Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Prayers of the People - August 31, 2014

God of the morning sun and the evening stars,
you are so accustomed to the ever changing universe. 
But many of us are in a season of transition and we ask your strong presence and kind guidance as CHANGE can often be difficult for us.
Children have headed back to school and our casual summer has turned into a schedule-heavy fall. 
Be with our families in this transition of seasons
grant extra measures of patience and strength for parents and those who deal with managing busy schedules
inspire a spirit of bravery and cooperation in our children and ourselves. 

Some in our midst are experiencing times of great sorrow and we ask your blessing upon the Keenan and Schneider families as they transition into a new phase of life without the earthly presence of beloved parents and spouses. 

Other families are dealing with mental illness, addiction, anger, and stress
we pray that your constant love and grace be welcomed into the hearts of those dealing with the brokenness of individuals and families. 
Help them to see a hopeful future, and give them strength to transition into new lives of wholeness and peace. 
Lead them to reach out to others for support and guidance as this is a difficult road to walk alone.

God of our beginnings and endings, grant each of us peace in our aging processes. 
Some of us are feeling our age and joints and bones are not as strong...
minds and memories are not as quick ...
and transitions are more difficult. 
Help us to be patient and loving to ourselves as we realize the ever-changing nature of our lives, bodies and spirits.  
Guide us in finding comfort in knowing that you are our God and we are your children and all of these changes are part of your plan.

As a church we are excited for the arrival of Jessica this week.  Help us to provide a loving and welcoming home to her this year, 
allow us to walk alongside her as she serves God in our midst ... assisting in worship leadership and expanding our thoughts about serving others with Outreach.
Thank you God for the continued healing of Don Jones ... allow Don the will to do the complete healing that is necessary  before he returns fully to life.   Give us wisdom to know how to help Don and Cardy in the best ways.

Loving God who watches over and loves the seven billion souls created on this planet
we know that we have changed this planet from the YOUR kingdom, to a Kingdom of our own creation. 
We have let wars, conflicts, famines and poverty spread over your creation. 
Give to each of us AND to our leaders ... your wisdom
Give us strength and the guidance to turn away from the human ways of self-interest, oppression , greed and power struggles
Help us to walk on Holy Ground and turn us to the Godly ways of compassion, sharing resources and uplifting the lives and spirits of others.   
We all long for a world where no mother or father needs to worry when a child leaves their home. 
Where no parent is afraid that their daughter or son won't return from a walk to school or a simple bike ride to a friends house. 
Inspire us to work peacefully for solutions to the violence children and families experience daily. 

We each have joys and concerns that lie on our hearts.... We silently offer these now to you, our God...

Loving God, through all the transitions and seasons of change we know that the one constant is YOU. 
Your deep and abiding love sustains and nourishes us.  We know that WITH YOU, and each other, we can do far more than we can alone. 
We know that you are with us and together we pray the prayer we received from your son ...

Our father

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