Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family

Week of May 8, 2024

Written by Steve Richardson

O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come: Open our minds and hearts to sensing your closeness as you hear our prayers. 

We’re thankful for the sphere of your creation we call Earth, for its resources and social communities. Yet it can be a hostile place. The unexpected lurks in every future. Even on this evening, we’re bracing against threats of severe, potentially damaging weather. Protect and shield us, God. Strengthen our faith, ignite our hope, and bolster our confidence that you will continue to guide and steady us through our adversities. 

As we turn to you as our source for hope, embolden us with wisdom and the spiritual gifts to be peacemakers wherever there is unrest; to be healers wherever there is disease and brokenness; to be mediators wherever there is separation and mistrust; to be givers wherever there is scarcity; to be caretakers wherever there is fragility; to be comforters wherever there is mourning; to be voices of calm wherever there is angst or anxiety; to be uniters wherever there is exclusion; to be instruments of your love wherever there is rejection, hurt, despair or loneliness. 

You’ve shown us your omnipotence in many ways, including the remarkable ascension of the risen Christ from Earth to the heavenly realm. We commemorate that glorious act of salvation tomorrow. And in doing so, we pray we remain mindful of your promise to abide with us now and every moment for eternity. Thank you, God, for this gift that’s too vast to fully comprehend. 

A few days later, we celebrate Mother’s Day. The day set for this is cultural, yet the significance is Biblical and sacred, as directed by you, holy Yahweh, in your 5th  commandment.  Thank you for the love, fostering and nurturement given us by our mothers, as well as lineages of the mothers before them in ages past. 

Thank you for Church Street United Methodist Church. Thank you for its clergy, staff, and volunteers in mission, teaching and leadership. Thank you for its transformational work in the Knoxville community and beyond. Thank you for granting each of us the opportunity to be a part of this church. 

Merciful God, also hear these needs and prayers of others in our church community. Surround each person with your loving embrace and comfort… 

We pray for …. 

• Two members who have each had a long-time pet die. Thankful for all of God’s creatures and for the companionship they provide!
• 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!
• Members who are hospitalized
• A dear friend who has had a biopsy to determine cancer diagnosis and best treatments
• For those who were affected by storms yesterday and today
• For college students and school personnel; that a reasonable outcome can be reached during the ‘protests.’
• Students who are anxious for the end of school.
• Our seniors who are leading us in worship this Sunday.

We offer prayers of thanksgiving for ….

• A clear report from the doctor!
• That I am feeling better after a long illness
• For those who volunteered at General Conference and for the good United Methodists in Charlotte who offered so much hospitality!

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 April 24, 2024

Written by Rev. Tim Best

This week’s prayer is sent from Rev. Tim Best as he serves as a Marshal for the 2020 (2024) General Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

God of all nations and peoples,

Our hearts are filled with thanks and praise for mercies of this day. As we look back over our day, help us discover the moments that you where your grace was especially present in our lives. Show us where conversations with others, quiet moments, the routines of the ordinary, and even the challenges of the day have held your voice and your love for us.

Lift from our spirits the burdens that have weighed us down and distracted us today. We ask your intervention where we have known tension in our relationships today, Where our hearts have been filled with anger and hatred today, transform and forgive us. For those of us who are depressed or anxious, be for us a balm and comfort. See our wounds and carry us when we are weary. As we look towards tomorrow renew us and help us to rest and wake with the hopeful promise that you will be with in all that we will face.

We continue to pray for our United Methodist Church and it’s General Conference. What a sign of your abundant love and grace that brothers and sisters in Christ can gather together and speak in their own languages, worshipping and working together. We ask that you would guide and direct all those delegates working together that they may know your will. Help them to rest, to see each day signs of your mercy and peace. Above all, help them, and all of us, to see that we are one in the body of Christ our Lord. May all speak with concern, grace, and patience as a sign of our obedience and discipleship.

Make us continually mindful of our calling and ministry. Help us to be a light and witness to the Christ’s kingdom in the midst of the world. Help us witness within our community of Knoxville. We lift up our leaders and civil servants. May they feel your guidance when they face difficult decisions, and may their hearts be shaped to serve others. Guide us all as we seek to solve the problems that face our community and the world. We pray for the leaders of our nation and of the world. We pray for and desire your peace and justice to reign through all the earth. When our hearts are bent towards war and hatred, transform us. Help us to see and experience a foretaste of your kingdom in our world.

