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.