Preserve our churches, O God, for in you we take refuge. You are our Lord and we have no good apart from you. You have your hand on all things here in our cities, towns, and communities, you hold our lot, and we have a beautiful inheritance in you, especially in our savior, your Son, Jesus Christ. We set you before us and you make our hearts happy. We know you’ll never abandon us, just as you didn’t abandon your prophets, even when they felt like maybe you had. There are some of us here today that feel abandoned, and we wonder where you are. Holy Spirit, make your presence known in our worship. There are people in our cities, towns, and communities that aren’t sure you’re there, Lord. Holy Spirit, bring them to know Jesus and know the presence of a redeemer, and bring them to find God’s people, even bring them to our churches.
Jesus, we thank you that you have set us free, and we ask that today in our worship service and every day, you would lead our churches to walk by the Spirit, killing the sin in us and bringing to life a life of righteousness. Especially grow in us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, and may our lives be a witness to our cities, towns, and communities.
Lord, we thank you that you are gracious, so your judgement has not come upon our cities, towns, and communities or our churches, but rather you wait that your love may be known and many more brought to salvation in Christ. Lord, we especially pray for the poor, the homeless, and the hurting of our cities, towns, and communities, and we ask you Holy Spirit to be at work in us that we at our churches may follow Jesus without any delay, ministering to those people. Make us fit for the kingdom of God.
Thank you for pastors who lead our churches to see Jesus, walk in the Spirit, and serve our cities, towns, and communities.
O God, your never-failing providence sets in order all things both in heaven and on earth: Put away from us all hurtful things, and give us those things that are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Sunday, June 30, 2019
Friday, June 21, 2019
My Prayer for our churches and our cities and communities for the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost 2019; based on Psalms 22, 63, 42, 43, Zechariah 12:8-11, 1 Kings 19:1-15, Galatians 3:23-29, and Luke 8:26-39, 9:18-24 and the Collect and Preface for this Sunday from the BCP
Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Father, we cry out to you today. There is much injustice and pain and sadness in our world, all around us. We are sad for the broken things here in our churches and our cities and communities. But Lord, we also know you are good and at work, and we ask that you would use our churches to minister to those needs and pains. But first, we ask for YOU. We need YOU, Lord. Our souls long for you, thirst for you, hunger for you. Father, give us your Holy Spirit that our churches would be filled with Jesus, both for the good of our souls and lives and the good of our cities and communities. Praise be to your name LORD that you desire your people and come after us. We mourn for things in our cities and communities, but we also celebrate your work in our cities and communities. We thank you most of all for Jesus. By your grace we are now saved by faith in Christ, and that knowledge of salvation, of forgiveness of sins, of justification, of being right with you through faith, these are the very truths our churches need for Holy Spirit empowered ministry to our cities and communities. Give us Jesus today! Use the ones who preach and lead to give us Jesus today. Deliver us from evil and demons and sin today! Use us to minister to others this week for your glory! You are the Christ, Jesus, there is no other. This is why we pray to you, looking to you for salvation and power, and thankful we live in a time when we are to make your name known. Use us to make your name known!
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who on the first day of the week overcame death and the grave, and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life. Amen.
Saturday, June 15, 2019
A Prayer for our churches and our cities and communities for Trinity Sunday 2019 (JUN16); based on Psalms 8 and 29, Proverbs 8, Isaiah 6:1–8, Romans 5:1–5, Revelation 4:1–11, John 16:5–15, and the Collect and Preface for this Sunday from BCP79/BCP19
O Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. You are above and beyond understanding as God who is three in one and one in three, and yet it is this very mystery of how you have revealed yourself that leads us to praise your name. May the the whole world praise your name, and would you lead us here at our churches and in our cities and communities to praise your name today. Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Would you give strength to your people at our churches today, and bless your people with peace. Give us wisdom, that we may show our cities and communities what you do in our lives as you forgive our many sins and work in our hearts. Give us, our churches, your instruction today, Lord, in the preaching, in the worship, that we may take it out to our cities and communities for your glory. Give us wisdom to know how to reach our cities and communities for Jesus, and empower us, Holy Spirit. Holy, holy, holy, is your name, Lord Jesus, for you bring forgiveness of our sins. Send us out from our churches today that we may see sinners in our cities and communities find you and come to you for your mercy and by your mercy. We thank you that we have been justified by faith, that we have peace with God through you, Lord Jesus Christ, and we ask that you truly produce in us character and endurance and hope, even if it is through suffering. Preserve us in suffering, Holy Spirit. We are willing to suffer in our cities and communities for you Lord, but let our churches not be put to shame. We know, Father, that you have given us the Holy Spirit, that we may glorify you, that all you have belongs to us because of our belief in Jesus. And so we come to you, asking you to convict our cities and communities of sin only so that they may join in rejoicing and worshipping your Holy, holy, holy, name as they discover your love, if by your mercy, you show your love and wisdom to our cities and communities through our churches. For, with your co-eternal Son and Holy Spirit, you are one God, our Lord, in Trinity of Persons and in Unity of Substance; and we believe and celebrate the one and equal glory of you, O Father, and of your Son, and of the Holy Spirit, without any difference or inequality. Amen.
Sunday, June 9, 2019
A Prayer for our churches and our cities and communities for Pentecost 2019; based on Psalm 104, Genesis 11:1-9, Acts 2:1-21, 1 Cor 12:3-13, Romans 8:14-17, John 20:19-23, John 14:8-27, and the Collect and Preface for this Sunday from the BCP
Almighty God, on this day, through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, you revealed the way of eternal life to every race and nation: Pour out this gift anew at our churches and in Oklahoma, that by the preaching of the Gospel your salvation may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, you are very great! And we thank you for all your mighty works in the world, in our cities and communities, and at our churches. You created the world in the beginning, and you are over everything that happens in it, and so we look to You, O LORD. We praise you, O LORD for what you do, what you are doing, and what you will do here in our cities and communities and at our churches. May we never think so much of ourselves that we try to rise to your level. Protect us from the temptation of Satan, the temptation of Babel, the temptation to think we here at our churches are so great, but instead let us humbly rest in the fact that YOU are so great and loving and trustworthy and sovereign! May we at our churches and in our cities and communities this day see people hear the gospel and turn to Jesus in faith. On the day of Pentecost nearly 2000 years ago you brought thousands to yourself in the city that day. Would you work the same miracle here in our cities and communities through our churches and all the churches in our cities and communities today?
Lord, we thank you for the gifts you give your church for ministry, and we ask that you provide all those gifts to our churches so we may minister to our cities and communities well. We especially thank you for Doug and Casey and the elders and pastors and deacons of City Pres, and ask you to continue to use them to lead our churches forward in ministering to our cities and communities. Enable especially Doug and Casey today as they preach and lead, that our churches would hear that by the Spirit we also get the privilege of calling you not just our LORD, but our FATHER! Thank you, Father. Thank you, Abba! Holy Spirit, would you bear witness to our souls this Sunday (and every day) through the worship and through the Word that God is our Father, Jesus is our Savior, and you Holy Spirit live in us, so now we are in union with Christ! Jesus in us and us in Jesus, just as Jesus in his Father and the Father in Jesus. Wow, we’re not even totally sure what that means, but it’s amazing and we thank you we have this incredible truth to lean on and consider and enjoy! Thank you Jesus, that because of what you did on the cross for us, we are not orphans, but rather we have seen the Father, and he is OUR Father. Holy Spirit, continue to teach us here at our churches, bringing to our minds remembrance of what Jesus has taught, giving us peace, keeping our hearts from being troubled or afraid, as we prepare to go out to serve our cities and communities in your name this week.
May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works here in our cities and communities! We will sing to the LORD as long as we live; we will sing praise to our God while we have being. May our meditations here at our churches be pleasing to you, for we rejoice in the LORD. Bless the LORD, O my soul! Praise the LORD!
Through Jesus Christ our Lord; according to whose most true promise, the Holy Spirit came down from heaven, lighting upon the disciples, to teach them and to lead them into all truth, giving them boldness and fervent zeal constantly to preach the Gospel to all nations; by which we have been brought out of darkness and error into the clear light and true knowledge of you, and of your Son Jesus Christ. Amen.
Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, you are very great! And we thank you for all your mighty works in the world, in our cities and communities, and at our churches. You created the world in the beginning, and you are over everything that happens in it, and so we look to You, O LORD. We praise you, O LORD for what you do, what you are doing, and what you will do here in our cities and communities and at our churches. May we never think so much of ourselves that we try to rise to your level. Protect us from the temptation of Satan, the temptation of Babel, the temptation to think we here at our churches are so great, but instead let us humbly rest in the fact that YOU are so great and loving and trustworthy and sovereign! May we at our churches and in our cities and communities this day see people hear the gospel and turn to Jesus in faith. On the day of Pentecost nearly 2000 years ago you brought thousands to yourself in the city that day. Would you work the same miracle here in our cities and communities through our churches and all the churches in our cities and communities today?
Lord, we thank you for the gifts you give your church for ministry, and we ask that you provide all those gifts to our churches so we may minister to our cities and communities well. We especially thank you for Doug and Casey and the elders and pastors and deacons of City Pres, and ask you to continue to use them to lead our churches forward in ministering to our cities and communities. Enable especially Doug and Casey today as they preach and lead, that our churches would hear that by the Spirit we also get the privilege of calling you not just our LORD, but our FATHER! Thank you, Father. Thank you, Abba! Holy Spirit, would you bear witness to our souls this Sunday (and every day) through the worship and through the Word that God is our Father, Jesus is our Savior, and you Holy Spirit live in us, so now we are in union with Christ! Jesus in us and us in Jesus, just as Jesus in his Father and the Father in Jesus. Wow, we’re not even totally sure what that means, but it’s amazing and we thank you we have this incredible truth to lean on and consider and enjoy! Thank you Jesus, that because of what you did on the cross for us, we are not orphans, but rather we have seen the Father, and he is OUR Father. Holy Spirit, continue to teach us here at our churches, bringing to our minds remembrance of what Jesus has taught, giving us peace, keeping our hearts from being troubled or afraid, as we prepare to go out to serve our cities and communities in your name this week.
May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works here in our cities and communities! We will sing to the LORD as long as we live; we will sing praise to our God while we have being. May our meditations here at our churches be pleasing to you, for we rejoice in the LORD. Bless the LORD, O my soul! Praise the LORD!
Through Jesus Christ our Lord; according to whose most true promise, the Holy Spirit came down from heaven, lighting upon the disciples, to teach them and to lead them into all truth, giving them boldness and fervent zeal constantly to preach the Gospel to all nations; by which we have been brought out of darkness and error into the clear light and true knowledge of you, and of your Son Jesus Christ. Amen.
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