Written by Rev. Catherine Nance

O God, we desperately need a word of peace! We need to feel your peace! 

Exploding pagers? What in the world are people thinking?  

Bomb threats at elementary schools? What is happening?  

A second assassination attempt on our former president? Lord, have mercy! 

O God who stilled the waters, we boldly and fervently pray for stillness. For calm. For sanity. For peace. We boldly pray for healing of hearts and minds that seem to be so bent towards violence and destruction. 

With so much hate and violence happening in the world it is difficult not to get swept into it. We do not want to fall prey to violent language ourselves; we do not want to hate those who are carrying out violence. Calm us down, Lord! Do not allow us to feed any hateful fires or repeat ugly language.  

Thank you for hearing our frustration and our fear. We are sorry for beginning with anguish and not thanksgiving, but that is where our minds are. You know that, O God who knows our every thought and sees our tender, breaking, and fearful hearts.  

We pause to give thanks for the ways we have connected with others today …. 

We pause to give thanks for the hint of cooler weather …. 

We give you thanks for texts from friends and unexpected phone calls…. 

We thank you for feeling your love and power as we look towards the mountains ….. 

Thank you for offering us glimpses of goodness, grace, and love throughout our days. 

Having taken time to say, “Thank you,” we now have strength of spirit to pray for individuals and communities who are hurting. Instead of stopping at anguish, we pray through with concern and empathy for those who have been targeted, those who are afraid, those who have been injured, and those who feel alone. We imagine other places in our world and country and know that your presence is there in others who provide help and rescue and water and bandages and safety. 

We cannot go to faraway places, but we can provide help and safety and comfort here. We do not want to spread anguish, only peace. We do not want to spread hate, only love. May our efforts where we are right now – in our homes, in our community, in our church – be pleasing to you, Lord of all Life. 

We think of church members and friends who have asked for prayer and offered prayers of thanksgiving. Thank you for this opportunity that collects us all in one heart and one mind as we pray for one another ….. 

Written by Rev. Catherine Nance

Tonight’s prayer is copied from The Methodist Book of Daily Prayer. This devotional book begins with Morning Prayer of Petition and then an Evening Prayer of Gratitude. There are reflections each day, but throughout the week, the same petition and gratitude is used. 

 Here is an evening prayer of gratitude I will share with you. Allow yourself some pause for your own prayer between each petition …….  

Loving God, you are always at work for my well-being, not harm. Help me to trust that your commandments are for my good. Prick my consciousness so that I may see: 

• The people to whom you are calling me to be more attentive, 

• The areas of my personal life that I too often neglect, 

• Your nudges and promptings that I am ignoring or neglecting, 

• The joy and rest that you are offering to me. 

Shape in me a spirit of obedience to you and help me to remember that your precepts are perfect. Amen. 

And now we offer these prayers on behalf of our church family and community……. 

Written by Rev. Catherine Nance

What a difference the cool air made this morning, O God! 

The cool breezes last evening were such a gift!  

O God of changing seasons, we know that there will be hotter days ahead, but what a lift to our spirits “fifty-eight degrees” brought! We stood still for a moment and closed our eyes and said, “Aaaahhhhh.” Please hear the pleasant sighs as “Thank you, God!”  

Our brain knows that you do not sit at a weather desk in heaven and change the weather on a whim. We have watched meteorologists long enough to know about patterns, waves, heat indices, and currents. But we are thankful for cool breezes that catch us off guard and come to us as a joyful surprise. A simple reminder that you are the creator of the universe. It was you who set the moon in place to converse with the oceans. It was you who stirred up winds to carry seeds and life across the life. Forgive us when we forget that this earth, the whole cosmos is yours. What a gift it is! 

Lord, we want to carry that cool breeze with us throughout the day. Open our spirits and eyes to be aware of your surprises. Remind us of your goodness and sovereignty when we find ourselves pausing for a moment and saying, “Aaaahhhhh” in relief and joy. We want to be a people who lives out of gratitude. We offer to you a promise to remember to say, “Thank you, God,” when our instinct is to say Ahhh…. 

……. when a stranger exchanges warm greetings as we wait for the pedestrian signal to give us permission to walk 

….. when the goldfinch stays a little longer on the telephone wire and seems to wink at us. 

….. when a child at the store makes faces at us and giggles 

….. when the human-interest story on the news causes us to tear up and truly feel connected 

….. when we catch ourselves singing along with the music at the store and another person in the aisle says, “I love Karen Carpenter.” 

O God of little things and surprises, we are listing big items in our prayer concerns. Prayers for healing, for jobs, for reconciliation, for world peace. Sometimes, we offer these prayers and sit back and wait. Forgive us O Lord, for thinking that is how you work. As we wait for outcomes, may we see your work in the process. Make our spirits active in receiving cool breezes and smiles from strangers. May we know these are ways we can feel your presence and feel the gratitude we have for all of your good gifts. We pray that as we practice gratitude, you give us strength for the big things. That even in the big things, we see your mighty power at work in subtle ways.  

