May we take to heart the teaching of the apostle who told us to rejoice in all circumstances and to learn how to be content with things as they are.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

We do rejoice that your patience never grows thin and that we might ever express our daily cares to you, no matter how massive or how inconsequential they may seem. For you, O Holy One, are ever ready to receive our petitions and handle them with reverence. So take these special situations that are on the hearts and minds of your people at Church Street, molding them to bring glory to your name:

• A family celebrates a newborn, a healthy baby boy
• Gratitude that an ill mother’s health continues to improve
• The spirits of a man with depression have been lifted of late, prayers appreciated
• Thankful for prayers: promising news received by a friend with Crohn’s disease
• Grateful for the life of a treasured mother who died on Saturday
• Please pray for a husband who has heart tests today – for proper treatment
• A member undergoing hip surgery today – that all goes smoothly for her
• Pray for a young daughter awaiting test results for Covid-19
• Prudence for all who are more active in the community now that businesses are opening; that all might wisely use protective measures
• Healing for a longtime member who is fighting depression
• Patience for one awaiting test results, that all might be well
• Pray for strength and endurance for a daughter, primary caregiver for her father
• Please pray for a house closing to take place on schedule on Wednesday

Wrap our concerns and thanksgivings in your tenderness, we pray, and cradle us in the warmth of your  love.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

We thank you, Lord, that you do not love us because of our potential; rather, you treasure us just as we are.  This is part of your Divine Mystery which sustains us and compels us to ever praise you and your Son Jesus, who taught us to pray:

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?

Submit your request confidentially online, and our prayer team will be in prayer with and for you.

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Daily Prayers of the Church Street family

May 10, 2020

Pastor Jan

Mothering God, we are each created in the womb of your love and you have nurtured us to this day. Many were raised in loving households, as you intended, though others of us spent our early lives in homes where bitterness, resentment, and neglect prevailed. Nevertheless, you were with us even then, and in your own way, you used deprivation for our good. As a mother comforts her child, so have you comforted and cared for us throughout the years. And as we pray for mothers everywhere, we also offer gratitude for those women and men who became parents to us at one point or another. Above all, we are grateful that we are treasured members of your very own family, and that you are always waiting at the gate until we arrive safely home.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

Almighty One, in the mystery of tragedy and disaster, we always look to you for an explanation to satisfy our minds and hearts. This prevailing pandemic is no different. Why? is our daily question and it surely reverberates through the heavens. Our grief runs deep, not just for ourselves, but for all whose wounds are too deep to comprehend: the ill and dying, the bereaved and frightened, the depressed and lonely, those anxious for medical results, those who worry about their safety and the safety of loved ones. We entrust all these burdens to your grace. And perhaps the answer to our nagging question is that there is no burden we face that Christ himself did not also endure.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

O Loyal Parent, you recognize our voices whenever we call in the night. Soothe our brow with your hand of love and listen as we whisper the secrets of our hearts . . .

May we open our souls to your grace and be born again through your mercy:

• Gratitude for a son who recently graduated from law school, blessings as he now studies for the bar exam
• Thankful: a dear friend (86) has had successful heart surgery and is now home
• Gratitude: celebrating a family business that is doing well, despite the virus threat
• Pray for a young daughter who awaits test results for Covid-19
• A mother with a few months to live, courage for her family who cannot visit
• That a vaccine for Covid-19 may be discovered & made available soon, that we all might gather again for worship and song
• Lift up a bereaved family, whose adored mother died yesterday
• Pray for a faithful servant with angina; wisdom for physicians in his treatment
• Healing of a father whose emotional issues have resurfaced
• A longtime member who is fighting depression, for her strength and healing
• Cherished mother who suffers from cancer, for relief of pain and healing
• Pray for strength and endurance for a daughter, primary caregiver for her father
• Two women awaiting results of recent medical tests
• Restoration of a member who has long suffered from debilitating back pain

Show us, O Lord, those situations where we might join with you in bringing healing comfort to these brothers and sisters; for whatever effort we make, you will perfect it and bring forth a blessing.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

This Sabbath day, you desire that we create within us a quiet place in which we may set aside our tensions — a place where we recall that our salvation comes in returning and rest. Hold us there, in your peaceful womb of grace, where we hear only the reassuring heartbeat of your Loving Son, who taught us to pray:

Our father who are 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?

Submit your request confidentially online, and our prayer team will be in prayer with and for you.

Join us for Worship today!

Head over to our YouTube page at 10 am this morning (or anytime after) for our Sunday morning virtual worship service.

BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE

Daily Prayers of the Church Street family

May 8, 2020

Pastor Jan

O Fortress of Hope, throughout these unanticipated weeks of fear and unease, we have bid farewell to so many things: to normalcy in the home and workplace, the regularity of salary, freedom of movement, the human touch, and the penetrating loss of life. We barely absorb a loved one’s death before another cherished soul is also taken from us. We daily wonder why we ourselves are still standing. The answer lies only in your mysterious Beyond. Attend, we pray, to these open wounds created by our almost unbearable losses. Grant us peace and healing, until the time we too will pass through the veil. Once there, your purposes will mingle you’re your holy wisdom and will be made plain.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

O Great Silence, in spite of our losses, your love threads itself through our days. Forgive us, we pray, when we linger too long in the valley of distress, for you are already creating a better and brighter way. You work within the prayers of others to lift us up in our melancholy moments. There are cards received that remind us we have not been forgotten after all. Empathic friends offer a listening ear, when we know they have more important things to do. And we catch sight of giant bird wings sweeping down to touch the grass, then soaring upward to the portals of heaven.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

You call us to be Easter people, so this day may we live as those who trust in resurrection, despite the challenges we face. And in your goodness, receive all the prayers which come from our hearts, and also these particular ones offered by our brothers and sisters at Church Street:

• Deep appreciation for financial gifts, now sufficient to help repair a roof fora needy family
• Gratitude for prayers: a family is thankful their jobs have been restored
• Praises to God for a gravely ill father who is now released from hospital
• One is thankful to have received a government check for his employees
• A Christian man suffering with ongoing mental malady, for his healing
• Disappointed couples who must alter wedding plans due to the pandemic
• Continued prayers for public and private businesses opening to the public, that all might observe protective measures & remain safe
• A beloved sister, the sole caregiver for her adult son who suffers with diabetes; for her physical and emotional strength
• Pray for courage, strength and God’s presence to be at work in the life of a daughter, primary caregiver for her elderly parent
• Mother struggling with a divorce; seeks a fresh start with her estranged children
• Healing for a friend with Crohn’s disease; for promising news from recent tests
• Lift up a member who is depressed and emotionally drained, for healing
• A mother asks for easing of family tensions, especially with her adult children
• Healing mercies for a friend with brain cancer, very weak from chemotherapy
• Pray for one awaiting test results, that underlying cause of dizziness is correctly diagnosed and treated

In whatever form your grace comes to us, may it be sufficient.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.    

No matter how our days unfold, whether with strife or with peace, may we continue to work for the kingdom; for you have told us, Faithful One, that we do not labor in vain:

Our father who are 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?

Submit your request confidentially online, and our prayer team will be in prayer with and for you.