Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family
Week of May 18, 2022
Rev. Pat Clendenen*
I will come to you in the silence; I will lift you from all your fear.
You will hear my voice; I claim you as my choice.
Be still and know I am here.
Gracious and Merciful God, we come seeking your presence in the midst of our busy and often fractured lives, only to discover that you have been here all along, waiting and ready. You created us for relationship with you and with one another. Each of our names is written on your hand, for we are your children, created in your image. In this time, create a holy space for us where we may find peace in your presence, enabling us to hear your still, small voice.
I am hope for all who are hopeless; I am eyes for all who long to see.
In the shadows of the night, I will be your light.
Come and rest in me.
There are so many in our nation and in our world who teeter on the brink of hopelessness, yet clinging to the assurance that you are at work in the world to bring peace with justice for all your children. Still, in our own land, our Black brothers and sisters continue to die, struck by bullets born of a hatred beyond our comprehension, and their cries continue across the centuries, “How long, O Lord? How long?” Forgive us when we become numb to their pain and suffering, tired of talking about it, even convincing ourselves that there’s not really a problem, that these are isolated incidents. Change our hearts, O God, that we may see with your eyes and hear with your ears. Emblazon upon our hearts the understanding that we will not be truly free until all your children are free; neither will we live in unity until we eat from the same bread, drink from the same cup, and equally sit together at the same table.
I am strength for all the despairing; comfort for those who grieve.
I bring healing for those who are broken.
Do not be afraid; I have called you each by name.
I love you, and you are mine.
Loving God, you call us to be your hands and feet in a broken and hurting world, to offer care in the name of Christ. Empowered by your Spirit and awakened by your holy nudges, free us to offer that cup of cold water in whatever form it may be needed and, in so doing, offer glimpses of Resurrection living.
As praying people, we lift the prayers that have come from across our community of faith, trusting that you hear both the gratitude and the deep cries of your people, and that we silently wait for your still, small voice gently prodding us into action.
- Prayers appreciated: Member is receiving assistance in caregiving
- One expresses thanks for her Stephen Minister
- Family celebrates son-in-law’s achievement and recognition
- A friend in ICU is improving
- Family grateful for all help received following a family death
- Member thankful for an unexpected gift
- One grateful to be released from hospital
- Please pray for brother having cancer surgery May 23
- Wisdom for surgeon and positive outcome for member having surgery May 19
- A dear friend with cancer; husband with bouts of depression
- Blessings upon all attending a benefit luncheon on May 19
- Prayers that innocents in Ukraine might be protected
- Wisdom for leaders of the free world to help end the war in Ukraine
- God’s grace to surround all who are grieving
- Presence of the Spirit with family during memorial service May 22
- Courage and healing for member with advanced cancer & her family
- Prayers for open doors for one seeking a new job
- For our bishop, cabinet, and all clergy facing transitions
- Grace to surround a faithful member nearing death
- Wisdom for daughter facing a bitter divorce and her children
- Pray for all young people making transitions this season & their families
- New employment for couple experiencing downturn in income
- Healing of an extreme voice ailment and depression
- Continued prayers: Friend injured in accident, remains in ICU
- For community leaders to address poverty and other inequities
- Mother with heart condition
- An uncle and grandmother in hospice care & their families
- Easing of tensions within family grieving deaths of two members
- Lift up all teens amid the mental health crisis & all teens adjusting to life in community after Covid
I am the Word that leads all to freedom.
I am the peace that the world cannot give.
I will call your name, embracing all your pain.
Stand up, now walk, and live!
We have found peace in your presence, rest in your loving arms. Renew in us your vision for your world – SHALOM – peace with justice for ALL your children – on earth as it is in heaven. Through the waters of our baptism, we have become new creations, empowered by the Holy Spirit to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. Give us the courage and the strength to fully claim our identity so that the vows we made – to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they find themselves – may, with God’s help, be the foundation on which we live out our lives. In that spirit, we confidently and with boldness pray the prayer Christ taught us.
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.
