BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE
Prayers for the Church Street Family
January 25, 2021
Rev. Dr. Jan Buxton Wade
Abide with me, fast falls the eventide;
the darkness deepens, Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
help of the helpless, oh abide with me.
God, Our Refuge and Strength, as we have been bound to you since our birth, so you have bound us together with all your beloved in a common life. Here, as we rest within this circle of deepening darkness, we admit that our ties with our brothers and sisters of our nation have been splintered. We have not learned to listen to your voice, and we do a paltry job of attending to others whose views do not match our own. We have attached labels to our neighbors and placed them in fixed categories. Forgive us for wounding you and those whom you love, including ourselves.
Come not in terrors, as the King of kings,
But kind and good, with healing in thy wings,
Tears for all woes, a heart for every plea,
Come, Friend of sinners, and abide with me.
Friend of Sinners, pierce our hearts with true repentance, as we reflect upon our personal transgressions, particularly these most recent ones: . . . . . . . . . . We are indeed a frail people, too easy to seek approval, too eager to follow the crowd. Deep inside, though, you see sparks of possibility. Take those tiny pieces of our better selves, fuse them together, we pray, and absolve us of every thought and deed that is not worthy of the name “Christian.”
I need thy presence every passing hour:
What but thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who like thyself my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and shadow, oh abide with me.
Holy One, through whose providential care we enjoy goodness and joy in life, we honor you. We must confess, however, that we are tired. You know that we are better at waiting if we know when the end will arrive; but after these long months of pain and loss, we admit that our patience is growing thin. Beginning tonight, shore us up, that even when we hardly know what to pray for, the Spirit will help us in our weakness. And send your evening star to shine upon us and upon all who live under cloud and shadow, for you know each one by name – including your friends at Church Street:
- One grateful for a weekend off from work
- Thanksgiving: Two recovered from Covid
- One thankful for appointment for second vaccine
- Gratitude: Mother steadily improving from surgery
- Healing of adult son who entered a detox program
- Elderly father healing from broken hip
- Solace for member mourning death of a beloved brother
- Guidance and wisdom for our President and our nation’s leaders
- Continued prayers for three recovering from serious heart issues
- Healing: Family of four positive for Covid
- Courage, guidance, and healing: A cousin’s infant diagnosed with a brain tumor and began chemo last week
- Wisdom and courage: A mother weighed down by responsibilities related to her son’s addiction
- Healing for husband in deep depression
- For wider distribution of virus vaccine
- Continued prayers: One enduring chemo
- Strength for two weary caregivers
- Comfort for one whose mother died of cancer and Covid
- For insurance company to approve chemotherapy for one in great need
- Cousin recovering from major stroke
Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies;
Heav’n’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.
Abiding One, draw all our silent longings and spoken prayers together this night, for even in our doubts, we trust in your unfailing love to keep us safe in slumber. And tomorrow, lead us into your holy wisdom, that we might live as Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord 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.
