Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of September 27, 2023

Rev. Catherine Nance*

A portion of today’s prayer was written by Bishop Ken Carter, UMC.

As we prepare for Blessing of the Animals Sunday …..

O God, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen: You place us in your creation, and you command us to care for it. As we look forward to Sunday and the blessing of the animals, we are mindful that they are your creatures – not ours – that we are to care for them.

In your great mercy you call us to care for all of creation,
to uphold one another, and to pray for your world.
Hear our prayers for the healing of the earth.

Your works declare glory and splendor, and you call us to praise and reverence.

Where we have degraded or destroyed earth’s bounty, forgive us.

Where we have taken beauty and majesty for granted, have mercy upon us.

Where we have become estranged from the creatures with whom we share this planet, have mercy upon us.

Renew us in the waters of baptism, refresh us with the winds of your spirit, and sustain us with the bread of life.

You have created us to be in community and so we offer prayers for those in our families, our neighborhoods, and circles of friends. For those who are struggling may they know your peace; for those who are sick, may they know your healing. As we pray for those near and dear to us, we know it is you desire for our circles to grow wider, to embrace others. As we reach for those we know so well, may our arms embrace those we would call stranger. Your Spirit transforms us into neighbors and friends.

With confidence that you hear our prayers, we offer ourselves for your good purposes,
watching and waiting for the healing of your creation as we work toward your coming reign.

We pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior 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.

We offer prayers for …..

• Those who are learning to live with new medications and adjustments to lifestyle and health
• A father and husband awaiting heart surgery; thanksgivings for skilled surgeon and good plan forward!
• A neighbor in the hospital; thankful for all of the good medical care
• One who is choosing to live well in the midst of cancer
• A mother in the hospital
• A member who is making decisions about long-term care
• Those who are grieving loss of spouse and who are feeling lost
• Continued healing for a husband who is home from hospital
• A brother who had pacemaker
• A family grieving the loss of beloved aunt
• Families making decisions about hospice and palliative care and next steps
• A couple who desperately wants to have a baby and, so far, has been unable to conceive
• A daughter at Children’s Hospital who has sepsis
• For a child who is struggling at school; prayers for parents as they discern how to intervene (or not)
• Peace and an end to violence in Ukraine.

We offer prayers of thanksgiving for ….

• Medical screenings that provide good reports and for those that provide clear answers for next steps
• That radiation treatments for a father are manageable; close to daughter’s home. PET scan clear! Thankful for the feeling of relief!
• Those who are preparing for wedding ceremonies but also for the lifelong commitment
• For the volunteers at Ladies Lunch & Learn and the wonderful fellowship
• For Pastor Walter’s sermon last Sunday. Thankful for his ABILITY!

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 September 13, 2023

Rev. Catherine Nance

We pause O Loving God, to acknowledge that you are our Creator and that you are God of the Universe. 

You know what a leap it is for us, to look up from our routine to acknowledge that there is a WORLD out there beyond our world. Forgive us for being consumed by our routines and our concerns. We focus on ourselves and what is troubling us. We often even forget to pray, wanting to be in control and take care of things ourselves! 

So, here we are, O Lord! We put our hands down, our tasks aside, and our hearts are now open. You know how it takes effort on our part physically to prepare ourselves. Deep breaths, turning the volume off on devices, closing our eyes, emptying our minds of worries. 

There, Lord; now we are ready now to pray!  

And there you are:  you who are always present and who are always ready to listen.  

You already know what is on our hearts, but thank you for giving us space and time to say them aloud. 

We pray for family members and friends who are going through difficult times … 

We pray for work situations that need resolution … 

We pray for those close to us who are facing health crises … 

We pray, we pray, we pray … 

And, there O Lord, we feel that you have embraced us into your world of caring and knowing. We cannot imagine all the others who are praying right now, but yet, you have included us in their voices. We feel a strength from this gift of intercessory prayer. Not just praying FOR one another, but praying with one another. People we do not even know are joining their hearts and voices with ours just now. 

We began with confession of how small our world is, and now you have opened your world to us. You have heard each prayer and embraced each of us. In that expanse of your love, we feel unity with one another and have experienced the magnitude of your grace! 

As we return to the routine of evening — children’s schedules – homework – supper – meetings – practices – settling down and settling in – checking on parents – as we return to our routines, may we feel the assurance that we have stopped to give thanks for your abiding presence. 

We include these requests in our own prayers, knowing that you hear all …. 

We pray for …

• A friend who had mastectomy last week
• A daughter who had hysterectomy; prayers for continued healing
• Those who are waiting to meet with doctors about test results
• A daughter who is concerned about her mother; prayers that the mom will make good decisions and care about/for herself
• An aunt grieving her nephew whose funeral was last weekend
• A man who is addicted to pornography and violence
• For a six-year old who is preparing for radiation therapy after a mass was removed from her brain
• A sister-in-law who is now in hospice care and for the woman’s daughter who is the caregiver.
• A couple going through a divorce; prayers for safety and good health
• A niece who is concerned about her aunt who is going through divorce; prayers for strength and discernment as she makes decisions ahead; may she know she is deserving of love
• Public servants and law enforcement;  and those who prey on the vulnerable
• Parents worried about son’s health; prayers for traveling mercies as they go to check on him
• A father discerning best path forward for health
• A healthy pregnancy
• A friend who is starting physical therapy this week; prayers for relief from back pain
• Libya and the flooding
• People in Myanmar
• Those in the path of storms and those who are recovering; Lord, have mercy!

We give thanks for …

• Volunteers at church who help with making people feel welcome
• Clear report from PET scan
• An understanding spouse
• For successful eye surgery! Praise God!
• The birth of a great-grandaughter
• My nephew coming to visit!

We continue to pray for…

• Those in military
• Husbands and wives who are grieving
• A friend receiving chemotherapy
• All those in rehab after surgeries
• Members of our church family who are in cancer treatment
• Anyone battling addiction! Lord, we pray for release!

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 August 9, 2023

Rev. Catherine Nance

We turn to you, O God of Wednesday, with our mid-week concerns. We know you are the Lord of all days! There are no mini gods over each day! But there is a particular bent to our posture of prayer at mid-week. We have forgotten the inspiration of Sunday, routine that we thought was so grounding has consumed us, and we feel we might not make it to the respite of the weekend.  

So, Lord of mid-week, thank you for meeting us here. Re-orient us to the hymn* we sang last Sunday, “Jesus shall reign where’er the sun does its successive journeys run …. To Jesus endless prayer be made, and endless praises crown his head …” 

We have let other powers and concerns reign over us; we have forgotten the power of prayer and praise. Endless … the hymnwriter sings. O God of Wednesday, forgive us for setting you aside last Sunday afternoon. We greet you here, tired and wasting time feeling guilty for not praying earlier. Refresh us with your forgiveness, revive us with your welcoming spirit, and assure us you hear our prayers – the sporadic ones if not the endless ones.  

May our prayers be energized knowing that they are a form of praise as well. We pray to the one who we believe has power and love enough to change us, to heal others, and to transform the world. We do offer praise. O God, help us to live into that praise. Help us to praise you with our actions as well as our lips. 

Re-orient us towards the psalm we offered last Sunday …. O God, be gracious to us and bless us and make your face to shine upon us, that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations. May we live in a way that reflects your light shining on us. It is tempting to absorb it all and not share outwardly. Help us work with that balance, O God, so our footsteps and handiwork reflect your love in us.  

There is much tragedy in our community and world. Many are grieving the loss of a young man who offered so much hope and encouragement to others. The numbers of deceased are rising in Maui and we hear of migrant deaths at sea. May our responses to tragedy always be grounded in your love for the whole world. As we pay attention to our own hurt, may we also look around to see how we may offer empathy. Lord, we give thanks that you are with us and shine a light out of the darkness. 

There is also much joy! Forgive us when we fail to praise you for the joy! Let every creature rise and bring honors peculiar to our King! We thank you for the opportunity to offer prayers of intercession, but may they be made in a thankful response to your life and love. We hurt so badly when someone we love hurts. May the hurt turn us even nearer to you and bring us a sense of peace. Not numbness. Not apathy. But a deep peace that brings a stillness – even when we ask why, even we cry ourselves to sleep, even when there seem to be no answers. We are grateful for that inner stillness that recalibrates our spirits to you. 

Thank you for hearing our prayer on this Wednesday, O God of all days. Thank you for understanding our rhythms and our ups and downs of attentiveness. As we look towards Thursday, we know that you go with us, and whatever tomorrow brings, we will have you by our side. 