As we close out this day fill us with your hope for tomorrow. It is in confidence of that hope that we lift our joys and concerns up to you:

We pray for the 2020 General Conference (which is finally taking place after delays from Covid) gathering in Charlotte, NC. Please pray for our delegates by name, along with our Bishop, Debra Wallace-Padgett:

Amanda Onks, Rev. Amy Sumrall, Anne Travis, Becky Hall, Rev. Caleb Frazier, Rev. David Graybeal, Dawson Kitts, Del Holley, Donna Mosby, Rev. Dr. Josh Kilbourne, Rev. Kim Goddard, Rev. Kristen Burkhart, Rev. Lauri Jo Cranford, Rev. Dr. Mark Flynn, Rev. Mary Thompson, Nate Roark, Rev. Paul Seay, Rev. Dr. Randy Frye, Reagan Kelly, Sam England, Rev. Sarah Varnell, Rev. Sharon Bowers, and Rev. Wil Cantrell.

We pray for …

• A member recovering from Covid that turned into ear and throat infections
• A young adult who is struggling with mental health issues right now
• One who is going through a legal process; prayers for resolution
• Those who are dealing with fertility concerns
• Friends and family who are going through difficult times
• Our youth and children’s programs as they prepare for summer

We continue to pray for …

• Those who are in assisted living and rehab
• Members who are in hospital
• Peace

We give thanks for ….

• Our sixth grade Confirmation Class and Rev. Rick Isbell
• A couple who is getting married this weekend
• A good finance report at Church Council meeting
• Options for second opinions and further research for medical concerns

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 April 10, 2024

Written by Steve Richardson

God in heaven and in our midst: 

Springtime surrounds our senses. Bright colors of flowers and trees’ green leaves, scents from fresh blossoms, sounds of singing birds (most of them always sound happy, except for the crows who seem to mimic fussiness!), increasing warmth from the sun moving closer and shining longer each day, and so many other sensory joys. This season brings the added sense of renewal. Thank you, Creator, for Spring’s wonders.   

Despite these blessings, we still tend to worry a lot. Jesus encouraged us to not be anxious for tomorrow. Often that’s easier said than done. We’re sure you know how difficult that can be for us in a world of randomness and pressures all around us. Culture-imposed calendars and schedules have ways of overtaking and setting our priorities. Please, comforting Lord, keep us mindful that you are always willing to be a calming source of reassurance and support.   

Jesus also shared the analogy that he is the vine, and we are the branches from which we might bear fruit.  Help us acknowledge that these grapes don’t suddenly grow all at once. Such growth happens over time, day-by-day. And some days are sunny, some are rainy; some are warm, some are cold; some are calm, some bring fierce winds and storms. But via your divine vine, we pray we produce fruit worthy of your acceptance. 

Guide and move us to seek justice, wholeness, healing, compassion, inclusiveness, hospitality, reconciliation and peacemaking. Even when we might think such goals are aspirational but not realistic, give us confidence that we can achieve them by doing our parts each day (starting now) within our own circles of family, friends and community. 

We continue to pray for your omnipotent healing touch on the brokenness of this world. Wars, natural disasters, diseases, hunger, social injustices, poverty, crimes – – the consequential human suffering from these troubles us. We pray again that your sacred will be done so that your peace which surpasses all understanding is known across the Earth. 

Thank you, God, for loving us, accepting us, sustaining us and being ever-present with us. Thank you for your grace, mercy, wisdom and promise of everlasting life. 

Merciful God, also hear these needs and prayers of others in our church community. Surround each person with your loving embrace and comfort… 

We pray for ….

• Those who are grieving the death of husband and father after illness; thankful for love!
• An adult child with mental illness; prayers for the mother to make best decisions for herself and family. Pray that the destructive voices will subside ….
• A grandchild; praying for good health and discernment as diagnosis about seizures is discussed
• A member awaiting test results from MRI
• A young adult diagnosed with cancer
• A young couple going through a difficult time
• A family in Nashville in the death of their 42-year old wife/mother to cancer
• A husband recently diagnosed with cancer; thankful for the excellent medical team. 
• Christian unity
• One who feels betrayed by his faith in God; searching for truth and answers
• A friend whose twenty-year old daughter died after five-year battle with brain cancer. Prayers for this dear mother; she had already lost one child during birth. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
• High school seniors who are making decisions about college
• A son to find a job
• A daughter having surgery this week
• Adult children navigating health care for aging parent; prayers for discernment
• A nephew who has been deployed to Middle East; prayers for safety for all
• A granddaughter having medical tests
• A nephew who is grieving the death of a much-loved uncle.

We give thanks for …

• A new job!
• Son and daughter-in-law moving back to Tennessee
• The successful heart transplant surgery for a friend’s little girl
• Safety! Thankful that a member is safe after tree fell on her house. Thankful for the prayers of so many people that bring peace and calm.
• Thankful that our son found a good job!

We continue to pray for …

• Peace in our world; especially the starving in Gaza.
• One looking for full-time employment; the stress of job searching is causing sleeplessness. Dear Lord, help her find work!
• The continued efforts in Baltimore after the bridge collapse.

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.