A Prayer for our churches and our cities, communities, and neighborhoods for 7th Sunday after Pentecost 2019; based on Psalm 138, Psalm 85, Genesis 18:20-33, Hosea 1:2-10, Col 2:6-19, and Luke 11:1-13 and the Collect and Preface for this Sunday from the BCP (Ordinary Time, Year C, Proper 12)

Lord, our Lord, we at our churches are but dust and ashes, and yet by your grace you let us be your people. We have strayed after other gods and made our lives about anything and everything but you, and yet by your grace you receive us, you call us in as our faithful husband. We act like whores, and you are faithful to us anyways. We neglect you, and you continue to be our loving Father, never giving us anything bad, but only giving us what we ask for, or something far, far better! We give you thanks O LORD, with our whole hearts, before you and before our cities, communities, and neighborhoods we sing your praise, bowing down to you, giving thanks to you for your steadfast love and faithfulness! Lord, you have been so good to our churches and to our cities, communities, and neighborhoods, and we simply ask that you restore us, let your salvation be near to us. We ask you to have mercy, bring justice, and let there be your continuing mercies on a sinful people like us.
We are so happy that you call out to us in love, and say to people undeserving of mercy, “My People, Mercy, Children of the Living God!” O, Abba, Father, we rest in you and in your love!
Please keep us by the power of your Holy Spirit that no one would take us captive by philosophies or empty deceit, but that we would always look to Jesus Christ, remembering that we at our churches have been circumcised by the circumcision made without hands by putting off the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, which you also raised him and raise us up by your powerful working, above all counting us dead to our trespasses and sins, having forgiven us by canceling the record of debt which stood against us with it’s legal demands, and you make us alive in Christ! May our cities, communities, and neighborhoods see this and be called to you: in awe of you and of the work you would do in our churches. Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation. And may all this bring glory to your name, bring the people of our cities, communities, and neighborhoods to Christ, and bring us in our churches into the kingdom of God, which is yours forever and ever.
Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Prayer for our churches and our cities, communities, and neighborhoods for 5th Sunday after Pentecost 2019; based on Amos 7:7-17, Psalm 82, Deuteronomy 30:9-14, Psalm 25:1-10, Psalm 69, Colossians 1:1-14, Luke 10:25-37 and the Collect and Preface for this Sunday from the BCP (Ordinary Time 14, Proper 10)

O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people here at our churches who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them in our cities, communities, and neighborhoods: enable us by your Holy Spirit to love you with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love our neighbors here in our cities, communities, and neighborhoods as ourselves. And yet even as we do this, we know it is not our own works and doings that make us right with you, but your reconciling mercies by which we have the forgiveness of sins. Thanks be to You! Thank you, Jesus! Let heaven and earth praise you, Triune God, for just how good you are to us! You know the sins of our churches and the people within her, but have mercy on us, and hear our prayers in your abundant mercy. Answer us, for your steadfast love is good, and turn to our churches, delivering us and saving us from our troubles and our own sins. Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. And so it is to you, O Lord, we lift up our souls. We know you are the deliverer and love to show your abundant steadfast love and mercy, but we also know you are the just judge, protecting the innocent, bringing justice to the poor, and rescuing the weak and needy; and so we ask that you would show your love, mercy, and forgiveness to our cities, communities, and neighborhoods and deliver it from all judgments. We trust you not to put us to shame, but to glorify your name. 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, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

A Prayer for our churches and our cities and communities for 4th Sunday after Pentecost 2019; based on 2 Kings 5:1-14, Psalm 30, Isaiah 66:10-14, Psalm 66, Galatians 6:1-18, and Luke 10:1-20 and the Collect and Preface for this Sunday from the BCP (Ordinary Time 14, Proper 9)

Lord, we shout for joy to God, we call to our cities and communities, saying; sing the glory of Jesus’s name; give to him glorious praise! Father, we thank you and rejoice that by your grace our names are written in the book of life. Thank you! We love you and praise you and rejoice in you for your holiness and for your love and mercy, you will never take your steadfast love from us in your anger, but rather you restore us and heal us through Jesus Christ, Our Savior and Lord. You heal all who call out to you, looking for your anger at sin to be turned away, you rescue all who call our to you for salvation, and so our churches calls out to you, we do! Lord, we ask your help here at our churches that we may bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Holy Spirit, keep us doing good, especially to those of the household of faith, that we may be a blessing and a witness to all of our cities and communities. Help us never be arrogant or think too much of ourselves or judge one another, but only do what is good for the building of of all the saints here at our churches and let us bear a powerful harvest, seeing many come to faith here in our cities and communities. Grant that the grace of our Lord Jesus be with our spirits here at our churches. O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Blessed be your name. Amen.