We pray for … 

• The family of the young man killed on Kingston Pike while walking on the sidewalk
• The UT community as they grieve for alongside the Kredich family
• A husband who is now separated from wife; prayers for wife in a verbally abusive relationship; husband needs much help in terms of basic needs; pray that he lets Jesus into his heart and life
• The family of the man who was driving the car that hit that young man. Drug addiction is so painful for all who are connected to the person.
• All those who are grieving in our church family – a niece remembering a beloved family member, a sister grieving the loss of brother, a wife dealing with devastation of tragic accident, a nephew traveling to gather with family.
• All those in our church family who are recovering from surgeries – one in rehab after hip surgery, one who has had heart valve replaced, those who are dealing with melanoma and basal cell carcinomas
• Students returning to UT, Pellissippi, LMU, and Roane State – and the kindergarteners in their first full week!
• A sister and brother-in-law. Pray for sister as she is caregiver for husband who has Lewy Body Dementia Dementia and is paralyzed from mid chest down from an accident he had when he was twenty one. He is very depressed and they both are having a difficult time with his disease.
• A cousin that was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and has been put in a facility. Pray for her brother that has colon cancer and being treated.
• For a friend whose husband has throat cancer and starts treatment soon.
• For a friend’s sister that had a stroke a few years ago and fell recently and broke her hip and has afib.
• For the people in Hawaii.
• Pray that God will keep my family and me safe as we deal with some cattle issues and in dealing with my brothers who have health issues.
• For intercession for the protection, deliverance, sanctification, and destruction of destructive forces operating against myself and my family.
• For a daughter who is having biopsy of growth on thyroid
• For members of the Beacon of Hope food co-op
• For daughter going through health issues
• For family grieving loss of mother and grandmother
• For my struggles breathing
• For safety in school this year

We give thanks for ….

• The life of a 98-year old Servant of Christ who died in Kentucky this week; wonderful childhood memories from home church!
• Being able to be home after an illness in another country
• Being home after hospitalization for pneumonia
• Friends who help in difficult times
• That my daughter is cancer-free!
• The ten years of ministry at Beacon of Hope; prayers for church as they continue to reach out

We offer the prayer Jesus 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.

*Note – Last Sunday’s opening hymn was Jesus Shall Reign UMH 157 written by Isaac Watts and inspired by Psalm 72. The Psalm last Sunday was Psalm 67; the sung refrain was Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! 

Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of August 9, 2023

Today has been a beautiful day; a cooler day. We give you thanks, O God, for what we call pleasant weather. We have enjoyed the way ‘outside’ feels today as we have shared stories about how the winds and the tornado affected us and our neighbors just two days ago. We are amazed at the power of wind and the seemingly random selectiveness of a tornado’s touchdown. Some neighbors had holes in the roof, some have huge trees uprooted. Others only have a little debris in their yard. Make us mindful of the magnificence of your creation, O God, but also the fragility. May we as a nation and a world care about the earth, the skies, and the seas. All that you called good. A tornado in August in East Tennessee, O Lord, gives us pause.  

We pray that today has been a good and productive day for those who had to tend to insurance paperwork, who waited on utility workers to come, and had to manage the regular routine. We pray for schools who are sorting schedules and students with not enough teachers and staff. We pray for caregivers who are getting loved ones to appointments and perhaps have to take a different route. 

You know the storms we face, Loving God. You know there is more debris in our lives than tree limbs and downed power lines. As we see stray limbs and crooked street signs in the coming days, help us remember that there are those who are still hurting over a tornado that happened two days ago, or a conversation that happened a month ago, or a death that happened six weeks ago, or a divorce that happened twelve years ago …. 

O God who can bring us so much comfort when we open ourselves to you, may we experience a spiritual calming and an assurance that you are with us this day and every day. We pray for those in our church family who have offered these requests …. 

We pray for ….

• A wife as she grieves the sudden death of her husband from a tragic accident
• A member and all of her family in the death of her brother from COVID. Lord, in your mercy …
• A man having financial struggles
• A person struggling with faith when God seems ‘unfair.’
• A daughter who is having gall bladder surgery
• A friend going through a difficult time
• KUB and LCUB workers getting power back to homes; prayers of thanksgiving for safety
• All those affected by the tornado and storm
• Those in our church family who are going for radiation treatments; thankful for drugs that help with side effects. Prayers for those taking chemotherapy. Thankful for researchers who keep finding better ways to administer.
• Kindergarteners!
• A member recovering from hip surgery
• A member searching for answers to health concerns
• One who is having trouble sleeping at night because of lack of job interviews and the stress that follows

We continue to pray for ….

• All those recovering from surgeries
• Those in rehab after joint replacement surgeries
• Those who are wanting to have children
• One who is looking for meaningful employment
• Those whose grief is so deep

We give thanks for ….

• Governor Lee and his upcoming special called session
• Opportunities to keep learning. I loved Dr. Hanciles last Sunday! Thank you!
• Friends who are bringing food to a member who is going through difficult time
• A grandchild being accepted into a special program

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.