Prayers of the People, August 2, 2015

Gentle God: we have traveled through many waters to reach this place, but share one baptism; we arrive from different backgrounds and traditions, yet share one faith;
we are, each of us, unique and precious to God, and are members of one Body; we have different dreams and doubts, yet our hearts beat with one hope; we are graced with different gifts, so we may offer them in service to one Lord.

We each seek to lead a life worthy of you, but we often stumble in our efforts.  We tend to believe that we are always right, and that it is our duty to correct those we feel are wrong.  Forgive us when we let pride and self-righteousness have dominion in our actions.  Teach us to walk humbly, to set aside our need to be right, and to treat those we encounter with a kind and gentle spirit. 

Our patience is tested by our children, our neighbors, our spouses, our friends and strangers we meet.  People don’t act as we wish, in a way that we desire and in the time frame that we demand. Forgive us when we lose our patience and want things done promptly and in our way.  Gentle God, we need your help to put aside our assumptions and our own needs and to see each person as your child, created in your image. Lord, we know that YOU are our center, help us to trust you at all times and to be content with your timing, rather than our own.

You call us to treat one another with love, but often we forget and let our own wants and desires take precedence.  Loving God, forgive us when we fail to bear the burdens of our brothers and sisters.  Guide us to persevere in praying for them and upholding others in our communication with you.  Open our eyes to the ways that we can actively help those in need of your love, and guide our hands to serve promptly and with an open heart.

We know that you, O God, are always with us.  You actively pursue each of us and encourage us to do the work of your community.  Your deep love for us is a comfort in our times of sorrow.   As a church family, we offer our prayers to you for the Kappemeyer family and the Diener family in their times of great loss.    Comfort Christa, Scott and Pam and surround them with wonderful memories of these beloved women.  Allow them to peacefully trust that they are deep in your loving embrace in the life eternal.  

Graceful God, thank you for the apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers that have been given to us for the work of ministry.  Help us to work with one another to build up the Body of Christ, growing in wisdom and maturity as we see to understand the fullness of Christ and the unity of the faith.

God in Community, Holy in One, equip us for the work of ministry, as we pray together with one voice, as Jesus has taught us, saying,