Now Lord, we offer these prayers of concern and prayers of thanksgiving on behalf of our church community …. 

Written by Rev. Catherine Nance

We begin our prayers with O God … but you have heard us exclaim “Oh, God!” or OMG earlier today! 

“Oh, my Lord, it is so hot,” we have exclaimed as we get into our cars and roll the windows down and turn on the AC. Forgive us for cursing about the heat, O God who created sun and moon in perfect balance. Forgive us for doing things as individuals, industries, and countries, that have made our earth, your earth, hotter. Make us mindful of our responsibilities to care for your earth and the air and atmosphere all around it.  

As most of pray this prayer in air conditioning, we think of others. It is an act of repentance to turn from ourselves for a moment and to pray for others … 

We pray for those who make their living outdoors … in this heat. We pray for construction workers, landscapers, farmers, dog walkers, those fighting wildfires, groundskeepers, camp counselors, police officers on motorcycles, soldiers on maneuvers, major league baseball players, and for the lady who sits in the ticket booth at UT Hospital parking garage. We rely on some of these folks for our food and for our entertainment, some for tending to our children, and some for making our lawns look nice. Others provide safety. Gracious God, for those who work outside, we pray for their safety; we pray they have access to clean and cool water, and that they have relief at the end of their shift or day or inning. 

You have heard us pray (or exclaim), “Dear Lord! Where did the summer go?” Tomorrow is the first day of school for Knox County students. Other school systems have already started and some will be starting next week. 

“Where did the summer go, O God?” 

Why do we have such a distortion of time when you have set our planet in predictable motion? Each day is twenty -four hours. You have timed it perfectly, O God, that we have eight hours to sleep, eight hours to work and learn, eight hours to …. All the other things.   

We ask for forgiveness for taking the passing of the hours so personally and offer prayers on behalf of others. We pray for those who are anxious about school starting tomorrow. We pray for those who have had a hard summer because of lack of routine and lack of resources and food that school provides. We pray for those who have been reunited with families and friends on trips this summer and have vowed to keep in touch more intentionally. We pray for those whose days seem to go on forever with no interruption of friend or purpose. We pray for those who feel rushed through the day with no time for themselves. We pray for parents who will be filled with grief as school buses drive by. Give these – and all of us – a sense of your perfect time. 

Today is Wednesday, the middle of the week. Some are asking, where did the week go? Or even, where did the day go? We measure the speed of time by how productive we are. Or how much fun we’re having. Time flies … or time drags…  

It is so subjective. So, we pause in the early evening in the middle of the week, and offer a prayer to you. To offer ourselves humbly, we will attempt to think of others and how they have measured time today. For grandparents who know this is the ‘last day’ they will see grandchildren for a while, for teachers who are praying for students who will be entering their room tomorrow morning, for those who began the day in surgery waiting and for those who will end the day in the Emergency Department, for those who stand in front of an open refrigerator full of fruits, vegetables, and good leftovers and for those who have unplugged the refrigerator because it is empty and it is too expensive to run. 

When we turn to you and utter, Dear God, may we be humbled and also comforted that there are others all around in countless other situations who are also saying Oh my God, Dear God, Good Lord … and you graciously hear us all.   

Thank you for hearing our prayers – even when they are simply honest utterances. In vocalizing our feelings, may your holy spirit transform it into sacred conversation with you. 

We pray for those in our church family who have asked for prayers for …. 

Written by Rev. Tim Best

Caring and loving Lord,

You are our good shepherd and bring hope to us when we are lost and scared. We are grateful for the ways you have sought us out with your tender mercy this week. When we feel lost and alone, remind us of your abiding peace and steadfast presence. Hear us as we offer our prayers and praises, trusting that you will search for us in need and tend to us in our security.

After weeks of stifling heat and dry conditions, we rejoice over simple gifts such as rain and a refreshing breeze. We are reminded of the simple and beautiful ways you have made your creation. The cycle of seasons makes us think of the cycle of our lives and our community. As summer continues, may we find delight and joy in the long days, warm evenings, and all the special features of the remaining days of summer.

We rejoice for the moments of rest and renewal some of us have enjoyed this summer. We pray for those that are weary and in need of rest. Help this church family to be a safe haven for those who are wearied by the world and those who feel lost. When we care for others, may we be reminded always that it is you who has first cared for us. May this church family be a source of rest and renewal within our community.

We pray that you would seek out those who are hurting, alone, grieving, or are in any sort of trouble. Make your love and presence known to them. When suffering overwhelms us, may you sustain us by your gracious presence. Help us care for one another in our suffering, rejoice with each other in our delight, and sustain each other with our prayers.

As we come to the end of our day, may we trust in you to care for us through the night guide us into the good future you have for each of us. As we trust in your love to care for us and for our community, we offer the following concerns up to you: