BINDING SOUL AND SOURCE
Prayers for the Church Street Family
November 26, 2020
Rev. Dr. Jan Buxton Wade
O One Who Calls Forth the Dawn, rise within us today. You streak the sky with hues of mauve and lavender, blue and gold, announcing yourself as the Master of the Universe. How can we overlook your arrival when just outside our door you have planted astonishing messages of hope: each twig and leaf, each blade of grass, each stone and shrub shine with your effervescent glory. All these you send to remind us that now is the time to set aside our fears and doubts, our failures and misdeeds. All creation is made alive and new each morning through your vibrant love. Truly this is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
O Maker Worthy of Celebration, a thousand thoughts of gratitude dance in our heads and we wonder: “How shall we name all your mercies?” Shall we begin at our birth, offering thanks for those who nurtured us out of the goodness of their hearts? Or perhaps we might recall those who taught us to read and write, to sing, who helped us find our own gifts, those who modeled sincerity and grace, who stood by us even when our decisions were poor. Moreover, we could praise you for the unspeakable wonders of creation, for the privilege of living in this country, the honor of voting, your sustaining hand that guided us throughout the decades. And beyond these are your ceaseless love, endless grace and unmerited forgiveness that have marked our days. Ah, even our calculators cannot quantify those infinite favors! Instead, we shall celebrate your measureless grace by dancing to the tune of the wind today, by embracing the world, and by bowing to the Holy Mystery that gave us life itself.
O God Who Opens Wide the Door, this very day you call out to all your children. “Come and be filled!” you say. We do pray for those who are unable to respond: for those who are too ill or weak to answer, for those who are so abused their ears remain closed to even the voice of kindest love, for those so blinded by grief that they cannot imagine goodness. You understand their reticence, knowing the bitter twists that characterize every banquet. There will, however, come that time when loss and suffering will dissolve, when all will be secure enough to respond, and all will feast at your table. Until then, we pray, look kindly upon all hurting hearts and hear of these situations mentioned by your people at Church Street:
- Family thankful that hip surgery yesterday was successful
- Grateful that a neighbor is supplying my Thanksgiving meal
- Gratitude that a father with brain tumor has died and no longer suffers
- Thankful for those continuing their pledges to our church
- A friend in ICU is regained consciousness after many weeks
- Healing prayers for a brother on ventilator in Chicago, effects of COVID and for his family members who are all infected
- Safety and guidance for all educators and staffs
- Restoration for a husband and father recovering from heart surgery
- Shrinking of a friend’s pancreatic tumor
- Family grieving the death of a beloved aunt
- Son & wife undergoing invitro fertilization, that they may have a healthy child
- Beloved wife facing a long road to recovery, strength for her husband as primary caregiver and their daughters
- That the virus vaccine may me made available soon
- Premature newborn in NICU at UT Medical Center and for mother recovering from surgery
- Prayers for wisdom, strength and guidance for a couple who are taking immediate custody of a newborn
- Protection and safety for all who are traveling this holiday
- A nephew in Nashville who is homeless
- Healing of a teenage daughter
- Healing of close friend in ICU with COVID pneumonia
- Blending of two families as a wedding approaches
You offer us this one day to do your bidding, Lord, and as we move through the hours ahead, may we be firm of foot and quick to open doors for those who feel shut out. Acknowledging our total dependence upon your mercy, we humbly offer all our prayers in the name of Jesus, our Unchanging Friend:
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.
