God we know our hope lies
with you and we look to for comfort and strength as we enter the darker days of this
season. The leaves are changing, the
days are getting shorter, the air is brisker and we are reminded of the fragile
nature of our human existence … we need
you as our strong light and beacon to guide us through the days ahead.
We awake
each morning and are bombarded with frightening images and words about strange
diseases and terrorists threats that make us afraid. The news is energized each time a new fear
can be introduced and we often get swept away in this fearful energy.
Loving
God, erase our fears and focus our energy on looking for hope. We pray for the victims of Ebola and the
healthworkers who are searching for answers and lovingly care for patients.
We pray
for people around the world who are displaced from their homes and living under
constant fear for their own safety. God, be our light and guide us to dissipate
the voices of fear that surround us and focus on your love and healing power.
Lord, we
know you are always with us...walk closely with us as the days get colder and
we begin to close our front doors and nestle in at home. Because the moments to enjoy the warm
sunlight are fewer, we move inside and turn inward, we choose
to listen to our own insecurities and live in a state of fear of what is to
come... We become more concerned about
our own situation than the condition of our neighbors and others in our
world. Mother Father God, as you love
all your children, you remind us of the ways we are called to reach out to love
and serve others. Bring us out of the
safety of our homes to be your hands and feet to those in need.
Bless
the volunteers who love and serve our PADS guests each Sunday. And Inspire the men we serve to seek new and
healthier ways of living. Guide our church to serve the hurting world in deeper
ways and spread your message of hope and love to all of your children.
We are
entering the last weeks of an election season and the fevered voices of fear
surround us …
we hear negative messages coming from the
candidates to our TVs, our mailboxes and our computers. The Focus on what others have done wrong
infects our society and our own heads We find ourselves echoing the negative
tone in our own words and relationships.
God, we
know your voice is stronger than all others … guide us to ignore the other voices, to tune out the fear and focus on your calm and loving
voice. Inspire us to imprint your words on our hearts
and be the voices of hope.
Amid the
shorter and colder days, we still can witness beautiful blooms and
celebrations. This morning we are reminded of God’s promises of hope
with the birth of Lucas Uzureau and the baptism of Peyton Grace. We
rejoice that Billie Hauser is healing rapidly and will come home this week, and
that Scott appemeyer's condition has improved and he is again at home. We are
grateful for our church that offers a safe home to our youth who return from
retreat this morning.
God we
ask you to especially care for those who are ill. Some of us have colds or the flu, while
others have much deeper ills, both physically and mentally. We lift up Ray
Brejcha who is currently hospitalized.
Surround us with your healing power, comfort us deep
down and remind us that our hope lies in you.
Quiet
those fearful voices in each of us and bring us peace.
God you
have taught us that life is always changing.
We are guided to look forward and know that on the other side of the
cold and dark lies the resurrection, the promise of a different future. We know we can pass through fear and live in
the hope of a new world. Your son, Jesus
taught us not to fear but to trust and follow him. We thank you for this gift
and be with us as we pray together …
Our
Father…
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