Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family
Week of March 26, 2025
Written by Rev. Catherine Nance
We give you thanks for sunshine, O God of Light!
It was good to stand in the sunshine for a moment this afternoon.
The warmth was reassuring, even with the chilly breeze.
We confess that we let the noise and darkness of the news set the tone for our day instead of the joy and light of your love.
Help us to stand firm when others are creating chaos. Help us to take deep breaths when others are promoting panic.
During these days of Lent, we need your strength and guidance to focus on the routine of our spiritual disciplines: pausing to pray, reading a Psalm, singing a hymn, reciting a creed. We are grateful for words to speak and sing and pray; we are grateful for words that offer Truth, Light, and Love.
Knowing that there are others joining us in prayer gives us a sense of unity in your spirit. We can close our eyes and imagine others who sit near us on the pews at church or think of the names we see on the Rejoice chat; we read names of ‘people to contact’ in the newsletter. We think of people in our Sunday School classes; imagine the faces of choir members. Thank you, O God, for this cloud of witnesses! People we imagine praying along with us. Praying for us.
May your church be a model of reconciliation in a world that seems bent on splitting apart. May the way we love each other and pray for one another be a source of assurance that your grace and your will make a difference in our world.
Sometimes we feel hopeless when we think about ‘the world’ or ‘our country.’ May we find hope in the relationships we have right around us and may that bring us stability. We do pray for the needs of the whole world … Gaza, Palestine, Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, and other faraway places. We do pray for our country … the fires in North and South Carolina, people who are losing their jobs due to federal cuts, children who are hungry and do not have a safe place to live. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayers. We do pray for all of these people, O God, but sometimes we feel helpless. We thank you for a church family who is praying for us and for whom we can pray. This intercessory prayer is another discipline that helps our spirit stay grounded in you. And instead of feeling hopeless, we feel peace; instead of feeling helpless, we feel engaged. So, hear us as we pray for others …
We pray for…
- A member has had a mini-stroke; prayers for strength as he monitors his health in coming weeks.
- A best friend who has terminal cancer and is in pain.
- A daughter in the death of her father who died after a long illness. Thankful for support of family.
- Those who are grieving.
- A member whose husband’s funeral was this week. May she be comforted by precious memories.
- A recent widow who is in rehab after surgery. Prayers she can gain strength and healing in spite of grief.
- Senior adults who are fearful about ‘benefits’ and other things they are hearing on the news.
We continue to pray for…
- An infant who has had three successful surgeries; continued prayers for healing.
- A young wife and her two children after the unexpected death of her husband due to heart attack; prayers for the other young adults who are supporting them.
- A good friend who has been diagnosed with very aggressive breast cancer. We pray for a successful surgery and for healing.
- Family members/friends who are dealing with addiction issues and dealing with the legal system.
- Those who are receiving chemo and/or radiation treatments.
- Family members who are trying to balance caregiving and work and family responsibilities.
- Those who are impacted by homelessness.
- So many who are dealing with Alzheimers and how best to care for family members. Praying for strength!
We offer prayers of thanksgiving for…
- Families able to move into their home after Helene.
- The birth of a third granddaughter!
- A clear CT scan!
- The birth of a grandson
- Cancer treatments that are working!
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.
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