BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE
Prayers for the Church Street Family
January 26, 2021
Rev. Dr. Jan Buxton Wade
. . . Beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing,
whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence
and if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.
Philippians 4:8
O God of Clarity, much of today was convoluted. Projects were initiated, then abandoned; simple tasks turned out to be knotted with baffling details; and throughout the hours there was a steady stream of interruptions. All these dashed our hopes of producing anything of value. Take these disordered pieces and false starts, we pray, and infuse them with some sort of meaning; and whatever effort you find worthy, may it serve your purpose in your own good time.
You have called us to walk that road of discipleship that is paved in humility. We freely admit that we have wobbled along that narrow passage that leads to the kingdom, for pride calls out from the wayside, tempting us to toot our own horns. There were those side trips of ego that lured us into criticizing others who had lost their way, and of course there were many jaunts when we insisted on having our own way. Make strong and steady our gait, Lord, along the straight and narrow. We would keep pace with Jesus, that eventually we may arrive at your door to hear your words: “Well done, thy good and faithful servant.”
Noble One, in the peace of this beautiful evening, as magenta streaks on the horizon turn to ash, we do think of those things of which the apostle spoke: the pure, truthful, commendable, and that which is worthy of praise. . . . . . . . . . . All these we celebrate and attribute to your benevolence, evidence of your holiness at work among us. Train our eyes and our thoughts to behold all that is honorable within our days and to dwell upon them. And in the spirit of thanksgiving, we turn to you with our gratitude and our concerns, praying on behalf of our friends at Church Street:
- Grateful for sunshine today that uplifted spirits
- One thankful for support of her SS class
- Son thankful for all who brought comfort in bereavement
- Couple offer gratitude they sustained only mild cases of virus
- Healing of son who entered a detox program
- Beloved mother nearing death
- Solace for member mourning death of a beloved brother
- Healing for cherished cousin, stroke victim
- Friend’s mother traveling to MD Anderson for treatment, wisdom for physicians involved
- 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, in treatment
- Strength: A mother weighed down by son’s addiction
- Healing for husband in deep depression and wife who suffers
- For wider distribution of virus vaccine
- Continued prayers: One enduring chemo
- Father mending from broken hip
- Strength for two weary caregivers
- Comfort for one whose mother died of cancer and Covid
- For insurance company to approve chemotherapy
Draw together our collective evening prayers, along with our blunders and uncertainties, we pray, and cast your coverlet of comfort upon us to heal our brokenness and to keep us warm this cold winter night. Keep your life-candle burning for us and for all whom we love, O Lord, that we might join you joyfully tomorrow – in that new day where impossibilities become possible:
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.
