Week of April 29, 2026
Rev. Catherine Nance
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O God who brought forth hydrangeas and dogwood trees and irises and called them all good, we are so grateful for the beauty of your creation. We see the variety of colors and the diversity of plants and are amazed at your creativity. What a joy to walk past honeysuckle growing along a fence on the greenway! We thank you for the glimpses of joy that spring brings to us.
Some of your plants have been carefully cultivated in gardens and others are growing freely in abandoned yards. Some are along manicured paths and others reach their way across sidewalks. You know each plant and what it needs.
O God who first walked with us in a garden, we are humbled when we think that we humans might bring you joy as you gaze on us; just as peonies and geraniums bring us joy! Thank you for the diversity and uniqueness among us. We do have much in common with our fellow humans, but we appreciate the differences. May we tend to each other just as a gardener tends to the plants. Thank you for the image of caretaking you have given us – caring for your world and for each other.
We pause as a church family on this Wednesday evening to pray for one another … there are those we know who are grieving, who are recovering, who are hurting, who are anxious, who are feeling alone ….
May this time of prayer help us each feel connected to one another and to you, O God. Help us imagine linking our spiritual arms with other church members and know that we are not alone. Perhaps we do not know everyone’s name, yet we felt a sense of unity as we sang a hymn together on Sunday. Or we read over the newsletter and feel connected to ministries that we care about. We do give thanks for your church, O God. This place is more than a building. It is a community of faith that cares for one another.
We also care about what is happening in our community and in our world. We pray for city and county officials as well as those who are running for office. May all who seek office be motivated by service to others and not personal gain. We pray for police officers, fire fighters, and schoolteachers. May they feel our appreciation as they show up for work each day giving so much of themselves. We continue to pray for peace in our world. Forgive world leaders who seem to enjoy speaking in grand and powerful words, but have forgotten the power of humility, concern, and compassion. We pray for our military; may their training keep them safe and may they feel the strength of prayers from home. We all yearn for peaceful solutions.
We offer this prayer in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who called Mary by name in a garden that first Sunday. As we tend to our gardens, whether they are vegetables or flowers or children or work or art or stories or music, may we hear you calling our name.
We pray now for those who have asked to be remembered …..
We pray for ….
- A young man and his step-mother as they work through a difficult situation.
- Those who are grieving … may they feel the peace of God and the promise of Eternal Life.
- Those who are undergoing treatments for cancer.
- A mother who just received difficult news about health; prayers for her family as they support her and help process the information.
- A couple who is waiting to hear about ultrasound and IVF outcomes.
- Friends and family members going through difficult circumstances.
- A member who is in transition after a job loss; may he find direction for next steps and resolution for past circumstances.
- A friend who has a mass on her face; guide the surgeon’s hand as they remove it. We pray that it is benign and there is no nerve damage.
- For an infant who is sick.
We continue to pray for …
- Our military and their families.
- A member who is dealing with glaucoma and eye issues; thankful sight is good in one eye. Prayers for healing in other eye.
We give thanks for ….
- A member who was declared ‘cancer-free’ after surgery.
And together we pray the prayer Christ taught us, saying:
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.
