Weekly Prayers for the Church Street Family
Week of November 29, 2023
Rev. Jan Buxton Wade
Holy and Elusive God, we enter your presence in these moments because we desire to know your truth. We seek to comprehend the whole of you, often trying to define you with names and attributes. Yet our spiritual impulses never quite reach their goal, for you are always the “otherness” beyond our comprehension. You, O Lord, cannot be contained. Still, when we gather as one body in the quiet of your sacred space, we sense your loving presence. And somehow, it is enough. Cloak us with that same loving presence this night, we pray. We may be scattered, but ever remain one body, fixed by Christ himself.
Holy and Unwavering God, in this mire of mixed messages, we often feel overwhelmed. At times we barely find our own voice amid the clamor of each day’s discouraging news. Help us, we pray, in this time of war and unrelenting troubles, to pay attention. Help us notice which words and images are forming us and our families. Help us use our ears to hear words that uplift, never disparage. Help us gain courage to challenge falsehood, to distinguish honesty from hypocrisy. Help us live as those who carry the handprint of Christ upon their hearts.
Holy and Astonishing God, whether we perceive it or not, truly you are hidden in the pockets of our everyday lives, ever offering your benevolence. We praise you for that closeness that does not disappoint. And so we bow before you in gratitude now, acknowledging the ways in which you stir our hearts:
- For all the young ones in our church who have been baptized and blessed, who are being brought up in our church home;
- For all musicians and their healing gift of music that saturates our souls;
- For our brothers and sisters in our congregation and in our community who are living examples of your grace;
- For your entering into our suffering and your comfort of all who are confused, ill, lonely, and bereaved;
- For your love that transcends ethnicity, language, and religion
Accept also these petitions from our congregation who have asked to be remembered:
We pray for ….
- A member’s husband who has ten more weeks of aggressive chemotherapy
- A 20-year old who has been battling brain cancer for five years; prayers for her and her family as her body succumbs to disease.
- A sister-in-law whose melanoma has returned; prayers for her as she meets with oncologist tomorrow
- For caregivers who are watching their spouse or parent or loved one struggle with dementia, Parkinsons, or other chronic illnesses
- Friends who are going through difficult times
- A friend who just learned of cancer diagnosis
- A friend who is undergoing an alternative treatment for aggressive cancer
- All of the victims of war; praying for peace
- For those who are struggling as the holidays approach
We offer prayers of thanksgiving for …
- Clear scans at least doctor’s visit
- A member able to return to Knoxville for rehabilitation after lengthy hospital stay out of town.
- Hostages being released and a pause in violence; may it last, O God!
- Birth of a healthy grandbaby
- Precious baptism last Sunday and new member joining
- For successful surgery for removal of a mass; prayers for our friend’s body to heal!
Holy and Timeless God, gather up all the prayers of our hearts, and use them to bind us securely to you. Remembering the call of your prophets, the commitment of our ancestors, and our very own promises of loyalty to you alone, we re–dedicate ourselves to you in this hour, offering all our prayers in the name of Jesus, the Ever-Present One, who taught us to pray:
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.
